Using 3U Humulin N want to switch to Lantus

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Frosty

Frosty

Member Since 2012
Our 10 yr old cat was diagnosed about 1 month ago. He's been on Humulin N at 3U twice a day since then. He has a vet appointment tomorrow and I'm going to ask the vet to switch him to Lantus. I asked about Lantus before but the vet said he wasn't familiar with it and to try this. We see some improvement but his BG readings are in the mid 200s at 5-6 hours after the shot and have been from 400 to 500 15 minutes before his evening shot. He has been on Fancy Feast Classic food since before he was diagnosed. There is dry food available for the other 2 cats. He isn't interested in it so that's good.
From what I have been reading we should start him on 1U of Lantus and start a SS and work up from there. If I get the Lantus SoloStar Pen Cartridges what size suringe should I get?
We bought some Wellness Core dry food to mix with the current dry food to gradually cut the chrobo intake on them and then wien them to the can food only over time.
Thank you all for any advice you provide. It is appreciated.
 
Lantus will be a LOT better than Humulin N. It seems that you are home testing- also a plus!

Just remember that the sooner you drop the dry for all it would help his levels as well. He might love FF but he might be sneaking in a few bits and pieces of the dry when you aren't around.

The high PS is somewhat caused by the Humulin- it only works 6-8 hours and so there could be 4 hours with no insulin so he starts to rise- another reason to switch.

Okay- syringes- you need to get the 100u ones with the half markings- you can usually buy them at Wal-Mart for $13/100. They have an ORANGE cap. And, before you buy, :!: :!: :!: open the box and look at the barrel through the plastic baggie and make sure they have the half markings. Do NOT buy the needles for the solstar pens- they are not accurate enough for a cat.

Dose- You are right- start at 1u- just like starting over. keep an eye on ketones because some cats do tend to react the the lessening of the insulin until the 'shed' fills.

Good luck!

heather
 
hmjohnston; Thank you for the info. I'm new at this and not familiar with the term "she'd is filled". What is that. Is there any likely side effects when switching from the Humulin N to the Lantus? We're currently using Walgreen's Super Thin Syringes with 5/16" needle. They are .03ml. We don't have any problems with them and PurrFace (the diabetic) doesn't seem to even know he's getting an injection. Will these work with the Lantus? We have decided if the vet doesn't want us to switch to Lantus we are going to change to a vet that specializes in felines. There is a feline specific clinic about 20 miles from us. Thank you soooo much for your advise. It is greatly appreciated.
 
Here's a sticky to explain about the "shed" It is referenced as a "depot" in the documentation, but basically Lantus is a long lasting insulin so a shed/depot gets stored up for use throughout the cycle. I'm pretty new so I don't want to say much more than that. Poke around the main home page of this site - there's a TON of information to absorb! And, by all means, keep asking questions - don't be shy!! Good luck with the switch - I hope kitty finds it to be more effective. :thumbup

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=150
 
Here is info about the Lantus "shed": http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=150 Be sure to read the other stickies on the Lantus board to understand how the insulin works for cats.


Frosty said:
switching from the Humulin N to the Lantus? We're currently using Walgreen's Super Thin Syringes with 5/16" needle. They are .03ml. We don't have any problems with them and PurrFace (the diabetic) doesn't seem to even know he's getting an injection. Will these work with the Lantus?
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Yes, those will work just fine with Lantus :smile: As long as you use U100 insulin syringes with U100 insulin (such as Lantus), you're ok :smile:

Ideally, though, you should use insulin syringes with half unit markings so that you can measure less than a whole unit as needed. I'm not familiar with the Walgreens brand of insulin syringes. Ask the pharmacist if the 3/10 cc insulin syringes are available with half unit markings. Be sure that the pharmacist undestands that you are asking about half unit markings, not half inch long needles or 1/2 cc insulin syringes. Some pharmacists have no clue about half unit markings :roll:

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Wal Mart's brand of Relion insulin syringes are available with half unit markings. If you don't have a Wal Mart nearby, Walgreens should have other brands of half unit marked insulin syringes avaiable or be able to special order you some. BD UltraFine and Monoject are two big name brands with half unit marked insulin syringes. Many people just order their insulin syringes online. AmericanDiabetesWholesale.com is one popular place that has several brands of half unit marked 3/10 cc insulin syringes.

Needle length and gauge is preference but you can get half unit marked insulin syringes that are 31 gauge or 30 gauge 5/16 inch.

Here are threads with suggestions on brands of half unit marked insulin syringes:
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=74842
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=75199

Frosty said:
Is there any likely side effects when switching from the Humulin N to the Lantus?
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Not that I know of. Many cats have switched from N to Lantus with no problem at all. You may want to decrease the insulin dose when starting out with Lantus just to be on the safe side. You can post in either of the Lantus boards for help on if you should decrease the dose.
 
Tara&Buster and Squeem3. Thank you both for the advise. It is very helpful. It's also great to be able to "talk" to people about this issue. I will look for the 1/2 unit marked syringes tomorrow, I should be able to find some in the Houston area. We are hoping if we can get the BG under control the Methyl B-12 will work better in correcting his back legs problem. It really is sad to see a cat that was very active, always running around the house playing with the other two, walking on his haunches with is back arched. Thank you all again!
 
One more question.... Is it OK to use some Shaw'S PAW WAX on my cat's back paws to help stop his rear legs from sliding out from under him? Will it harm him if licks it?
 
Larry & Kitties. Thank you for the info on the Shaw's Paw Wax and the link to the retailer. I ordered a can 1/2 hour ago. Thanks again.
 
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