Lantus Solostar Coupon, Costs, Types, Information, a Help Guide


Posted by Prescription Hope - See Editorial Guidelines (Last Updated On: Thu May 04 2023)

In this article, we’re going to provide lots of helpful information about Lantus Solostar, including its cost, the types, and more. But first, let’s give a quick answer to get you started.

What is Lantus Solostar? Lantus Solostar is long-acting insulin with no peak hours. It treats both type 1 and 2 diabetes in adults and type 1 diabetes in children from the age of 6 years. It is an FDA approved insulin with a duration of performance for up to 24 hours. It is also once-daily insulin with steady concentration.

As much as it sounds convenient to use this insulin once a day, there’s much more to this long-acting insulin. Before I get into more detail, it’s good to start with the following common question that many have with any long-acting insulin.

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How Long Does Lantus Last?

After the injection of insulin, micro precipitates are formed in the subcutaneous tissue. This process tends to slow down the absorption of Lantus and thereby provides a relatively constant level of insulin for over 24 hours without a pronounced peak.

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This performance that lasts for nearly 24 hours is what supports this insulin to be administered or taken once daily. Also, to mention generally, any long-acting insulin will not have peak hours because, like I said, these insulin’s give steady concentration for a longer period.

However, it is essential to remember that for some patients, it doesn’t last the whole 24 hours. In such a situation, patients are often recommended to take the insulin during the day so the insulin will reduce performance during the night – when the insulin requirements are naturally lower.

In some cases, patients use another supportive short-acting dosing if the Lantus Solostar doesn’t last for long for them. But it’s important to make sure that these are done after proper consultation with your doctor.

The period this insulin may last can also differ on the body or system of different patients and, of course, other diseases the patients maybe be experiencing in parallel to diabetes. So always make sure you consult a doctor in cases where this insulin doesn’t perform for long.

How Many Units Is In A Lantus Pen?

Each Lantus Solostar pen contains 3ml of solution for injection, which is equivalent to about 300 units. The pen will contain a clear and colorless solution. The pens can come in packs of 1, 2, 5, and even 10.

How Much Is A Lantus Pen Without Insurance?

One carton of Lantus Solostar can cost approximately $400 without insurance. The producers of Lantus Solostar offers a Lantus savings card. This card is aimed at helping patients reduce their prescription costs to no more than $25. But still, it also says that there is a maximum benefit of $100 off each prescription for the duration of the program. Get your Lantus for $60.00 per month coupon here.

How Much Does Lantus Insulin Pen Cost?

The cost of a Lantus Insulin Pen depends on the pharmacies and stores that offer them. In general, one pen costs from a minimum of $63 to $79, 5 pens cost from a minimum of $290 to $360, and 10 pens cost from a minimum of $652 to $765 – every single pen holds (3ml/10 units).

Is There A Substitute For Lantus Insulin?

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Generally, there are no real substitutes for Lantus, but there are few alternatives to Lantus, such as Levemir (insulin detemir) and Novolog (insulin aspart injection), of which Levemir is the closest alternative. To receive your Levemir , click here.

Levemir has many similarities when compared to Lantus. Firstly, the FDA (The Food and Drug Administration) has approved both Lantus and Levemir to improve blood sugar levels in children and adults with type 1 diabetes.

But Lantus is approved for children of 6 years and older experiencing type 1 diabetes, whereas Levemir is recommended for children of 2 years and older with type 1 diabetes. On the other hand, when it comes to type 2 diabetes, Levemir is approved to treat both children and adults with type 2 diabetes, whereas Lantus is approved to treat only adults with type 2 diabetes.

Both these insulins are long-acting insulin with no peak hours. Both of these insulins have steady concentration, and they both help control blood sugar levels for up to 24 hours or longer. Both of these insulins are solutions (liquid mixtures) and are given by an injection under the skin. Lantus is typically given once a day (which is a huge convenience for many patients that’s not substitutable), whereas Levemir is given once or twice a day. Lantus contains the drug insulin glargine, and Levemir contains the drug insulin detemir.

It’s also important to note that these two drugs come in different forms:

  • They can come as a 10 mL vial that contains 100 units of insulin per mL (in this, needles aren’t included with the vials, and they often must be bought separately)
  • They can also come as a disposable, prefilled pen (which is the most convenient form according to many patients)

The Lantus pen is called Lantus Solostar, which contains about 3 mL of solution with 100 units of insulin per mL. Whereas the Levemir pen is called Levemir FlexTouch, which also contains about 3 mL of solution with 100 units of insulin per mL.

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Does Medicare Pay For Lantus Solostar?

No! In general, Medicare does not pay for Lantus Solostar. This drug is usually expensive, and patients will have to consider other discount programs instead of Medicare to find a reasonable price for this drug. But instead of Medicare, there are some options like coupons that can be used.

If your Medicare co-pay is higher than $440.31, you can save money by using a coupon instead. Your Lantus can be obtained HERE.

Is there a PAP For Lantus Solostar?

The producer of Lantus Solostar “Sanofi Aventus U.S” provides a patient connection program. This program offers its brand name medications at no or low cost. To be considered eligible for this program, patients should not have prescription insurance and should be ineligible for any state and federal programs.

