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What's the easiest/cheapest way to obtain a continuous glucose monitor for someone curious about how blood glucose level correlates with subjective well-being a

What's the easiest/cheapest way to obtain a continuous glucose monitor for someone curious about how blood glucose level correlates with subjective well-being and diet/exercise behaviors, but without a medical need for it?

raphar 3y ago
Can't you get Abbot Freestyle sensors? They are about 30 u$s each here, last 2 weeks. (Without prescription)
browningstreet 3y ago
This Youtuber covers the issues and considerations in this video where he buys and reviews 5 different products: https://youtu.be/gPpAD8w4jEM https://youtu.be/gPpAD8w4jEM
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
Marisnaylor 3y ago
Just gonna leave this right here... https://medium.com/@marisnaylor/continuous-glucose-monitor-cgm-app-comparison-levels-veri-nutrisense-and-january-ai-368c08e263b8 https://medium.com/@marisnaylor/continuous-glucose-monitor-c...
- RHSeeger 3y ago
  > There is only a needle in the applicator, and it’s very very tiny. It only hurts for like half a second and only if you’re extremely sensitive to pain like I am. It's worth noting that this varies. The G6 that I have _generally_ doesn't hurt. But... - Sometimes it hurts "somewhat" (like someone punched me, but in a small area) and that pain goes away over the course of a day or so. This tends to correspond with there being a fair amount of blood leakage when attaching it (it sometimes pools underneath the sensor). - Sometimes it just... itches. This is worse than the pain. It tends to last several days, sometimes the entire 10 days. It's rare, but it's super annoying when it happens. I will point out that I LOVE my glucose monitor. I'm not exaggerating in the slightest when I say it changed my life when I got it. I'm safer now; I'm old enough that I'm resistant to the signs of low blood sugar, and I've had instances of standing up from a chair and just collapsing because my blood was low (pre-monitor). And I've learned SO much about how my body reacts to various foods; I'm better equipped to eat smartly now.
dopeboy 3y ago
I asked this in my appointment a couple weeks ago. Was told insurance won’t cover it unless you are diabetic. I’m based in the US. I believe they are 200$ without insurance and you have to buy refills every two weeks.
- sghiassy 3y ago
  This was my experience as well sadly
  - refurb 3y ago
    I'm not sure why this is sad? Why would insurance spend thousands a year on something people don't need?
- bradknowles 3y ago
  The websites I linked above show prices in the $60 range for Freestyle Libre 3. I have mine by prescription, so I get them through Walgreens and my insurance covers the majority of the cost. So, this isn't a problem for me. But you can get them relatively cheaply.
- code_duck 3y ago
  A 30-day supply of Dexcom G6 sensors is 300-450 in the US without insurance, and you also need a transmitter that lasts 90 days, which is about 150. Best I've used is Costco, about $320, but I saw a cheaper price though Amazon, under $200.
- cjcampbell 3y ago
  I’m slightly pre-diabetic, and that ended up being enough for my insurance to be willing to pay. I have a one year Rx for Libre 2 sensors and have paid about $40/mo based on my copay.
rrrrrrrrrrrryan 3y ago
In the U.S. you do need a prescription to purchase one. You can just talk to your primary care doctor and tell them you're interested in getting one to screen for prediabetes, or to help you with weight loss. There's a good chance it won't be covered by insurance if you are not diabetic or taking insulin, but as long as you have the prescription you can pay out of pocket.
- bradknowles 3y ago
  No, there are now CGMs that are available without a prescription as an assistive device for sports. You're not supposed to use those for medical purposes, but you can get them without a prescription. Heck, you can even get medical-grade Freestyle Libre CGMs without a prescription, if you know where to look -- see https://agelessrx.com/cgm-sensor/ https://agelessrx.com/cgm-sensor/ for one example, or https://beyondtype2.org/cgms-without-insurance/ https://beyondtype2.org/cgms-without-insurance/ for another.
  - homero 3y ago
    Those are prescription. They send you to an online doctor.
DougWebb 3y ago
The Libre sensor can be purchased without a prescription, and used with a free smartphone app. This link is for the V3 sensor. I bought the older 14-day sensors from this mail order pharmacy while I was using them. Cheaper than my local pharmacy or many other sources, even with shipping cost. https://myehcs.com/product/freestyle-libre-3-sensor/ https://myehcs.com/product/freestyle-libre-3-sensor/
- ramraj07 3y ago
  The page literally says prescription required though? Insane price however.
  - DougWebb 3y ago
    Wow, you're right. The 14-day sensor didn't require one, but that's not available anymore.
- sfifs 3y ago
  Libre is very good but I unfortunately developmed an allergy to the glue they use. So you have to test and see. Also these devices have a bias and a drift and are useful for trending, not for exact results all the time. However to monitor how blood sugar trends semi-quantitatively and identify which foods cause how much spike etc, more than sufficient.
  - jawngee 3y ago
