I currently use old school glucagon that has to be mixed, but it seems to lose most potency by about 72 hours. Since Gvoke is shelf stable for 24-30 months, this seems like the better option.
I only see the Gvoke pen online now and don’t see how you can get it out of the epipen-like casing. Do they make vial and syringe Gvoke?
This Beyond Type One article says they do, but I haven’t seen it, and don’t know anyone using it.
I also tried to get in touch with the author, but it seems her blog is no longer active.
Please let me know if you use Gvoke for MiniGluc and how! Thanks friends : )
They do make a pre-filled syringe. Or at least they used to.
(I have not filled that prescription in a while, but I will try refilling it again.)
They do NOT make a vial though. The syringe is pre-filled.
But there is an easy workaround. You can buy sterile vials from Amazon. Just buy some vials, and put the Gvoke into a vial, and that’s all you’d have to do.
If you can’t find the pre-filled syringe anymore, and you have to use the automatic pen, you can still do it. But you need to be somewhat careful, since the contents comes out pretty quickly.
If that’s the case, you have 2 options so you don’t blow up the vial from too much pressure.
Either a) - use a large vial. That way, with the injection of the Gvoke into the vial there is still a lot of room for the extra air-pressure. It would also help to suck the air out of the vial first.
Or b) - before injecting the Gvoke into the vial, put a syringe into the vial with the plunger removed. That way there is a port for the air to escape when you inject the Gvoke into the vial.
It does! Thanks so much for your reply Eric. I ordered some sterile vials from Amazon, and will do this with the one pre-filled Gvoke syringe I have given to me from a friend.
I have spent a lot of money on glucagon of my 36 years with diabetes. I’ve never once used it. I’ve had a few bad reactions too. It’s seems to me the only time 8 would use it is if I was unresponsive, and then that would be someone else using it on me.
My doctor prescribes it, but I just don’t even have it filled anymore.
What the original poster is talking about though is using mini-doses instead of taking sugar.
So we are not talking about being so low that you are unconscious. Instead the discussion is about when you are low but are still awake and aware, and you take a small amount of glucagon instead of eating.
It can be a useful tool for weight management, as long as you are still taking in enough food that you can replenish your liver glycogen. If you keep doing it without eating, you run the risk of not having any glycogen left in your liver. At that point, glucagon won’t help you.
So that is the risk, if you just are not eating and you keep doing the glucagon. Other than that, it can be a useful way of treating.
The other thing to mention is that if you use it while exercising, it will possibly not be effective, and also will diminish your performance a great deal.
