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Patients refuse to switch for a variety of reasons: fear that a different insulin will harm them, mental illness, discomfort with disturbing their insurance arr

Patients refuse to switch for a variety of reasons: fear that a different insulin will harm them, mental illness, discomfort with disturbing their insurance arrangement. You will hear diabetics (I am one, too) say that only a particular insulin works for them, even if that means they end up using no insulin at all, and/or haven’t seriously tried the cheap options. Patient education is a necessary step to decreasing prices and encouraging innovative medications at the same time. As is decreasing the inevitable fury at diabetics like myself who dare to look inward.

bufferoverflow 6y ago
How is that a good answer? Certain death will scare you much more than some discomfort or insurance arrangement. Cheap insulin works fine. This is a classic case when some ridiculous example, where it's clearly patient's fault, is presented as the fault of the system.
- entitydc 6y ago
  Cheap insulin works. For long-term outcomes, I'd certainly argue that it doesn't work "fine." But it's definitely better than death.
RHSeeger 6y ago
Outside of mental illness, I cannot fathom choosing death over trying a different type of insulin. I may be biased, because I've used so many different types over my life.
- entitydc 6y ago
  I think the "outside of mental illness" is a pretty important qualifier here. I've never hit the point personally where I'd prefer death to diabetes, but I've certainly been close, and were it not for a pretty fortunate life - good insurance, ability to afford a good doctor who is knowledgable in this field, ability to afford a CGM and never have to worry about paying for testing strips (another ridiculous expense - frankly far worse than insulin given how much larger of a population it impacts) - I could certainly see myself in their shoes.
- 1123581321 6y ago
  The other comment said it well—I would additionally encourage you to help other diabetics to understand what flexibility they have, using your experience.

bufferoverflow 6y ago

How is that a good answer? Certain death will scare you much more than some discomfort or insurance arrangement. Cheap insulin works fine. This is a classic case when some ridiculous example, where it's clearly patient's fault, is presented as the fault of the system.

entitydc 6y ago
Cheap insulin works. For long-term outcomes, I'd certainly argue that it doesn't work "fine." But it's definitely better than death.

RHSeeger 6y ago

Outside of mental illness, I cannot fathom choosing death over trying a different type of insulin. I may be biased, because I've used so many different types over my life.

entitydc 6y ago
I think the "outside of mental illness" is a pretty important qualifier here. I've never hit the point personally where I'd prefer death to diabetes, but I've certainly been close, and were it not for a pretty fortunate life - good insurance, ability to afford a good doctor who is knowledgable in this field, ability to afford a CGM and never have to worry about paying for testing strips (another ridiculous expense - frankly far worse than insulin given how much larger of a population it impacts) - I could certainly see myself in their shoes.
1123581321 6y ago
The other comment said it well—I would additionally encourage you to help other diabetics to understand what flexibility they have, using your experience.