    Flonase applied to the skin with a hydrocolloid bandage (we use Dynaderm) on top, then apply the freestyle on top of that. A lot of people are very allergic to freestyle's adhesive. The above is the common way to deal with it. Like there is a whole facebook group filled with thousands of people on the topic.
    - code_duck 3y ago
      I developed a reaction to Dexcom adhesive after a few months of use. It slowly got worse to the point where I couldn’t leave one on for more than 4-5 days and it would leave a welt that took 15 days to heal. I haven’t ever used Flonase but the hydrocolloid does a great job. I wouldn’t be able to use them at all otherwise (and I have type 1 diabetes, so it’s important).
radu_floricica 3y ago
I tried Veri for a couple of months. Works exactly as advertised, gave me whatever insight there was to get out of glucose monitoring for a healthy individual, 10/10 would do it again. The review linked by somebody above is accurate (especially about their team being nice), so you can probably consider the reviews for the other apps as also being accurate and make your pick. But for a no-fuss good option, Veri is definitely ok. As for insights gained... pretty much everything "they" say is true. The order of how you eat foods matter. Fibers, protein, fat, alcohol and movement all lower glucose levels.
- KerryJones 3y ago
  I just got veri and did my first 2 weeks -- same experience. Much cheaper than some of the competitors.
jablongo 3y ago
A lot of people are claiming you need a prescription to purchase one; that is actually untrue in practice. You need a prescription to get insurance to pay for it but there are plenty of websites that sell dexcom (the best kind) devices dtc. Just search “dexcom purchase” on your favorite search engine. You’ll have to spend several hundred dollars though. Also there are services like levels or January.ai which white-label Abbott devices and handle all the prescription stuff for you.
- twawaaay 3y ago
  Can confirm. Just at this moment I have a Dexcom G7 attached to my arm and I don't even have diabetes. Just using it to learn a little bit about my blood glucose patterns. But these devices are not really built for non-diabetics. There is a constant barrage of alerts as my blood sugar regularly dips into hypoglycemic levels. I feel fine but the device purposefuly does not have any way to disable the alarm.
  - jablongo 3y ago
    You can adjust the alerts a little bit. If you are actually going below 60 on a regular basis then you are hypoglycemic and the alerts are probably useful. It’s possible that your readings were slightly off though. Thanks for driving down prices for the rest of us! Keep on ordering em, big spender! I mean that.
    - twawaaay 3y ago
      My blood sugar goes below 60 but I am not hypoglycemic and no, the alerts are not useful. And yes, the measurements are correct -- I have more than one way to measure blood sugar level. Hypoglycemic means your body is dependant on sugar, can't get sugar and has adverse reaction to it. My body can't get sugar, true, but is not dependant on it (fat adapted) and I have no reaction to it. As I have not eaten any carbs for about two months any notion of hypoglycemia due to not eating sugar is a bit meaningless. I know people who get much, much lower blood sugar levels and feel fine. The levels they get would (below 40? below 30?) would be lethal to "normal" person, if sugar addiction can be called normal at all. But they all feel fine and are probably healthier than most. I put CGM on my arm to learn how my blood sugar levels look when on my diet and then what happens when I switch carbs back on -- I expect my body to "freak out" a little bit and then stabilise within couple of days and that's what I would like to see in a bit clearer detail using my CGM. As to driving the prices down... nah, I am not making a dent. These devices are too expensive to use regularly even for me (software devs salary). I will just put a couple of them to learn a bit about myself and then stop when I got what I needed.
moneywoes 3y ago
How big is the benefit for non diabetics subjective well being? Anything I can do cheaper?
- iaresee 3y ago
  Cheaper? Yes. Finger sticks. A non-diabetic really gains very little useful insight from continuous monitoring.
veidr 3y ago
In the US it is insanely expensive and non-easy unless you have a doctor in your thrall who can prescribe it. There's some startup doing "CGM just FYI" but it is like USD $500 per month IIRC. Other countries, such as Australia, you can just buy them for normal capitalism prices (IIRC like USD 200$ and you own it). So it very much depends where you are.
- DoughnutHole 3y ago
  Wow, and I thought they were pricy in Europe (Freestyle Fibre is €65 for a two-week monitor). Between things like this and the price of insulin the US is really trying to kill off its diabetics. Not great when nearly half of Americans are either diabetic or pre-diabetic.
  - nervousvarun 3y ago
    Don't necessarily disagree with your basic premise as the U.S. government is in bed with Big Pharma (and really big Everything) to actively wage economic war against its citizens...but finally there is some positive news with insulin: https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lilly-cuts-insulin-prices-70-and-caps-patient-insulin-out-pocket https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-detail...

