Why does insulin require a prescription in the US?

Thanks, I can see that. We both have fighting spirit rebellious posts. Some of us have to, imagine how bad they would treat us all if no one made noise and started sh*t.

“I need my needles, my medicine”

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No, not me. Not happening.

Although I’m in a “good place” right now, being in my 50’s with a grey buzz cut and a steady job, things weren’t always so easy to get a good working relationship with health care professionals. It was substantially harder for me when I was college age.

Part of it is how I look now, but another perhaps larger part was attitude and interpersonal skills. I sucked at those when I was 20 but have some experience today.

Perhaps an important part of transitioning to adulthood that would help a lot of T1’s, would be some sort of boot camp on how to get prescriptions filled and doctor’s appointments. This is not something I was ever taught in school and to tell you the truth having my pediatrician do everything for me when I was younger made it super hard for me to transition to adult healthcare system when I was college-age.

I don’t know how old our member IgotT1 is, but I would not be surprised if he is having some of the same struggles that I had.

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@IgotT1. I’m pretty good about keeping a stash of important stuff. You might already be doing it now. So because it’s smart anyway and should make you feel better, why not have a couple of packs put away in a cupboard as emergency back up? Lol, I always had an extra box or two. I still do as I use them for my dog. Since syringes keep forever you don’t have to worry about expiration dates. Ask your doctor about needing more, you can tell her what happened or say you’re giving yourself extra shots nowadays. It’s great, I’m now in a state you can buy them OTC if I need too!

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It took me 25 years to figure out how to buy insulin. It still doesn’t always work. There are always new hang-ups. I blame system complexity. I, honestly, wish I had better advice for him. Some things get better and some things get worse. Its so dynamic. Like, I used to keep paper Rx on file and up to date to deal with repeated computer system failures. But, that doesn’t work anymore because no one allows paper Rx because of opioid stuff.

Hey, @IgotT1, how old are you…if you don’t mind me asking? Lots of people complain they profiled more heavily at a younger age. Maybe you look younger than you are. That happens to me. Super frustrating. I keep thinking I’ll hit some sweet spot where I have some type of innate authority from my age. Hasn’t happened yet. I am 37. Today, the accountant called me a ‘millennial,’ and my heart just sank.

How long have you been diabetic?

Enjoy it while you can. I used to look a lot younger than my age and it sometimes hindered being taken seriously in business. This past weekend I went to visit my 97 year old mother that lives in an apartment in a senior living facility. You can live there as long as you don’t need any medical help. In the elevator I was chatting up an aide that was on her way to helping out a senior with her laundry. As the elevator doors opened and she was walking out she asked “By the way, which apartment do you live in”? After recovering from my stunned moment, told her I was just there to visit my mother, but I have never felt so old in my life as that very moment.

hehehehe, she probably just liked you. People go into those things at SUPER young ages when their spouses pass away just so they don’t have to be bothered with mowing the lawn and stuff. Its a carefree, no responsibility kinda life style. Maybe she thought you looked like some kinda free spirit hippie, lol. I know those women - born beautiful, married a rich older man who passes away, then they are kinda stuck taking care of stuff that they never had any inclination to. They love the Senior facilities. I bet they cat around and really live it up there. Senior facility gossip is the best.

I am working on getting 6 months ahead. I keep using it past the expiration but picking up a new vial anyway. I bought two last time, I told the pharmacy last time I wanted 2 bottles because in case of a poop hit the fan situation I don’t want to be one of the first to die and they sold me two.

I am still learning, Lantus is $300 can I buy $3600 worth if I get a years Rx or does some pointless rule made by some ■■■■ sack bureaucratic type say I always have to be 60 or 90 days away from big problems in the case of a massive disaster that cuts of the supply ?

The solar storm of 1859 (also known as the Carrington Event ) was a powerful geomagnetic storm during solar cycle 10 (1855–1867). A solar coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth’s magnetosphere and induced one of the largest geomagnetic storms on record, September 1–2, 1859.

If that happens today we have big problems. I would like to be among the survivors.

Coming up on a year now. I am 47. I am looking at the number and yikes how did that happen so fast and maybe some seeing my age might think I should be more “mature” about this. Well being this age I am also old enough to remember the world or this country before the computerized big brother police state control grid and I lived most of my life without diabetes and this is a big change - worrying about sugar and eating taking up half my existence I don’t have any tolerance for the medical arm of the new computerized big brother control grid and the ‘just doing my job’ types, just give me my ■■■■ so I can stab blood out of my finger and stick a F needle in myself and get out of my way.

