Are any T1’s having difficulty with obtaining T2 medications with their doctors guidance?
Background a buddy of mine (a T1) has used Ozempic for 3 years as a supplement for her treatment. This was done with docotr prescription and paid for by her insurance. This year Her doctor prescribed it, and per usual it required the doctor to get prior approval.
This has been routine up until this past June, when despite the appeal by the doctor coverage was denied. Is this a new trend, or have those who use these medications also have had issues?
There has been a rush on those meds and probably they are pulling back on prescribing them to only people who have conditions they are indicated for.
A lot of people use it as medication for weight loss. Thst drives up the price and also makes it less available.
You have grossly oversimplified! Ozempic does a couple of things, so while it will not generally help a T1 produce enough endogenous insulin to make a smidge of difference, it can still decrease insulin resistance and solve some of the other hormone-related digestive processes that we generally don’t ever address.
Clearly a T1 using Ozempic will also still need insulin, but to declare someone must be mis-diagnosed in order to benefit from a drug is a really big leap.
A T1 diagnosis doesn’t protect against any of the myriad of metabolic disarray that marks T2 and more than having a flat tire on your car will prevent your timing belt from failing.
I am a T1 through and through- dxd at age 9, (some 30+ years ago) and dearly dependent on injecting insulin, and yet I have much easier BG management when I also have access to Victoza/Ozempic. Like the buddy though, despite several years of using Victoza or Ozempic, all of a sudden my insurance denies, and it took 2.5 months to get approval for Wegovy instead. Now it’ll take another week to get filled… so still not a slam dunk but hopefully progress?
My sympathies to the buddy, and hopes for all of us that some day insurance just lets us fill whatever we’ve managed to get a prescription for!!!
I take metformin and Faxiga, both type 2 meds. My insurance has occasionally denied these types of medicines, however most of the manufacturers offer coupons and when your insurance denies coverage, then the manufacturer coupons kick in for little to no out-of-pocket costs. I also took the special weight loss shot that Type 2’s use, however I did not like the stomach issues and lack of passion for food.
I’ve been using Ozempic for nearly 2 years. I’m T1D and needed a prior auth. I don’t know if my endo used IDD. Certainly insulin resistance was mentioned. I have had no problems at all in getting my medication, thankfully.
I take Metformin with Novolog via Tandem pump. I have been on Metformin many years. I take 850 3x day. The research from my endo says they are not clear why it works for some type 1 and not others.
I have been seeing some success with weight loss with using myfitnesspal and WW. I monitor carbs, calories, fat, and sodium and points. WW is now supporting weighloss meds like Ozempic and Wegovy in their program.
I have also done this, with good results (with Tandem pump). The metformin reduces insulin resistance, and can get better results. I don’t have any trouble getting metformin, but may be different rules for the newer T2 drugs.
T2 runs in my family, including my mom, aunts and uncles.
I was on a different GLP-1 agonist (Victoza) and insulin while still mis diagnosed as T2D, about 8 years. I still had some indogenous insulin production early on which the victoza undoubtedly increased. It also slows down emptying of the stomach which benefited BG control.
If the OP can check on his insurance’s formulary, that should state any required pre approvals and limitations.
This reminds me to ask about trying off label use of GLP-1 agonist again. I’ve changed from FIASP back to Novolog since FIASP in pump doesn’t seem any faster than Novolog now. Victoza was taken away with T1D dx, but pump and CGM more than made up for loss back then.