raphar 3y ago

Can't you get Abbot Freestyle sensors? They are about 30 u$s each here, last 2 weeks. (Without prescription)

browningstreet 3y ago

This Youtuber covers the issues and considerations in this video where he buys and reviews 5 different products: https://youtu.be/gPpAD8w4jEM https://youtu.be/gPpAD8w4jEM

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

Marisnaylor 3y ago

Just gonna leave this right here... https://medium.com/@marisnaylor/continuous-glucose-monitor-cgm-app-comparison-levels-veri-nutrisense-and-january-ai-368c08e263b8 https://medium.com/@marisnaylor/continuous-glucose-monitor-c...

RHSeeger 3y ago
> There is only a needle in the applicator, and it’s very very tiny. It only hurts for like half a second and only if you’re extremely sensitive to pain like I am. It's worth noting that this varies. The G6 that I have _generally_ doesn't hurt. But... - Sometimes it hurts "somewhat" (like someone punched me, but in a small area) and that pain goes away over the course of a day or so. This tends to correspond with there being a fair amount of blood leakage when attaching it (it sometimes pools underneath the sensor). - Sometimes it just... itches. This is worse than the pain. It tends to last several days, sometimes the entire 10 days. It's rare, but it's super annoying when it happens. I will point out that I LOVE my glucose monitor. I'm not exaggerating in the slightest when I say it changed my life when I got it. I'm safer now; I'm old enough that I'm resistant to the signs of low blood sugar, and I've had instances of standing up from a chair and just collapsing because my blood was low (pre-monitor). And I've learned SO much about how my body reacts to various foods; I'm better equipped to eat smartly now.

dopeboy 3y ago

I asked this in my appointment a couple weeks ago. Was told insurance won’t cover it unless you are diabetic. I’m based in the US. I believe they are 200$ without insurance and you have to buy refills every two weeks.

sghiassy 3y ago
This was my experience as well sadly
- refurb 3y ago
  I'm not sure why this is sad? Why would insurance spend thousands a year on something people don't need?
bradknowles 3y ago
The websites I linked above show prices in the $60 range for Freestyle Libre 3. I have mine by prescription, so I get them through Walgreens and my insurance covers the majority of the cost. So, this isn't a problem for me. But you can get them relatively cheaply.
code_duck 3y ago
A 30-day supply of Dexcom G6 sensors is 300-450 in the US without insurance, and you also need a transmitter that lasts 90 days, which is about 150. Best I've used is Costco, about $320, but I saw a cheaper price though Amazon, under $200.
cjcampbell 3y ago
I’m slightly pre-diabetic, and that ended up being enough for my insurance to be willing to pay. I have a one year Rx for Libre 2 sensors and have paid about $40/mo based on my copay.

rrrrrrrrrrrryan 3y ago

In the U.S. you do need a prescription to purchase one. You can just talk to your primary care doctor and tell them you're interested in getting one to screen for prediabetes, or to help you with weight loss. There's a good chance it won't be covered by insurance if you are not diabetic or taking insulin, but as long as you have the prescription you can pay out of pocket.

bradknowles 3y ago
No, there are now CGMs that are available without a prescription as an assistive device for sports. You're not supposed to use those for medical purposes, but you can get them without a prescription. Heck, you can even get medical-grade Freestyle Libre CGMs without a prescription, if you know where to look -- see https://agelessrx.com/cgm-sensor/ https://agelessrx.com/cgm-sensor/ for one example, or https://beyondtype2.org/cgms-without-insurance/ https://beyondtype2.org/cgms-without-insurance/ for another.
- homero 3y ago
  Those are prescription. They send you to an online doctor.

DougWebb 3y ago

The Libre sensor can be purchased without a prescription, and used with a free smartphone app. This link is for the V3 sensor. I bought the older 14-day sensors from this mail order pharmacy while I was using them. Cheaper than my local pharmacy or many other sources, even with shipping cost. https://myehcs.com/product/freestyle-libre-3-sensor/ https://myehcs.com/product/freestyle-libre-3-sensor/

ramraj07 3y ago
The page literally says prescription required though? Insane price however.
- DougWebb 3y ago
  Wow, you're right. The 14-day sensor didn't require one, but that's not available anymore.
sfifs 3y ago
Libre is very good but I unfortunately developmed an allergy to the glue they use. So you have to test and see. Also these devices have a bias and a drift and are useful for trending, not for exact results all the time. However to monitor how blood sugar trends semi-quantitatively and identify which foods cause how much spike etc, more than sufficient.
- jawngee 3y ago
  Flonase applied to the skin with a hydrocolloid bandage (we use Dynaderm) on top, then apply the freestyle on top of that. A lot of people are very allergic to freestyle's adhesive. The above is the common way to deal with it. Like there is a whole facebook group filled with thousands of people on the topic.
  - code_duck 3y ago
    I developed a reaction to Dexcom adhesive after a few months of use. It slowly got worse to the point where I couldn’t leave one on for more than 4-5 days and it would leave a welt that took 15 days to heal. I haven’t ever used Flonase but the hydrocolloid does a great job. I wouldn’t be able to use them at all otherwise (and I have type 1 diabetes, so it’s important).

