[hapkat430]

Hi everyone. I am new here and I have been diabetic for many years. I was on oral pills for a long time and was hospitalized several years back for heart problems. The docs decided to put me on insulin while I was in there and stated it was easier for the nurses to control my numbers with insulin. ( The pills were doing just fine so it was more of a convenience thing I guess ) Well now I am on Novolog 70/30 and it is soooo expensive. I take 80 units twice a day. I am going to be losing my insurance soon and will not be able to afford the insulin ( about $450 per month!!! ) I am freaking out because I asked my endo to put me back on pills so we could "see" if they would do the job ( see, alot of oral drugs now are available at generic prices ) and she flat out said NO! No real reason just that she wont do it!! As long as I follow my diet my numbers are always good so I don't see the problem in trying. I am seeking medical treatment elsewhere because when my insurance ends ( in about 3 months ) I will not be buying the insulin. I won't be able to afford it!! So I am trying now, beofre the ax is dropped, to fix the impending problem and get on lower priced meds. Any idea out there? I do not qualify for any "assistance progrms " so thats not an option. I am really panicked and appreciate any thoughts you all may have. Thanks a ton!! Kathy

[AmberM]

I'm not sure how many lower priced meds there are. I'm not an expert but I'm on "generic" glucovance and it alone is $180 before insurance and my avandia (not generic) is $203 so between those 2 meds you wouldn't be much cheaper.
I think your docs worries are that since you've been on the insulin so long and so much of it that you can't expect your body to go back to orals so easily. From what I understand if you start receiving insulin your body grows accustomed to it and stops producing as much so the orals wouldn't be as affective.

Sorry I can't be more help! I just am not sure if the orals would help anyway! Like I said, I'm not expert so maybe someone else can be more help!
Amber

[Ellen]

Perhaps the place to start is trying to find a different doc and getting a second opinion. I don't know much about going from insulin to pills, so maybe someone else on here has experience in that and can give a more educated opinion. There are some good deals on oral generic meds. At Wal Mart you can get glimeperide (generic Amaryl) for $4 a month. Metformin (generic Glucophage) too, is $4 a month. I can certainly understand your concerns about loss of insurance. I would do as much research as possible on current treatments, and such. The Diabetes Association web pages have lots to offer with news and information. There are some links at the top of this forum in the thread on helpful links that might be good. I know one thing that helps control my bg levels more than anything is regular exercise...just a nice walk will do wonders. If you can incorporate regular exercise, it might at least help reduce how much insulin you need. If medically, you can't go to oral meds, there are probably assistance programs that will help you get the insulin you need. Please keep us posted on how things are going and what you get worked out. We care, and you might be able to help others in the same situation who are just reading but not posting.

[meowee]

Oh HAPKAT . . . . . . You do have a predicament.

I'm afraid I cannot help you too much because things are so very different here in Canada. As a matter of fact, insulin is one of our cheaper meds for controlling diabetes.

I would suggest you talk with your doctor and your pharmacist about any agencies that can offer assistance in covering the cost of meds. As MONET mentioned, also contact the American Diabetes Association. You might also want to get in touch with the manufacturer of the insulin because sometimes they offer assistance in obtaining medication as well.

Unfortunately I have to agree with a couple of AMBER'S comments -- it is very unusual for someone who has progressed to insulin (for whatever reason) to go back to oral meds alone and even if you did go back to orals, you would likely need much higher dosages than you were taking before and consequently you would not see much of a cost break anyway.
At risk of sounding like a broken record and being accused of preaching to the converted . . . the very best thing you can do for yourself is to get the weight down. Losing as little as 10% of your current weight will help your body become more sensitive to the action of whatever meds you are on. I know it is true because it has happened for me. I take glyburide, metformin, and actos in addition to two injections of insulin daily. Since I've lost 45 pounds, I've been able to cut those medication dosages by approximately 1/3 (with the blessing of my doctor, of course).

Good luck, my dear . . . keep us posted on how things are going . . . and remember we are here for you and we have very broad shoulders and attentive ears.

[pump508]

Hey: New to this site. Old to diabetes. I have had type i for almost 40 years so.....I would get in contact with the ADA, subscribe to diabetes forecast if you don't already. The more information you have on this disease, the better equipped you will be to advocate for yourself. You say that your numbers were fine on the oral meds, what were you A1C's on oral medication? What are they now on insulin? How often do you test your BS's? I know that it is a pain to keep track of how your food and excercise affects your numbers, but if you have a really good grasp on your blood sugar history, you might discover that insulin really is better for you. As has been mentioned of course any weight loss (and don't i know how hard that can be} will help you to eventually lower your insulin requirements. Don't panic and look for answers everywhere! I recomend keeping real good track of your numbers so you can be armed with an awsome knowledge of how your body is responding to food and medications.