What fast acting insulin do you use?
I was on Humalog for years. My insurance recently mandated that I switch to Novolog a couple of months ago. I am really unhappy with Novolog. It takes forever to start acting and isn't really kicking in until about a 45-60 minutes after bolus. This is really evident now that I have a CGM. I'd like to switch back to Humalog or to Apidra but it is cost-prohibitive with my coverage.
Anyone else notice this with Novolog? Is anyone on Apridra?
[quote user="Payton"]
Anyone else notice this with Novolog? Is anyone on Apridra?
[/quote]hi payton, no I am lucky, Humalog, Novolog, and Apidra all work exactly the same for me. Did you ever try to compensate by doing your bolus early? Hope you are okay!
Payton,
My Novolog experience was a faster and slightly sharper peak and I never have been able to figure out the tail effectively. All of the insulins seem to act differently for everyone. While I am a Humalog user, I keep a backup Novolog prescription on file with a local pharmacy because I have tile floors in my kitchen where I store my insulin and I buy via mail-order. Oh - and I'm a bit of a klutz! Nothing worse than no local prescription in an emergency... ;)
Where the coverage is concerned - make sure you don't have a ceiling on your maximum out of pocket for prescriptions before costs change - I think I have seen this on some policies a lifetime or two ago..
I was forced into the mail-order switch because Humalog is about 50% more expensive but I get one month free of the 3 month supply when I buy through the mail.
My coworker just switched to Apidra and he loves it. I hear it is more expensive...
Hmmm - well, I typed a lot and I'm not sure I said much of anything that helps :(
Good luck!!!
A-D
Just thought I would boost this post, It has some important information about fast acting insulin.
Has anyone else tried or had to experience more then 1 insulin? Omg I remember my 1st Regular and NPH combos. 2 shots a day and a super strict regimen of wakeup, take insulin, wait 30mins, eat, exactly 4 hours later eat again an exact number of exchanges, no injection (the NPH was spiking), snack at 3 exactly 1 exchange, then exactly at 6 take next injection of mixed insulin (which I forgot to mention must always be drawn up R then NPH in that order.) Wait 30mings then eat my exchange total. Everything was SO fixed.
Ahh memories.
Stilledlife- oh how I remember! I had this "placemat" I had to lay down when drawing up my insulin so I could remember how/where/when and in what order to do it (I was only 9!). Can't believe how far we've come in just a short about of time... well 16 years might not be THAT short of a time! :)
For me humalog and apidra are the same cost...in the most expensive tier that is. But I will not use novalog, if I can avoid it. It doesn't work nearly as well as the Humalog does, for me anyway.
i use novolog. i used to use humalog but my endo thought that it wasnt helping kep my bs's down enough so he changed it.
I pay the non-preferred price to be able to use Humalog. On my HMO plan that means $45 rather than the $5 for Novalog. I do NOT like the hour wait with Novalog. I decide what I am going to eat then adjust what I take...can't do that with Novalog.
I've never used Apridra.
My endo wants me to switch to Apidra because he thinks it will work in my pump better (I guess the humalogue tends to crystalize though I haven't really noticed that much). He wrote out the Apidra prescription 4 monhts ago and I still haven't filled it because I'm afraid to change. I just get a refill on my humalogue each month. I've used humalogue from Day One, and really can't make the change. Has anyone else made the jump to Apidra? Any thoughts?