Switching Insulin Types- Any Tips?

[Elaine and Ember]

Ember has been on 1 unit of Vetsulin since her diagnosis and we’ll be switching to 1 unit of lantus this week. I know I need to use U-100 needles, but is there anything else different I need to be prepared for? Do I still need to feed 20 minutes before shooting? I’m worried that sometimes her AMPS numbers have been low— will that be an even bigger concern with a longer-acting insulin?
My vet said if I’m worried (of course I am) I should wait until my day off to switch so I can closely monitor her BG. But that pushes back the switch by almost a week. Is it better to wait and play it safe?

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Lantus is pharmacologically very different than pretty much all of the other insulins. I'd strongly encourage you to read over the sticky notes at the top of the Lantus board. The biggest difference is that Lantus is a depot type of insulin.

What that means is that every time you give a shot, the insulin forms microcrystals that are deposited in the fat tissue. Over the course of the cycle, most of the insulin slowly dissolves. This is what gives Lantus is long duration. Not all of the crystals dissolve over the 12-hours which also means that there is overlap between the cycles. Ideally, this results in a "flat" curve. Both the duration and the flattening of the curve make it very different than Vetsulin.

Lantus onset is also different than Vetsulin. Vetsulin starts working almost immediately which is why you need to feed your cat and wait a bit before giving a shot. Lantus onset is roughly after 2 hours -- although this can vary for each cat. As a result, you can test, feed, and shoot in rapid succession. There is no need to delay the shot.

One additional thought regarding when you start Lantus, Daylight Savings Time ends next weekend. The time change effects Lantus more than other insulin due to the depot. You will need to adjust your shot times in order to accommodate Lantus. One of those other differences is that an early shot acts like a dose increase and a late shot acts like a dose reduction.

When you decide to switch -- or shortly before -- you may want to consider posting on the Lantus board. It's a big group and perhaps even busier than Health. The Lantus users are very helpful.

 

[Mary & Jude]

Hi Elaine!

Here's your previous post; we ask that everyone post their previous post with each daily post for the sake of continuity in looking back to see what's been happening with Ember: New member- the amazing mama Ember.

In terms of switching to Lantus, anecdotally speaking, I switched Jude from Vetsulin to Lantus after about a week or two of his diagnosis, and he had absolutely no issues. His numbers greatly improved on Lantus.

Hope to see you over on the Lantus board.

Good luck!!

 

[Elaine and Ember]

Hi Elaine!

Here's your previous post; we ask that everyone post their previous post with each daily post for the sake of continuity in looking back to see what's been happening with Ember: New member- the amazing mama Ember.

In terms of switching to Lantus, anecdotally speaking, I switched Jude from Vetsulin to Lantus after about a week or two of his diagnosis, and he had absolutely no issues. His numbers greatly improved on Lantus.

Hope to see you over on the Lantus board.

Good luck!!

Will do for next time. Thank you! Is it better to just keep all general questions in the same thread and not start new ones?
And thanks for the encouraging words. I don’t know why I’m freaking out so much about switching.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

My Neko switched from Caninsulin (what Vetsulin is in the rest of the world) to Lantus. We made the mistake on lowering the dose too much. But other than that, the syringes had thinner gauge needles, which were easier on both Neko and me. I could get syringes at the pharmacy and didn't have to order from the vet, ditto for the insulin. Plus, I think Neko liked that the insulin didn't drop her hard and fast. Good luck with the new insulin.

It's fine to start a new topic, and actually easier for those of us new to the conversation. Those links to the previous one means we can go back if we need to. We actually encourage people to start a new topic if the old thread gets long (50 posts).

 

[Mary & Jude]

Will do for next time. Thank you! Is it better to just keep all general questions in the same thread and not start new ones?
And thanks for the encouraging words. I don’t know why I’m freaking out so much about switching.

We have a specific posting protocol that we follow over on the Lantus forum: here are the guidelines: Info - POSTING GUIDELINES PLEASE READ

I'm not sure if they have these same sorts of rules over here on the main forum or not. I think maybe not. But, Wendy's guidelines are helpful (above).

You're probably freaked out about the switch because the vet seemingly made it sound like a big deal. If Ember were mine, I'd test a little more frequently after the switch, especially trying to grab a test at +2 or +3 (which is onset of the insulin).

As you move forward, you're going to want to think about a dosing method to follow. At the risk of overwhelming you with too much information, here is an explanation of the dosing methods most of us follow: Thread 'Dosing Methods: Start Low, Go Slow (SLGS) & Tight Regulation (TR)'. These methods tell us when to give increases/decreases and by how much. The TR method has evidentiary research showing cats have gone into remission while following it, although some cats (and Jude was one) go into remission on SLGS. But, until you remove all kibble from Ember's diet, you'll need to follow SLGS.