I am curious. It feels like a majority of people are not happy using the Omnipod 5? Because it falls under pharmacy on Medicare it would be easier to “try out” without making the 5 year commitment. If I am curious, I’m sure others must be too.
So I kind of would like to know of those that have tried it or using it.
Using numbers from 1 to 5 with #1 being I hate it to #5 being I love it
What would you rate it and a description of why?
Second if you have not used it, do you want to try it and why you are interested in trying it or are you not interested and why?
And if you want to just rate it without writing anything that helps too!
I may be wrong but according to the omnipod site you do not have to make the 5 year commitment to get a new omnipod 5. Again I do not use a pod but i think I am correct.
I ordered a OmniPod 5 starter package and got enough for me to try it for couple weeks. I have to change very often so it might last a month for others. I had the option to set up an auto renew plan but declined.
With DIY Loop I am running at an average glucose level of 95 mg/dL. My understanding is that this cannot be achieved with OmniPod 5. I am not interested in making a change for the worse.
I am happy with Omnipod 5, but I hope they will eventually make it more aggressive than the current 110 minimum BG target level. I have a feeling this was a compromise with the FDA to get it to market and that things will be tweaked as we go along. I really wish they would hurry up with the iPhone integration, as I’m tired of carrying two devices. I usually tell people the PDM is my “burner” phone.
I have been using the Omnipod 5 since early June and have gotten used to it. It was a pretty long learning curve for me but after I went to Auto mode 100% of the time and fine tuned my settings accordingly I have been very happy with it.
The feature that is most impactful to my quality of life is the Om 5’s ability to reliably bring BG to a near flatline overnight. No more alarms at night is a major improvement for me. The feature that I don’t care about (but seems to bother a lot of people) is the lack of iPhone app. Carrying the PDM around does not bother me at all.
I gave it a 4 because it’s not perfect, I still have crazy highs after screwing up a meal bolus and other snafus still occur despite the algorithm. However somehow I feel like “perfect” (Loop) would require too much tech micromanaging to suit me. The Omnipod 5 algorithm does a good job of shooting for a BG of 110 without much extra effort on the users part.
Lately my BG averages about 120 but have had mixed results during past months with some higher BG. I would prefer a lower average BG but this is about the same as I’ve had with Dash pods, older pods before that and MDI before that. However I rarely have low BG with Om 5…Clarity says 3% below 70 BG over past 90 days.
The 4 months I’ve been using Omnipod 5 have been marked by numerous variations in things that affect BG…two bouts of Covid, a 3 week hiking trip, 3 trips to visit relatives, etc. Minimizing lows with Omnipod 5 has been a success but overall average BG has been about the same as the last 5+ years.
If you’re already using Omnipod Dash, I don’t really see a disadvantage in switching aside from whether or not you like the Omnipod 5 PDM. If you don’t like automode then you can run manual mode, and the only difference will be that your PDM connects to your Dexcom. If you drop to 55, both your PDM and phone (assuming you’re using that for the G6) will alarm.
The Omnipod 5 PDM seems to make more noise overall than the Dash PDM, and I find that a little annoying. I basically want the device silent all the time though, so it may not be much of a bother to others. I have only used the automode a few times, and it seems to work best for me if I haven’t eaten recently and am already in range. I think I would need to tinker with the settings and the way I pre-bolus in order for automode to work well for me during the day. I’m really just using it overnight sometimes.
I am not sure how to see how much automode is changing my “basal,” and I find that annoying. You can see that it is giving you more or less, but not how much more/less.
When I was getting it from Edgepark, it would always be late. Consequently, I had to purchase pumps out of my own pocket. Now, there is a co-pay, but worth not having all the hassles from Edgepark. I just go to Walgreens.
