hi…i suggested to come here and see what can be helped. i have a friend whose son’s friend is living with them. they live in south carolina. which i have heard isnt the best. he ended up in the ER for high levels. which didnt turn into a DKA. he has neurotophy. he cant afford the insulin he needs due to not having insurance. and i know he needs it. can anyone give me any resources or programs, etc that i can pass onto my friend so she can help him? anything can help for him. i sent him a meter, lantence and test strips to my friend to help him have tighter control. thanks for all suggestions
Hi @Amy2 This is old school, but it is definitely better than the alternative of having nothing.
Walmart.
This will keep him going strong until he lands a job or some sort of insurance which covers the newer insulins.
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thank you…ill let my friend know this is an option for him
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Can also consider buying from Canada mail order or in person if close to border.
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hrm, didnt think about that but how would they get it from canada?
If you are near the border, you can go to Canada and buy it cheaper than online + shipping but beware, PQ stopped allowing US residents to go over the border to purchase. Other provinces are still open to direct drive from US
ah…they arent near the border…they are in south carolina. ill have to find out if she is willing to drive to canada
No, they are one of the best, most reliable and most cost effective mail order supplier. If you drive, you want to go the nearest chain pharmacy over the border. I used to pick mine up 1500 ft over the Vermont border line in PQ, but they said they were no longer allowed to sell to US residents except for an emergency supply. I used to buy 8-12 months at a time as the cost is 1/10th of the US price.
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ahhhhh…it will be an emergency as im not sure how much he has. ill need to get more info from my friend. PQ is?
PQ is Province of Quebec. They will only sell you like 1 box of pens or 1 box of cartridges or 1 vial for emergency use so unless you are very near the border that gets much more expensive than buying by mail order.
aahh ok…thanks :)…interesting facts
Try getinsulin.org for the immediate. If he has access to a free clinic, they sometimes have some. And I know both Lilly and Novo Nordisc have programs for free insulin shipped to an MD office for free 90 day supply but has to be do an MD’s office.
Also, it sounds like there should be assistance available. Have the been to the county health department yet? If he’s a child and being fostered, health care is covered by the state. If he’s a young adult and separated from his family, then he probably qualifies for some medicaid coverage. The health department will also be able to put them in contact with free clinics and education classes, as well as possibly supplies.
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He will eed the input from an Endo in order to get the right dosing and timing of that dosing. And will probably have to eat the same thing at the same time most days. Should he have to go to the Emergency Dept, make sure that he informs staff that he is in the position of not affording insulin. He may be able to ask for the vial they open to treat him. Most of the insulin companies have patient assistance programs (and it is hard to qualify, but I think not having insurance would qualify. And there is also GoodRx. You do need an Rx.
One more possibility, is he working? How low is his income. He may very well be able to apply for the state Medicaid program
and update…my friend got him an appt with a primary care dr at a clinic. the site also has an endo. so that will be next. so she is on the right step for him. he uses novolin R as his insulin. so hopefully his medical team can get him back on the right track.
Sounds like they are taking good first steps. Given lack of insurance, he will also need a way to test BG levels.
While the meter is a one-time charge, the test strips can be costly if paid by the patient. My suggestion is to get a OneTouch meter (Ultra, Ultra2 or UltraMini). Then buy GenUltimate test strips. Check Amazon for “genultimate test strips for use with onetouch ultra meters”. In quantity 100 they are 36 cents/test, but at quantity 250 they are only 15 cents per test. This is considerably lower than the OneTouch strips.
When I first tried them, I did a bunch of tests with OneTouch strips vs GenUltimate strips. The GenUltimate strips were just as accurate as those from OneTouch. The big difference is OneTouch strips always have a calibration code 25, and people forget to check the container and reset their meter’s code when using other strips. I read some early posts that people thought GenUltimate was not accurate, but I am pretty sure they failed to reset the calibration code and blamed the strips instead of themselves.
I have a Dexcom G6 CGM (which I really like), but I still use the meter during the 1st 24 hours of a new sensor and whenever the CGM reading does not match what I’m feeling. Of course, Medicare when buying from Walgreens thinks I don’t need test strips because G6 sensors are now calibrated at the factory. Sure. So I buy GenUtlimate test strips with my own money so I can continue to calibrate when I need to.
i got him the relion brand which is a walmart one…i got one and i cant return it…but got him the one that is needed…so im out of money. but the relion test strips are cheap. so he’ll be able to get one…unless the endo gives him a different one to use and a prescription for it.
The Relion strips and meter are just fine. Don’t worry about the brand until your friend’s son is on some type of insurance and even then most insurance companies will dictate which meter and strips he gets.
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Most insurance companies only cover the one touch series and the Reliant is actually better. You also have to be concerned with co-pays with insurance and a lot of times the reliance cheaper even with insurance covering the other one so I keep them on the rely on.