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No. In the US, all similar products require a prescription. This is by far the best available option (no fingerstick calibration, longest-lasting sensor, easy m

No. In the US, all similar products require a prescription. This is by far the best available option (no fingerstick calibration, longest-lasting sensor, easy mobile app, etc.). Basically, get this one. It’s $80 including 1 month of sensors. I believe the thinking is that people need a professional to discuss results with. I understand that perspective, but I don’t agree with it, and I definitely don’t agree that having someone to discuss results with should outweigh the increased access/adoption of over-the-counter sales. This is the first product that makes it practical - even easy - and completely painless for non-diabetics like me to track blood glucose informationally, so perhaps this will change. That said, the FDA has made other overly-conservative decisions, like disallowing fingerstick A1c tests (which don’t require fasting or a full venous blood draw) for first-pass screening of diabetes: http://www.onsitehealthdiagnostics.com/blog/a1c/ http://www.onsitehealthdiagnostics.com/blog/a1c/, https://twitter.com/troyd/status/1018150306125758465 https://twitter.com/troyd/status/1018150306125758465.

nknealk 8y ago
Dexcom has a similar sensor on the market that’s approved for insulin dosing decisions. I don’t know if any of the other continuous monitors have that particular feature which might be important to those who take fast insulins.
- pimeys 8y ago
  Dexcom G5 and G6 are the best available CGM systems for type 1 diabetics. What they add over the libre is a Bluetooth transmitter over the sensor, giving values to your phone every five minutes. Used together with xDrip and AndroidAPS it can easily safe the life of a person using insulin and not waking up to a hypoglycemia, me included. Or work as a part of a closed loop system. The problem with Dexcom is the price. A sensor should be replaced every week and costs 80€, the transmitter turns off after three months and costs between 300-400€. If you understand what you're doing, you can easily extend the sensor lifetime to 3-5 weeks and transmitter to 6-8 months. My take to this is, every T1 deserves a Dexcom system from the insurance. It easily saves your life and makes the control much easier.
  - zaroth 8y ago
    My kids transmitters get flaky after about 3 weeks, and I didn’t think you could reset an expired sensor on the G6 the way you could with the G5?
    - pimeys 8y ago
      Should be possible with xDrip. Using the G5 still, so no real life experience. Some sensors get noisy sooner than the others. I noticed they work longer during the winter when its cooler. Last one worked for 4 weeks quite good, but in the summer they stopped working in less than two weeks.
      - zaroth 8y ago
        I realized I wrote weeks - the transmitter is good for 3 months and gets flaky in the last couple weeks. I found some pictures of someone replacing the battery on the transmitter of a G6. This is.... not really practical. [1] What would be interesting is if you could pull out the internals and 3D print a new enclosure that had an actual user serviceable battery. [1] - https://seemycgm.com/2018/07/12/g6-transmitter-battery-replacement/ https://seemycgm.com/2018/07/12/g6-transmitter-battery-repla...
        pimeys 8y ago
        The transmitter has a counter inside and will stop working after a certain day count. xDrip has a feature where one can reset the counter back to zero and I've been using them at least six months with no trouble.
        zaroth 8y ago
        Without changing the battery? Are you using G5 or G6?
  - tjohns 8y ago
    I can understand why the sensor will expire, but why does the transmitter expire? Shouldn’t it just require changing a battery?
jwr 8y ago
Thanks for clarifying. As a side note, I think this requirement is completely bogus. You should be able to get any "read-only" medical device you want, anytime you want, especially in a country where there is no universal healthcare. I see a contradiction where on one hand the authorities say: we have to protect you so that you don't harm yourself and on the other the same authorities say: your health is your responsibility and we want nothing to do with it.
- SpikeDad 8y ago
  You need a prescription because it's a continuously attached invasive medical device. You don't need prescriptions for finger stick devices so that's the only difference between them.
- malkia 8y ago
  "Read-only", but "mutable" in C++ const sense with slightly bloody side effects :)
SpikeDad 8y ago
Didn't realize that. I occasionally use a finger stick A1C to compare to my lab test and it's very accurate (within 0.2 units). It does seem like a helpful tool to screen.

nknealk 8y ago

Dexcom has a similar sensor on the market that’s approved for insulin dosing decisions. I don’t know if any of the other continuous monitors have that particular feature which might be important to those who take fast insulins.

pimeys 8y ago
Dexcom G5 and G6 are the best available CGM systems for type 1 diabetics. What they add over the libre is a Bluetooth transmitter over the sensor, giving values to your phone every five minutes. Used together with xDrip and AndroidAPS it can easily safe the life of a person using insulin and not waking up to a hypoglycemia, me included. Or work as a part of a closed loop system. The problem with Dexcom is the price. A sensor should be replaced every week and costs 80€, the transmitter turns off after three months and costs between 300-400€. If you understand what you're doing, you can easily extend the sensor lifetime to 3-5 weeks and transmitter to 6-8 months. My take to this is, every T1 deserves a Dexcom system from the insurance. It easily saves your life and makes the control much easier.
- zaroth 8y ago
  My kids transmitters get flaky after about 3 weeks, and I didn’t think you could reset an expired sensor on the G6 the way you could with the G5?
  - pimeys 8y ago
    Should be possible with xDrip. Using the G5 still, so no real life experience. Some sensors get noisy sooner than the others. I noticed they work longer during the winter when its cooler. Last one worked for 4 weeks quite good, but in the summer they stopped working in less than two weeks.
    - zaroth 8y ago
      I realized I wrote weeks - the transmitter is good for 3 months and gets flaky in the last couple weeks. I found some pictures of someone replacing the battery on the transmitter of a G6. This is.... not really practical. [1] What would be interesting is if you could pull out the internals and 3D print a new enclosure that had an actual user serviceable battery. [1] - https://seemycgm.com/2018/07/12/g6-transmitter-battery-replacement/ https://seemycgm.com/2018/07/12/g6-transmitter-battery-repla...
      - pimeys 8y ago
        The transmitter has a counter inside and will stop working after a certain day count. xDrip has a feature where one can reset the counter back to zero and I've been using them at least six months with no trouble.
        zaroth 8y ago
        Without changing the battery? Are you using G5 or G6?
- tjohns 8y ago
  I can understand why the sensor will expire, but why does the transmitter expire? Shouldn’t it just require changing a battery?

jwr 8y ago

Thanks for clarifying. As a side note, I think this requirement is completely bogus. You should be able to get any "read-only" medical device you want, anytime you want, especially in a country where there is no universal healthcare. I see a contradiction where on one hand the authorities say: we have to protect you so that you don't harm yourself and on the other the same authorities say: your health is your responsibility and we want nothing to do with it.

SpikeDad 8y ago
You need a prescription because it's a continuously attached invasive medical device. You don't need prescriptions for finger stick devices so that's the only difference between them.
malkia 8y ago
"Read-only", but "mutable" in C++ const sense with slightly bloody side effects :)

SpikeDad 8y ago

Didn't realize that. I occasionally use a finger stick A1C to compare to my lab test and it's very accurate (within 0.2 units). It does seem like a helpful tool to screen.