It gets a 3 from me. After a month on it, the algorithm still hasn’t figured out how to control my overnights…I still wake up in the 160’s - 170’s in the morning and can see I’ve gone over 200 overnight, even with my target BG being 110. I’m not sure how long it takes the algorithm to figure things out, but so far, I’m annoyed. My A1C’s have been in the 5.2-5.4 range for years, but with major peaks and valleys overnight and no discernable patterns, due to some wacky hormone stuff I’m dealing with in this stage of life; that’s why I wanted to try the automatic mode overnight. Yes my A1C is good, but the actual control really has not been (overnight at least).
However, the new PDM is a million times better than the old (I came from the Eros system, not dash).
I love the Omniopod 5. My teenage daughter uses it, so I’m writing from a parent perspective.
Came from the Dash, which was the worst one.
She hasn’t had low blood sugars in the night since we got it. The activity mode is great.
Her A1c stayed the same for some reason, but her time in range went from 13% to 45%. I am very happy with it. The only reason her A1c is still bad is bc she forgets to bolus for food (at what age does that quit happening? She’s 16. Facepalm). It can adjust to a point, but not if you’ve eaten something to soar you up to above “HIGH”. But as far as the basal rates, I LOVE it.
Before the Omnipod 5 she was just HIGH then LOW, then HIGH, then LOW. Now she actually has numbers, 150, 180…ya these aren’t good numbers but they are better than what she had.
The Omnipod people are shysters. They don’t bother to make it very clear that YOU MUST have a cell phone and YOU MUST have one of the limited number of phones they support. I am anxiously awaiting for them to add the Galaxy 22 to their list so I can start using the automatic function. I would have been better off staying on the 4 until they get around to using my brand new phone I bought, thinking it was on the list. Medicare will not cover the type of insulin I use in the omnipod.
I have been on the OmniPod 5 for about 6 weeks now, and I love it. (Of course, I loved the DASH before that, too, but the OM5 gives me better TIR.) I would give it about a 4.5 rating right now since we are still learning how to live with one another. I learned that new users probably DO have to make some minor adjustments, but they were simple to make. Also, my trainer warned me that you have to give the AutoMode a chance to learn. I use AutoMode 100% of the time, and that has made all the difference. I like the OM5 for the following reasons:
The OM5 Controller is slightly better (in my opinion) than the DASH PDM. I like that I do not have to use the menu button each time I want to take a bolus since the bolus feature is right on the main screen, and I like that I can hit the Dexcom graph and see what is going on with insulin delivery and trends all in one.
I have eliminated almost all of my lows. I went from multiple nights in a row with lows to none at night and only a few during the day (due, mostly, from my miscalculation of carbs at meal time). Few to no lows keeps the Endo off my back!
I use an iPhone 13 mini as my only phone, but I have learned that I do NOT have to carry the Controller in my pocket at all times. I leave it on my dresser in my bedroom as I move about the house or even take walks in my neighborhood. The only time the Controller goes with me is when I travel to the store or further. I have the advantage, as a woman, of being able to put it in my purse, but sometimes I just put it in my jacket pocket. I admit that the Controller is BIG, and I really wish it were the same small size as the original Dexcom controller. I hope that future Controllers are smaller.
My time in range has greatly improved. While I used to be in the low to mid-60% range, I now – in six weeks – have moved into the mid-70% range, and I have had many days where I reach into the 80% - low 90% range. For someone who has been diabetic for as long as I have been, those numbers are phenomenal.
I am on Medicare, and I have had ZERO problems getting the whole system from my local Walgreens Community Pharmacy. Medicare no longer will pay for Walgreens to ship it to me, so I DO have to travel a bit to pick it up, but that has worked fine for me. I understand that the Walgreens Community stores are training their other Walgreen pharmacies how to deal with Medicare so that the OM5 will be easily available at all Walgreens stores.
In my opinion, the OmniPod 5 is worth the change. You can set your goal to be 110 and set your “correct above” range also to be 110. Yes, you must have patience while it learns your routine and system, and you must resist the urge to micromanage the algorithm, but for me personally, this has been a positive change.