radu_floricica 3y ago

I tried Veri for a couple of months. Works exactly as advertised, gave me whatever insight there was to get out of glucose monitoring for a healthy individual, 10/10 would do it again. The review linked by somebody above is accurate (especially about their team being nice), so you can probably consider the reviews for the other apps as also being accurate and make your pick. But for a no-fuss good option, Veri is definitely ok. As for insights gained... pretty much everything "they" say is true. The order of how you eat foods matter. Fibers, protein, fat, alcohol and movement all lower glucose levels.

KerryJones 3y ago
I just got veri and did my first 2 weeks -- same experience. Much cheaper than some of the competitors.

jablongo 3y ago

A lot of people are claiming you need a prescription to purchase one; that is actually untrue in practice. You need a prescription to get insurance to pay for it but there are plenty of websites that sell dexcom (the best kind) devices dtc. Just search “dexcom purchase” on your favorite search engine. You’ll have to spend several hundred dollars though. Also there are services like levels or January.ai which white-label Abbott devices and handle all the prescription stuff for you.

twawaaay 3y ago
Can confirm. Just at this moment I have a Dexcom G7 attached to my arm and I don't even have diabetes. Just using it to learn a little bit about my blood glucose patterns. But these devices are not really built for non-diabetics. There is a constant barrage of alerts as my blood sugar regularly dips into hypoglycemic levels. I feel fine but the device purposefuly does not have any way to disable the alarm.
- jablongo 3y ago
  You can adjust the alerts a little bit. If you are actually going below 60 on a regular basis then you are hypoglycemic and the alerts are probably useful. It’s possible that your readings were slightly off though. Thanks for driving down prices for the rest of us! Keep on ordering em, big spender! I mean that.
  - twawaaay 3y ago
    My blood sugar goes below 60 but I am not hypoglycemic and no, the alerts are not useful. And yes, the measurements are correct -- I have more than one way to measure blood sugar level. Hypoglycemic means your body is dependant on sugar, can't get sugar and has adverse reaction to it. My body can't get sugar, true, but is not dependant on it (fat adapted) and I have no reaction to it. As I have not eaten any carbs for about two months any notion of hypoglycemia due to not eating sugar is a bit meaningless. I know people who get much, much lower blood sugar levels and feel fine. The levels they get would (below 40? below 30?) would be lethal to "normal" person, if sugar addiction can be called normal at all. But they all feel fine and are probably healthier than most. I put CGM on my arm to learn how my blood sugar levels look when on my diet and then what happens when I switch carbs back on -- I expect my body to "freak out" a little bit and then stabilise within couple of days and that's what I would like to see in a bit clearer detail using my CGM. As to driving the prices down... nah, I am not making a dent. These devices are too expensive to use regularly even for me (software devs salary). I will just put a couple of them to learn a bit about myself and then stop when I got what I needed.

moneywoes 3y ago

How big is the benefit for non diabetics subjective well being? Anything I can do cheaper?

iaresee 3y ago
Cheaper? Yes. Finger sticks. A non-diabetic really gains very little useful insight from continuous monitoring.

veidr 3y ago

In the US it is insanely expensive and non-easy unless you have a doctor in your thrall who can prescribe it. There's some startup doing "CGM just FYI" but it is like USD $500 per month IIRC. Other countries, such as Australia, you can just buy them for normal capitalism prices (IIRC like USD 200$ and you own it). So it very much depends where you are.

DoughnutHole 3y ago
Wow, and I thought they were pricy in Europe (Freestyle Fibre is €65 for a two-week monitor). Between things like this and the price of insulin the US is really trying to kill off its diabetics. Not great when nearly half of Americans are either diabetic or pre-diabetic.
- nervousvarun 3y ago
  Don't necessarily disagree with your basic premise as the U.S. government is in bed with Big Pharma (and really big Everything) to actively wage economic war against its citizens...but finally there is some positive news with insulin: https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lilly-cuts-insulin-prices-70-and-caps-patient-insulin-out-pocket https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-detail...