Where should I buy Lantus?

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Deb and Pepper

Member Since 2011
My kitty has been on Lantus for 6 months now, using the same vial. His sugar numbers have been going up for the last week, so I am thinking the insulin is getting weak. After checking with my local pharmacies, I am hoping someone can give me some place to go for it that isn't $150 a vial that the pharmacies want.
 
I've found the best price at Costco. You can use the pharmacy even if you are not a member, but you get an extra discount if you are. It might be enough to make membership worth while if you don't belong. I know some order from Canada, Roni and Moonie & Ella and Rusty, you could see where they order from. I'd worry about freezing in the winter though.
 
Most of us don't buy the vials -- we buy the pens. There are a couple of advantages of the pens. While a box of 5 pens is more expensive than the vial (retail is around $200), you get more insulin. (Each pen is 3 ml x 5 = 15 ml vs. 10 ml in the vial.) Because there is less insulin in the pen, if your insulin goes bad, there is less waste. Also, if you drop a pen or the pen is somehow damaged, you don't lose all of your insulin -- just 3 ml at the most. Overall, it turns out to be more cost effective.

If you call around to hospital pharmacies, they may be willing to sell single pens.

If you have a prescription for the vial and want the pens, you'll need to get a new prescription.
 
when you use the pen...you draw the insulin out of it with a syringe rather than using the injection attachment...

(it has a rubber flange tip)

so 1/4 unit doses are the same as with a vial :-D

celi
 
That will often confuse the vets and the pharmacist too. I had to take a pen in to get them to understand. Don't let the pharmacy sell you the needles for the pens, tell them you are using it like a mini vial.
 
Then those would be GREAT! I still have about 1/3 of a vial left after 6 months, so I'm going to waste a LOT of it. Sounds like the pens would be a better deal all around.
 
google for a solostar pen coupon - there was one for $25 off on the lantus.com site when i got my first pen. i get one pen at a time, which is $41ish at a Save-On pharmacy. Some places will sell one pen at a time, some won't. i had to call around to find one that would.

take a look at this sticky: Lantus & Levemir, Info, Proper Handling & Storage for how to use the pen like a mini-vial.
 
I had the best luck with a small pharmacy inside of a clinic nearby - Costco, Sams, Walgreens and CVS all refused to sell a single pen. I pay around $53 a pen & usually get around 3 months out of it before replacing. I imagine its cheaper to buy the 5 pack of pens but I figure if we have a power outage, fridge failure etc. its better to lose 1 pen than 5!
 
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