Trouble with new insulin - ProZinc

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

Trish and Blizzard

Member
Hi -- it's been a few years since Blizzard and I have been here. Due to the demise of Vetsulin, Blizzard had been put on a new insulin named ProZinc. He is not doing well on it. We test his levels twice daily (ear) and administer his insulin. He is currently unregulated and we can't get him regulated. The Vet wanted us to use 4.0. of the ProZinc. When we do, his levels go down to about 100 but he is so uncomforatable that he panics and begs for more food. We give him more food and then his levels go up to the 400-500's. We decrease the insulin and he tolerates, but it doesn't regulate him. Currently, he is throwing up in the mornings prior to us feeding him. He is urinating large amounts in the box. His coat is dull. We just don't know what to do at this point. Should we try a different insulin? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Thanks, Karen & Smokey,

We did increase him slowly when he first started the ProZinc. We checked his levels and they were in normal range. However, he would get frantic for food at that point and we would give him more food. We've done curves and testing and he has never gone hypo. So we took him down to 2.5 units x2 daily. We took him to the Vet to get a Fructosamine check done and he iwas out of control. So we again raised his insulin to between 3.00 and 4.00 twice daily and there is still problems. If we give him 3.00-4.00 he gets frantic for food after about 6-7 hours. Then - if we give him food, his levels go too high and we have to give him less insulin for his next shot. Then his levels remain to high and the next shot we give him higher levels of insulin. It's like a vicious cycle. Also, we normally feed him on 12 hour cycles. He usually throws up in the morning before he gets his breakfast. He has usally drank a lot of water prior to getting his breakfast.
 
Trish, ask your vet to look into rx-ing Levemir. It works well with longer term diabetics. You want to make sure the prescription is for the cartridges and not a vial.

Your vet may be familiar with Lantus (glargine) but not Levemir. They work in similar fashion. Here are the links you can print or give your vet:
http://www.tillydiabetes.net/en_index.htm

http://www.uq.edu.au/ccah/docs/diabetesinfo/link4.pdf

I buy my Levemir at Costco (not a member but can use the pharmacy) because it was the cheapest locally. You can call pharmacies and get pricing.

I hope things turn around for you very soon.

Best,
Pam & Layla
 
As I understand your routine he is only getting tested before each shot? Have you ever tested him when he gets those food panics? My guess is that his BG is swinging, going from >300 to less than 100 in a short period of time, therefore his body tells him he could go hypoglycemic and he needs to eat. The spikes of 400/500 you see are not from the extra food they're from the rebound, as that's what happens during a rebound episode on a faster acting insulin.

This is the direct link to rebound information: http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Somogyi_rebound
There is a graph there which makes it clear what happens.

How long were lower amounts of Prozinc tried and what doses were tried? Raising any insulin in whole units is usually not productive.

Your experience does not mean Prozinc isn't working, the dose may simply need some adjustment.
 
I agree. It may be that you need more data to help you manage the doses of ProZinc - not that it isn't working.

Something that will help you and really help us to see what is happening is a spreadsheet. We have this wonderful color coded google document that shows patterns and trends. It is also very helpful when you ask dosage questions so people can see your history all at once. If you would get one put together, I think we could help you with the dosage. Here are the directions: Setting up a spreadsheet If you are computer savvy, it isn't hard. But if you need help, just ask.

Have you seen this info on ProZinc: viewtopic.php?f=24&t=32799 It has a lot of good information in it.
 
Thanks everyone!!! You've given me a lot of information to work with. I'm going to work with this this week and post again. Very interesting that we shouldn't be changing the insulin by more than .05 at a time. I'll see what I can do with the spreadsheet.

Big hugs from Trish and most especially Blizzard! He's always been such a good cat about getting tested and getting his insulin. I just want him to get what he deserves (balance in his levels) for all that he puts up with :-)
 
Just curious where you got that increases should be 0.05 units. That is very hard to measure, Since you are using ProZinc, a U40 insulin you can easily measure 0.2 units with a U100 syringe with one-half-unit markings. You can estimate to 0.1 units. I think most users her would increase in 1/4 or 1/2 unit increments but it depends upon the dose and the BG values. For example if you are at 4 units and an increase is necessary a 1/2 unit increase maybe appropriate. However, if you are at 1 unit, a 1/4 unit increase may be more appropriate.
 
Why are you feeding only twice per day. Since ProZinc is one of the more gentle insulins,
you could feed a snack between shots, less at meal-time. This might help level out the
highs and lows.

Some of the 'not-so-good' insulins require this strategy (2x/day feeding)...like Humulin N.
 
Larry and Kitties said:
Just curious where you got that increases should be 0.05 units. That is very hard to measure, Since you are using ProZinc, a U40 insulin you can easily measure 0.2 units with a U100 syringe with one-half-unit markings. You can estimate to 0.1 units. I think most users her would increase in 1/4 or 1/2 unit increments but it depends upon the dose and the BG values. For example if you are at 4 units and an increase is necessary a 1/2 unit increase maybe appropriate. However, if you are at 1 unit, a 1/4 unit increase may be more appropriate.
Click to expand...

I see this mistake occasionally. I bet she meant .5U.
 
Oops! I meant we can increase by 1/2 (.50) units. We were doing 2.5 for about 2 months but this was not enough insulin. Our Vet had us increase to 4.0 and this is when Blizzard would panic for food. We've tried to decrease again but then his levels are only moderately changing and there is lots of urine in the box. I think for this week we will hold him at 3.25 2x daily and if this works, we will try to increase to 3.50 for next week. Maybe we won't have such wild swings then.
 
It would be ideal if we could let Blizzard snack during the day but we can't manage that. We have 6 special need kitties in one small house and we both work all day. All kitties are on specialized food (Diabetes for one, crystals for another, kidney disease for another, sensitive stomach for another, and 2 Main Coons that need to be on large kibble because small kibble chokes them. We don't have 6 rooms to separate all of them durning the day so we have to feed on a schedule.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top