text: Life, Death and Insulin - Diabetes Advocacy - TuDiabetes Forum
  Mila January 8, 2019, 8:00pm #1
  As the cost of the lifesaving medication skyrockets, some desperate diabetics are rationing — and risking their lives. Was Alec Raeshawn Smith one of them?
  As the cost of insulin skyrockets, some desperate diabetics are taking to rationing — and risking their lives.
  katers87 January 8, 2019, 9:19pm #2
  I think they did a good job with this article. it's very well-rounded and presents the situation more realistically than some of the other articles I've read about the issue. They included a paragraph about NPH and R too.
  "A pharmacist and a number of physicians told me about older insulins available from Walmart. The type of insulin first came out in the 1980s and now costs about $25 per vial. So-called "Walmart insulin� is a controversial solution for Type 1 diabetics, many of whom believe that older formulas are more likely to lead to dangerously low blood sugar levels. A few doctors echoed that concern. Yet it could still save lives. "It's very good insulin,� one physician told me. Another said, "It's obviously better than nothing.� Researchers have found that these older insulins work just as well for Type 2 diabetics as pricier analog insulins, but some research shows a slightly better outcome for Type 1 diabetics on newer formulas.�
  I also thought this quote described the desperation well:
  "Several people, including Fenner, described insulin as being like oxygen: Scavenging for it invokes a primal fear, like the gasp you make just before you run out of air.�
  Terry4 January 8, 2019, 10:06pm #3
  That quote caught my attention, too. I think it's why I and other people with diabetes make efforts to set aside a surplus of insulin to cover supply interruptions. It is a primal fear.
  DrBB January 8, 2019, 10:29pm #4
  I think it's why I and other people with diabetes make efforts to set aside a surplus of insulin to cover supply interruptions. It is a primal fear.
  Exactly right. I have a bunch of vials of Novolog in my fridge and now I've switched to Fiasp I'm starting to hoard that. But get rid of the Novolog? No way! I was actually able to help out a friend who's in the so-called "donut hole� with a months' supply, thanks to my hoarding.
  Don1942 January 8, 2019, 11:32pm #5
  About a year ago, my son lost his insurance for a few months and resorted to buying his insulin from an elderly couple off of Craig's list.