Where to purchase Glargine?

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Stitch and Kelly said:
Hey eveyone, I was wondering where the best places are to purchase insulin? Thanks!
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Any Human pharmacy sells Lantus with a prescription. Call around to ask what the price is. Most people here use the Lantus OptiClick cartridges or the Lantus SoloStar pre-filled pens instead of the 10ml bottle. The pens and cartridges come in a box of 5 and are more cost effective.

Some people say Costco has the best price but it depends where you live. I don't think you need to be a Costco member to use the pharmacy.

If you buy from a US pharmacy, you can use a free prescription drug card to save some money. Here's a list of cards: http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/r ... 84,1946184

Other people buy from online Candian pharmacies for much less than what a US pharmacy charges.
 
kelly! haven't seen you around in a long time. what's the story? has stitch been off insulin and is going back on... or are you simply in need of more insulin? squeem3 already gave you the low down on prices. if you buy locally, call around for the best prices. i've found prices differences of up to $40-$50 for the same box of lantus pens.
 
A couple of months ago, a member noted that she found an incredible price at Rite-Aid if you were a member of their plan.

The places other than Costco and Sam's that you might think about are hospital pharmacies. Often, they will sell a single cartridge or pen vs. requiring you to buy a box. Many of the hospital pharmacies also price competitively.
 
Hey Everyone! Thank you for all the replies! Stitch has been doing well - never went "off the juice" but is a happy kitty so life it good! I no longer work at a veterinary hospital so no employee discount...looking for the low down on what places tend to have the better prices. I was told by a pharmist that the cartridges and pens wouldn't be useful for a cat...hummmm, how do they work?
 
They work just like a 10ml vial for us. You can't use the pen needles with it since the system doesn't accurately measure very small doses. But most of us just insert a u100 syringe in the end of the cartridge just like you would with a vial. The pen/cartridge works on a vacuum system, so there is no need to push air into the cartridge when you pull out insulin. Below is a pic of how we draw insulin out of a pen:

lantus+cartridge.jpeg


edited to add: purchasing five 3ml pens allows you to only open up 3ml of insulin at a time, so you don't run the risk of the whole 10ml vial going bad before you can use it all.
 
Here's another picture of how to use an insulin syringe with an insulin pen:

How%20to%20use%20an%20%20insulin%20pen%20for%20cats.jpg


The Lantus info sticky has a picture of how to use an insulin syringe with a cartridge: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=151 It's basically the same way: insert insulin syringe needle into the rubber stopper and draw up the insulin just like using a bottle.

Do not inject air into the pen or cartridge. The pen/cartridge has a rubber plunger thing inside that keeps the insulin right up against the rubber stopper without any air space to maintain pressure.
 
I've bought my insulin from canadadrugsonline the past three times and have had no issues. It takes about 4 or 5 business days to receive to where I live in New Jersey.
 
Hi Kelly I'm new to FDMB but thought I would respond because I bought my Lantus from Canadian Pharmacy online. If you need it right away could be a problem it took two weeks. The price for 5 pens was $98 and $10 shipping. It will depend how soon you need it. I couldn't buy it where I live for less than $168 I tried area states they were more. Costco in CT charges $208!

I never thought about hospital pharmacies but that might be worth looking into.
 
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