Animal insulin pump

There isn't an "animal insulin pump" there are just insulin pumps. Insulin pumps work with fast acting insulin, if you use bovine/porkine fast acting then an insulin pump would work perfectly well with that.

So if you have funding for a pump just put whatever insulin you prefer to use in it (under guidance from your HCP).

@lmc I think @tigger pumps animal insulin but I might be wrong - I've tagged her so maybe she'll drop in to say hi.

Why don't you get the pump and agree to use analogue insulin for a while and if it doesn't work out, switch to pork insulin. Beef insulin is being withdrawn but pork is still available.

Sounds as if the real problem is your consultant. What reason does he give for his refusal to allow you to use animal insulin in a pump ? I have never had a problem getting it prescribed, other than when the whole insulin-dependent D population was switched to 'human' insulin in the 1980s. Is it possible for you to switch consultants or switch hospitals ? Who prescribed your porcine insulin originally ?

I agree with the other comments that there should be no reason why animal insulin should not work with a pump.

I know some people have bad reactions to "human" insulin but this seems to be rarer now than it used to be. Have you, recently, considered trying the "human" insulins?

By the way, I interpreted the subject completely wrong and expected to read about an insulin pump used by your cat or dog (as in an insulin pump for animals). I was slightly disappointed but it got me reading

lmc said:

How do I get an animal insulin pump? I had funding before but they would not allow me to use animal insulin so I did not get a pump.

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The reason your consultant is being anal is because he doesn't know anything about animal insulin so is hiding this from you by say no

Simple solution is to have a prescription for analogue insulin, then go to your GP and ask for your pork insulin back, problem solved

I used bovine insulin in my pumps for many years only changed over to Fiasp due to the discontinuation of bovine insulin and being allergic to pork insulin.

CarbsRok, I have always believed that the reason everyone seems to be frightened of it is that they have no experience of seeing it used. It is easier for them to lie and claim it is not available or refuse to prescibe it. Would a consultant in this situation not write to the GP when he next saw the person involved and order that they should be switched back to a non-animal insulin ? I know my GP always does what the hospital clinic advises. That is why I ended up with a gastric ulcer caused by ramipiril which the hospital insisted I should take.

JMK1954 said:

I know my GP always does what the hospital clinic advises. That is why I ended up with a gastric ulcer caused by ramipiril which the hospital insisted I should take.

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Ah but there is a solution to that, you can not be forced to take any medication it's your choice whether you take it or not.
My GP always gave me the choice as to what I wanted to do or take.
A neurologist recommended a certain drug for me to take for MS I was horrified by the list of complications including suicidal thoughts and possible blindness so I declined the prescription.

So you suggest just refusing point blank to take the insulin you don't want ? I've done that with other drugs. I stopped taking statins and argued with a previous GP once and with a hospital clinic for several years over that. I suppose I don't like confrontation. If they switched me to any other insulin other than porcine, I would have to refuse to take it, as for me it would be life-threatening.

JMK1954 said:

So you suggest just refusing point blank to take the insulin you don't want ? I've done that with other drugs. I stopped taking statins and argued with a previous GP once and with a hospital clinic for several years over that. I suppose I don't like confrontation. If they switched me to any other insulin other than porcine, I would have to refuse to take it, as for me it would be life-threatening.

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Yes refuse point blank I did so and more than happy I did. I have had major problems with all insulin's including pork the only one I could use with any safety and well being was bovine neutral. Once I was informed that bovine was being stopped due to lack of crystals for the manufacture, it was my choice and on my terms that I changed to Fiasp. It's working for me with a few up's and downs and so far no dire effects from it.

Glad you found an answer, Carbsrok.

Hi just saw this. I use a pump with porcine as does @azure . When I said I wanted a pump they were keen and then I said I wasn't prepared to switch insulin and got a we don't know if it will work response. So I called iddt who gave me literature to argue my case and put me in touch with the writer of the academic article. The upshot of this was that the hospital agreed but the dsn said she couldn't support me as she didn't know anything other than novorapid. I got lots of help from people here in working out adjustments, length and rates and am a believer that it's my diabetes therefore I know it best and i'm still pumping and still on porcine.

Call iddt and then have the discussion again. Point out that pumps were first used in the 70s and the only insulin available then was animal. There are pump users who use animal insulin and it does not affect the effectiveness. You just need to be self motivated about remembering to bolus earlier but prebolusing is necessary with everything except fiasp. If the reason you're on porcine is due to hypo unawareness they should not be pushing you into using something that will create that. Do they really want to fund a cgm because you lose hypo awareness?

