### Check for existing issues

- [x] I have searched the existing issues and checked that my issue is not a duplicate.

### What happened?

In a 2-pod EKS deployment with AWS ElastiCache and `use_redis_transaction_buffer: true`, the Redis spend counters (`spend:key:*` and `spend:team:*`) gradually inflate far above the authoritative DB values during normal operation. Once a counter exceeds `max_budget`, legitimate requests are rejected with `429 BudgetExceededError` even though actual spend (from `LiteLLM_VerificationToken.spend` + `LiteLLM_SpendLogs`) is well within budget.

**Confirmed observations:** - Redis `spend:key:<hash>` drifts well above DB over time. Example: Redis = `50`, DB = `14`. - No `LiteLLM_SpendLogs` entries account for the difference — the phantom amount was never a real request cost. - Both `spend:key:*` and `spend:team:*` counters are affected. - ElastiCache timeouts appear repeatedly in logs (see Relevant log output). - Flushing the Redis counters restores correct behavior temporarily, but inflation recurs within hours.

**Expected behavior:** Redis spend counters remain consistent with DB values. Budget enforcement should not block requests whose true spend …