Dexcom Prices in Canada (and securing the sensor)

Just starting to check into Dexcom. Where do those in Canada buy their supplies? Are there any good deals? Thank you!

I buy mine direct from Dexcom: http://www.dexcom.com/en-CA

Note that you can’t shop online until you have bought either a receiver or a transmitter from them, so you’ll have to phone at least the first time.

Note also that you can’t buy the G4 online (it’s not even mentioned on the website), but they are still selling it over the phone.

No deals that I’m aware of at the moment.

I made the switch from the Medtronic CGM about six months ago. I believe you can only buy supplies from Dexcom.

I am so pleased with and do not regret making the change to Dexcom. The medtronic CGM was very inaccurate and frequently dropped off. With Dexcom, I don’t even bother taking my glucometer with me unless I expect to have to start a new cycle. It’s almost always right. I find, that only after about 10 hours without calibration it moves out a point or two.

The cost is actually about half of what you would expect. The sensors are only supposed to last for 6 days and then the cycle ends and the transmitter signals to change the sensor. I have found that you don’t necessarily have to change the sensor. You can start a second cycle and get a full 12 days out of the sensor. It continues to work - ACCURATELY - until the adhesive comes loose.

It is a little cheaper if you go on their subscription plan. If you assume that a sensor lasts 12 days, and you use CGM 365 days/year, then subscription costs $3.6K per year and without subscription $4.1K/year. You save $500/year being on subscription.

I didn’t purchase the receiver. Instead, I put the $500 towards an iPhone / iWatch combination. As a cyclist, I have to watch my blood sugar closely for long periods of intense exercise with no chance to stop and pull out a receiver or my iPhone. With the iWatch, my CGM is on my wrist and constantly visible.

Hope this helps !!

One minor point.
The Dexcom G4/G5 sensors last 7 days for one session.

(With sensor restart not being technically blocked.)

Dexcom sensors last for 7 days (compared to Medtronic, which last 6 days).

Some people like me can get an average of three and a half weeks to a month out of each sensor. I used to only get two weeks, but since switching to a low-carb diet and using Opsite Flexifix tape on sensors, I’ve increased that to a month. Transmitters (G4) usually last me 13 months each. And I’ve had my G4 receiver for three years without it needing replacement yet.

2 Likes

Jen … I use Skintac. Where do you get Flexifix tape?

Thanks Michael. So do you still use a Medtronic pump? If so, which one? I
have the 630G.

Fran Selinger
selingerf@gmail.com

I’m using a medtronic veo 754.

If you are using a 630G, then you probably want to stick with medtronic CGM to make use of the closed loop system.

Minor point is right. Just start a new session when the 7 days ends.

Thank you all for your comments. You have helped me think this through. I’m going to stick with the medtronic system. Now I can at least stop researching this topic!

I regularly get a month, using Opsite after the first week, but I don’t eat low-carb, so I wonder if the taping is more crucial to longevity than one’s diet – although I have read that wild fluctuations can lessen a sensor’s life.

I’m not Jen, but I bought mine online: https://www.canmeddirect.ca/smith-nephew-66000041-roll-opsite-flexifix-10cmx10mnon-sterile.html. It may look expensive but I figure at the rate I’m going, I will still have this roll in 10 years. I would get a wider roll next time and cut a hole in the middle of each piece, rather than using two overlapping pieces.

I ordered mine off Amazon. I can’t use Skin Tac because I’m allergic to it, but that stuff works pretty well, too!

You’re right, I think it’s related to blood sugar stability, not eating low-carb specifically. I just can’t keep my blood sugars stable eating higher carb, but some people can.

Obviously, Skintac doesn’t work as well as Flexifix if people are getting 25 days from Flexifix. I only get 14 days from Skintac.

IMHO the potential physical movement of the Dexcom sensor is one reason for the system to stop providing accurate data but not the only reason.

I’m not saying it i inaccurate. The adhesive fails. The sensor still remains accurate.

Opsite Flexifix needs to be applied several times to keep a sensor in for a month. I had the same experience with Skin Tac in that it sometimes needed additional applications (over top of the sensor tape). But my body reacts to it and invariably sensors fail within 24 hours of it use for me.

That was my average as well in the beginning, when I was using only SkinTac. Now I still use SkinTac but add Flexifix after the first week. One application of the tape lasts me three weeks easily, though it may need some trimming along the edges.

I don’t have enough experience to weigh in on securing the sensor, but I find Hypafix to be a great “fixer”. I live part of the year in the Caribbean where I sweat. A lot. Hypafix keeps my cannulas in place.

Hi Michael. I agree completely with your comments about the Dexcom vs Medtronic CGM system. I was so frustrated with the Medtronic CGM because of its inaccuracy. The Dexcom has been more than worth it for me! Its inaccuracies are for the first day (for me) and towards the end of its life (sometimes). I also routinely get 2 weeks out of the sensor, but not much more. By the way, for anyone interested, I ran a side-by-side comparison of the 2 systems (yes, inserting both in my stomach at the same time, along with the pump!) for several weeks. It confirmed the superiority of the Dexcom convincingly.
On the other hand, I have loved the Medtronic insulin pumps (currently on the 630G). They have been super reliable (used them since 2000).