The enrollees for this program should have an income at or below 500% of FPL for oncology products, and at or below 250% of FPL for all other products. Enrollees should also have appropriate medical conditions or diagnosis and should also be a US citizen or permanent resident and treated by a US licensed healthcare provider. For more details, and for us to walk you through the process, check out our enrolment form, or speak to one of our advocates.

Now that we have discussed more on the cost and related information about this drug let’s find out how to use this insulin.

How To Use Insulin Lantus Solostar

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Make sure you use Lantus Solostar precisely as your doctor or pharmacist prescribed it. In parallel, make sure all the directions, patient information, and instructions sheets provided are adequately read before using.

Never use this insulin in different amounts or longer than what is recommended. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist any questions you may have.

This insulin is used as an injection and is injected under the skin. Your doctor will show you how exactly you should inject. If you do not understand the right process of injection, avoid injecting until you know how to properly.

Lantus is usually injected once per day at the same time each day. Your care provider will show you the best place to inject. When you inject, make sure you inject in a different location each time. Never inject in the same area on the body two times in a row.

Lantus Solostar should not be given as an insulin pump, and it shouldn’t be mixed with other insulin. Never inject Lantus to a vein or muscle.

Also, if you use an injection pen, use only the pen that comes with Lantus. Make sure to attach a new needle before each use and avoid transferring the insulin from the pen into a syringe.

Changing To Lantus From Other Insulin Therapies

If you ever consider changing the brands, strength, or type of insulin you use, your dosage will also have to change. For example, the Toujeo brand of insulin glargine (Lantus is also an insulin glargine) contains three times as much insulin per milliliter (mL) as the Lantus brand.

Also, Lantus has 100 units of insulin in 1 ml of Lantus brand, whereas there are 300 units of insulin in 1 mL of Toujeo brand.

If you change from a treatment regimen using intermediate or long-acting insulin to a regimen with Lantus, you will have to change the dose of the basal insulin. In this situation, you will have to change the amount and timing of the shorter-acting insulin along with the doses of any oral antidiabetic drugs.

In other cases, if you’re changing from once-daily NPH insulin to once-daily Lantus, the recommended dose will be the same as the dose of NPH that is being discontinued. Or if you’re changing from twice-daily NPH insulin to once-daily Lantus insulin, the recommended dose will be 80% of the total NPH dose that is being discontinued.

Administering Lantus Solostar

Never share your syringe or pen with another patient, even if you change the needle. Doing this can cause infections or diseases to pass from one patient to another.

After using, follow the state’s local law about disposing of needles and syringes. For this, you can use a puncture-proof “sharps” disposal container. You can ask your pharmacist where to get these containers.

Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can happen to anyone that has diabetes and is insulin-dependent. So, it’s critical for patients to keep managing their blood sugar levels to find the actual requirements of the insulin to avoid a situation of low blood sugar. Symptoms that you should watch include headache, fast heart rate, dizziness, nausea, hunger, sweating, feeling anxious or shaky, and irritability.

To quickly treat any drop in blood sugar always keep a fast-acting source of sugar with you. Fast-acting sugar can include fruit juice, candy, non-diet soda, and glucose tablets or gels. Those that are insulin-dependent should also have an emergency glucagon kit.

Your doctor can prescribe you an emergency glucagon injection kit to administer your use of the glucagon in case of emergencies. This is very often prescribed for patients who have diabetes or conditions causing low blood sugar. Patients should make sure their families and friends know how to give this injection in an emergency.

With all this said, it’s a duty of the patients themselves to also watch for signs of high and low blood sugar levels. Common symptoms of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) include increased thirst or urination, blurred vision, headache, and tiredness.

General Dosage Instructions

Firstly, your Lantus dosage will depend on your individual metabolic needs and other healthy blood sugar goals. Especially since Lantus is a long-acting insulin, the accurate dosage can only be prescribed by your doctor.

Your dosage will also have to change when you start any physical activity, change your diet plans, or if you encounter any acute illness or changes in renal or hepatic function.

However, in general, the following are the dosage instructions for the initiation of Lantus therapy. Since Lantus is prescribed for treating both type one and type two diabetes, below we have a clear breakdown of the dosage for each type of diabetes.

Initiation DosaFor Type 1 Diabetes

Patients who use Lantus for treating type 1 diabetes should use it concomitantly with short-acting insulin. The recommended dose of Lantus will vary depending on the individual’s insulin needs. The doctor will prescribe the dose based on the lifestyle of the patient. The patient should then monitor their blood sugar levels carefully.

The doctor will then make corrections to the Lantus dose based on the blood sugar readings form the patient.

Lantus only covers a portion of the insulin needs for a patient with type 1 diabetes. The remainder of the insulin requirement should be supported by short-acting insulin. (Your doctor will specifically prescribe the type of short-acting insulin to use depending on your body type).

Initiation Dosage For Type 2 Diabetes

The initiation dose of Lantus for treating type 2 diabetes (who are not currently treated with any insulin) is 0.2 units/kg or up to 10 units once daily. Depending on the severity of the patient’s type 2 diabetes, they may also be prescribed short-acting insulin or oral diabetes medications.

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So Finally…

If you have any questions about how Prescription Hope can help you save money on Lantus Solostar or any other drugs that we offer, or, if you’re having trouble affording any of the medications you’ve been prescribed, then check out Prescription Hope’s medication access service, contact us, or visit the enrollment page to create an account and fill out an application. Call today and let us save you money!


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