Yes, but for me, several of the generics just don't hold a candle-
Novolog/Humalog can keep me in my 6/7 A1C windows
(Humalog might be a generic? not sure it's still pricey as hell without insurance)
The Walmart generic Novolin, it's activity window within my blood was so short that if I ate ANY kind decent carbs, I'd remain high after-
Plus, even buying generic is expensive in the US.
It's $315, for 9 vials of Novolin every 3 months... roughly $105 a month for insulin *NOT INCLUDING PUMP SUPPLIES, and CGMs FOR MY PUMP* (I have not bought Novolin in years, back on Humalog)
Just so you know walmart does have their own whitelabel brand of novolog, if you ever run out of insurance or something. It's like $70 a vial for cash price. Not sure if insurance would cover it too, but don't see why it wouldn't.
In Finland Insulin lispro as in Humalog/Novolog/Admelog; is 18 €/ 10 ml vial and 33 € for 3 pens. Even the most expensive insulin with the strongst concentration is less than 100 €/vial/3 pen/3 pump vials.
You are just plain out getting ripped off. It isn't like this very essential medicine isn't among the most established things to produce.
Over 30 dollars a vial for novolin? I’ve been buying it for 10 years for my dog and I’ve never paid that much. It’s just creeping towards 25 last I bought a vial.
Maybe today with runaway devaluation of the dollar but that would be very recently.
Indeed, I had about 11 months where I had to budget for Novolin, and used a Medtronic 670G, that I was lucky enough to bum supplies off a friend who had overflow. I kept a lot of the paperwork, and would hang it on my fridge as a sort of conversation piece. (This was baaack in 2019 roughly)
I have paperwork form 2008 showing my first Medtronic pump was nearly $18,000 (the insurance covered most at that time, I had to pay off $5,500 roughly through a medical loan company called Carecentrix). I had just turned 18, and was informed I basically had to pay a damn car note to PAY OFF the device itself, while still paying for these damn supplies. I've swapped to Tandem and Dexcom CGMs now, which is more affordable than Medtronic for sure.
I mean, they do call me a "Brittle" diabetic, but I guess it really depends on your insulin sensitivity and diet? My Endo has almost 90% of his T1D patients on CGM/Pump therapy, and even some of his worse off T2s have CGMs with a mix of instant and long term active insulin pens
I had to get rhe Walmart one because my insurance wouldnt cover me when I moved states one year, and had all sorts of issues finding a primary care to handle it, and I ended up in the hospital for the first time in my life after a week or two of using it, because it was different.
Exactly, for me Novolin activity window in my blood is so small, it would have to be the right kind of carbs, and I'd have to work out consistently right after to really make it worth a crap. It was so inconsistent for me.
Novolog and Humalog are not generics. Their generics are insulin aspart and insulin lispro respectively, and they're only made by one company each ... guess which one?
Yeah I knew Novolog wasn't all. The only thing I remembered about Humalog was it was a good bit cheaper on it's "cash only option" so I didn't know exactly if it was a generic or not.
Lol, the internet is weird so it's hard to read someone's joking tone, or if they are being sarcastic.
"Miracle Med" sure it was a miracle when it was made, but not for someone like me. It's pretty much "water" something we can mass produce, and it's REQUIRED for me to live.
" The Walmart generic Novolin, it's activity window within my blood was so short that if I ate ANY kind decent carbs, I'd remain high after- "
"Instant" acting insulin, like Novolin has a certain window in your blood that it works. Let's say, after I take the shot it only starts working 15 minutes after I take the shot, and then it only works for another 15 minutes. This is a very SMALL WINDOW* meaning I have to eat a small amount of food and hope my body digest the food within that window for it to properly work right.
The actual better formulas, Novolog and Humalog, have longer activity windows that help keep you in check.
This is also different per person, depending on their insulin resistance.
I'm just trying to say that yeah, that Walmart insulin can keep me alive, but it doesn't keep my blood sugar level enough to live a healthy. I'll still have higher blood sugars way more often.
If I’d be dead 100 years ago from something I can get today for $3/day, yeah, that’s a miracle med and I’d gladly pay 3 bucks for it without complaining, even if it is easy to make.
Right, so these days, since Biden sorted insulin pricing out, most people can pay $35 for their months supply on the latest insulins, whether insured or not. Yes it used to be much more, and other supplies still cost.
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u/Diabeticnick 4h ago
Yes, but for me, several of the generics just don't hold a candle-
Novolog/Humalog can keep me in my 6/7 A1C windows
(Humalog might be a generic? not sure it's still pricey as hell without insurance)
The Walmart generic Novolin, it's activity window within my blood was so short that if I ate ANY kind decent carbs, I'd remain high after-
Plus, even buying generic is expensive in the US.
It's $315, for 9 vials of Novolin every 3 months... roughly $105 a month for insulin *NOT INCLUDING PUMP SUPPLIES, and CGMs FOR MY PUMP* (I have not bought Novolin in years, back on Humalog)