If you don't want a confrontation simply use whatever insulin they want in the training and then do yourself a new reservoir of porcine after. I assume your pump supplies will come via the hospital and the rest via the gp? If so you can keep things separate.

Good luck. Maybe take a friend/other half with to give you confidence with the discussion

No, sorry, I do not want a pump. I have been pressured yet again recently to agree to some alternative to porcine insulin, but have refused. The point at which I saw red was when the registrar I was talking to suggested I needed counselling. I have requested that I not see this person again. I am just curious how other people get past the problem of a doctor who doesn't talk rationally.

JMK1954 said:

No, sorry, I do not want a pump. I have been pressured yet again recently to agree to some alternative to porcine insulin, but have refused. The point at which I saw red was when the registrar I was talking to suggested I needed counselling. I have requested that I not see this person again. I am just curious how other people get past the problem of a doctor who doesn't talk rationally.

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I probably would have started the conversation by asking them when they specialised in diabetes and pointing out that I have 34 years of personal experience which tends to trump most of theirs. I would then have politely suggested he read the literature in the 80s about what happened when people were moved without consent to a new insulin. I'd also suggest he/she look at the number of patients and find out how many of them have hypo awareness, unexpected weigh gains and mood swings all of which have been linked to synthetic insulin. It's not worth engaging in a debate with someone that blinkered other than to suggest they read their own textbooks(I have done this) but diabetes is a unique disease in that you are entirely dependent on a medicine for not just staying alive but your quality of life. The belief that there is one medicine that suits all is not held by insulin manufacturers or they wouldn't keep on trying to offer new formulae.

The amount of people I meet in real life and occasionally on this forum who think that a normal standard of life involves no recognition of hypos is astounding. The doctors who enable this are in my view not fulfilling their duty to their patients.

Can you tell I feel strongly about this ?

Also call IDDT and talk to Jenny or any of them. They will give you helpful literature to share with your uneducated doctors.

JMK1954 said:

No, sorry, I do not want a pump. I have been pressured yet again recently to agree to some alternative to porcine insulin, but have refused. The point at which I saw red was when the registrar I was talking to suggested I needed counselling. I have requested that I not see this person again. I am just curious how other people get past the problem of a doctor who doesn't talk rationally.

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I make them sit in a room for me for up to an hour and listen to the broken record technique. It goes something like:

"I want an insulin pump with porcine insulin"
"No, porcine insulin doesn't work in an insulin pump"
"I want an insulin pump with porcine insulin"
"No, porcine insulin doesn't work in an insulin pump"
"I want an insulin pump with porcine insulin"
"No, porcine insulin doesn't work in an insulin pump"
"I want an insulin pump with porcine insulin"
"No, porcine insulin doesn't work in an insulin pump"
"I want an insulin pump with porcine insulin"
"No, porcine insulin doesn't work in an insulin pump"
"I want an insulin pump with porcine insulin"
"No, porcine insulin doesn't work in an insulin pump"
"Explain to me why porcine insulin doesn't work in an insulin pump"
"Stoney silence"
"I want an insulin pump with porcine insulin"
"No, porcine insulin doesn't work in an insulin pump"
"I want an insulin pump with porcine insulin"
"No, porcine insulin doesn't work in an insulin pump"
"I want an insulin pump with porcine insulin"
"No, porcine insulin doesn't work in an insulin pump"
"Explain to me why porcine insulin doesn't work in an insulin pump"
"Errrr. Ummmm. Well you can't have it"

Repeat until the answer from the registrar is "I'll take it to the senior consultant"

Then start again.

"Okay. Would you mind doing that now, with me present please"
"I can't do that"
"That's what I'm requesting"
"I can't do that"
"That's what I'm requesting"
"I can't do that"
"That's what I'm requesting"

Until they give up and then you get to speak to someone with more knowledge.

Then it's back to the same routine. Make sure you know as much as possible about what you're asking for. Then you're likely to know more than the people you are talking to. Even senior consultants.

All you need to ask is............ what was used in insulin pumps in the 70's as synthetic insulin had not been invented until the 80's. Also point out it certainly wasn't washing up liquid

lmc said:

How do I get an animal insulin pump? I had funding before but they would not allow me to use animal insulin so I did not get a pump.

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i agree with other comments. A pump, as someone on this forum said a while ago, is just an insulin delivery device, which generally make things a bit easier than when using a pen or syringe. You use a pen or syringe, why not a pump? why should you alter your medication just to go on the pump? Under the NHS you have rights, one is to have your views listened to and respected, as far as i can recall. You are the patient, not him. i use porcine with a pump, and have always done so.