I just started on the Omnipod pump in Jan. Am having terrific results (A1C down from 8.5 to 6.2 in four months!!) but am now trying get my first insulin prescription through my insurer’s mail away pharmacy. My endo wrote it for “2ml every 3 days” which the pharmacy computer translates to “inject 2 ml subcutaneously every 72 hrs”. My records say I’m on a pump. The pharmacy has canceled the prescription 3 times pending “needing more info from the Dr”… (Cue up the Lady GaGa “stuck in a bad romance” endless loop…)
Would appreciate hearing exactly how your Doc words the insulin Rx’s for your pump. Thanks!
Have him rewrite it - “use in insulin pump, xx units per day”
You need to have him over-subscribe the amount because you lose some insulin with a pump. If you don’t use every single unit, it gets thrown out and is not recoverable.
So best bet is have him say “use in insulin pump, 80 units per day”
Since I use vials of insulin, I know the number of vials I need for a “comfortable” 90-day supply. For me that number is 5 vials, which is equal to a total of 5,000 units. I divide 5,000 by 90 days and it comes out to 55.55 units per day. I request my doctor to prescribe me to take 55.55 units per day. I know this seems overly fastidious with a specification to two decimal points but the dunderheads at the pharmacy benefit manager will actually do the 55.55 X 90 = 4999.5 units of insulin calculation as verification and then actually ship me five vials of insulin.
If I don’t run through this math exercise in advance, then sure as shootin’ the communication between the doctor’s office and the pharmacy benefit manager will end with less insulin than I need. Fifty-six units of insulin per day is comfortably more than I need so my access to insulin never feels threatened.
Ditto–my OmniPod requires a minimum 85 units per every 3day change. I rarely, no, never use that much. The doctor’s MA and I settled on “30 units per day” when she faxed the Rx to the pharmacy–no problem!
My doc just rewrote my Rx, from 3 vials per month, to 4 vials per month. That gives me plenty of buffer. I use approximately 60 units/day. Been hungry lately. Using more insulin in the summer months.