Name address birthday… show me your papers… Take all that and Go F yourself with it and sell me what I need.

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Why can’t I go travel like anyone else and be able to loose my luggage or have my hotel room robbed and be able to just go buy what I need without a hassle from hell ? Don’t loose your stuff hold on to it watch out for dear life. Should I leave it in the room is it safe ??

F them and Name address birthday… show me your papers.

I should be as free to live as anyone else.

A much much better title for this thread would have been - WHY did diabetics allow insulin to require a prescription in the US ?

Its harder for you guys that were diagnoses at later ages. Lots of life changes. The system comes crashing down on you. Its harder in many ways than for those of us for whom it has always been this way. Its easier to adapt as a kid than as an adult. In some ways, your outrage is a good reminder that everything shouldn’t be so broken. It causes people harm.

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I am almost positive if you look at your doctor’s prescription that it says you get 30 days or 90 days at a time, not a years worth. Most insurance plans cover 30 or 90 days but there are variations (e.g. my insurance lets me get 90 days by their mail order pharmacy but only 30 days by local pharmacy.)

HERE’S A HINT: I noticed you multiplied $300 by 12 to get $3600, as if 12 vials of Lantus will last a year. BUT OFFICIALLY THEY WON’T. OFFICIALLY a vial is only good for 28 DAYS. Now you and me know that really if you keep it in the fridge and out of the sun it’ll keep much longer than that. But again the OFFICIAL manufacturer’s literature says it’s only good for 28 days.

So how do you use that hint? Well, I’ve been told that some folks can get 2 vials every 30 days as a result, or 4 vials every 90 days if they point this 28 day limit out to the pharmacist and talk nice. I have never done that myself, but have stretched my lantus to 45+ days a vial (using 20 units a day) and that’s how I built up a good stockpile.

You’ll know when a polite younger person ma’am’s you! Not exactly a pleasurable event.

That 28-day clock doesn’t start until you remove the insulin vial from the fridge and open it.

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I looked at expiration date. 28 after opening.

Just looked again 03.06.2021

I know I watch the kids showing ID to buy beer. They were born post USSR and think nothing of it. They have never traveled or even looked up from their cell phones more then 20 minutes at a time.

That crap started when I was over 21.

Its “Amerika”

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Diabetic in “Amerika” ?

Your a drug addict at the pharmacy, pay the highest price in the world…

No problem in “AmerikA” can’t be fixed without more rules, regulations and “zero tolerance” and bla bla F bla. We can fix it !!

Hurry up and start “passing legislation” that L do it !

Going low right now. Did that whole above post fighting a low. Messy.

Anyway 21 to drink and suddenly more kids are messing with drugs. ooops unintended consequences oooops

It was never about underage drinking, it was about indoctrinating the public to more control.

Tell a young person how driver licences had no picture and people used to “chalk” the age and they look at you like you have 2 heads.

How could the world function without photo ID ? You are lying to me.

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No kid, it wasn’t always about psycho control of everyone and everything.

Gotcha. I didn’t quite understand the 1st post until you elaborated. I had low blood sugar last night and spend, like, an hour trying to post until I just gave up. Kinda glad I never posted it. Maybe I will in the future. Need to think it through, though. LOL.

I think I know what to do with the diabetes advocacy now.

Will anyone help me with my ideas? Can we organize an army of keyboard warriors strong enough to crush the most well funded marketing/propaganda dept ?

Could we not be divided and conquered by left vs right politics ?

The problem here is we have no leadership. Its all corporate run controlled opposition.

Are there any diabetes advocacy groups without pharma funding, attached to the medical establishment and all that shady stuff ??

This group is for lowering all prescription drugs, not just for diabetics.

“Patients For Affordable Drugs does not accept contributions from any organizations that profit from the development or distribution of prescription drugs.” About | Patients For Affordable Drugs

Looks Good so far. Thanks.

Does that include big insurance ? Insurance only wants lower prices so they can try and steal the majority of the savings from us and will play it that way using our efforts.

This is tough work trying to separate the grass roots from the astroturf.

I learned how that works, Astroturf refers to apparently grassroots-based patient advocacy groups or coalitions that are primarily conceived, created and/or funded by corporations, industry trade associations, political interests or public relations firms.

There is a website someplace that vets charities. This is not so easy.

I meant to post this under advocacy. I write my people in congress, but since I live in Utah they are Republicans. Hatch finally retired. I think he probably got the most money from pharma. Since I am retired I have time to keep at them for health care issues.

:evergreen_tree::snowflake::skier::mountain_snow::basketball::snowman_with_snow::cloud_with_snow::coffee: