I wrote recently about being forced to switch to Humalog from Novolog due to an insurance mandate. I was willing to give it the old collgeg try & not wimp out at the least bit of trouble. So I tried the new Humalog for three months despite higher than average blood glucose readings right out of the gate. And I have to say cost did factor in. Novolog is three times the price of Humalog, for my i Duran even, truth be told!! But I’ve HAD IT!!!!
My blood glucose especially at the postprandial readings are significantly higher than they are when I’m using Novolog!! Call me stubborn but I was trying to figure out how to play with the dose of Humalog to make it work but I’m crying U-N-C-L-E!!!! Nothing I do while taking the Humalog will bring my numbers down!!!
I was prebolusing before my meals my usual 15-20 minutes but two hours after eating I was in the 300’s. So I decided to bolus 25-30 mins before I ate, still it left my over 300 at the two hour mark despite accurately counting & blousing for my carbs.
Plus, due to this high result hours after my meal, I ended up chasing highs for hours. But I was determined to try and make it work. Going back to Novolog at three times the price definitely made me more willing to wait out the higher numbers in hopes I could figure out how to make the Humalog work but enough is enough!! I’m thinking my A1C is going to be higher this go around due to this experiment. But I’m not willing to flirt with an increased risk of complications to carry this trial any further.
I’ve only back to my Novolog for just over a week but already my bg’s are back to their usual lower number.I’m back to only blousing 15-20 mins before a meal and I’m back in range by the two hour mark.
I spent much time contacting my health insurance company trying to figure out what needed to be done to go back to my beloved Novolog. Turns out, many calls & time spent on hold later, I just need a prior authorization to be allowed to pay the higher tier price!!
I’m very blessed in many ways that I can afford the triple price tag. This experiment has given me a whole new appreciation for being able to pay the higher tier. I would be up a creek, like many folks are, if I could not afford the increase in price!!
The trouble came when I tried to get said prior authorization from my endo’s office!! I was met w much resistance from a CDE who does not know me, tried to convince me the insulins are interchangeable & that I didn’t need to go back to Novolog!! WTH!!!!
I had multiple conversations w this CDE that although on paper & maybe for others it is interchangeable, that was not my experience. She mentioned several times that I was expetiencing the “placebo effect” when in actuality my numbers were probably fine & I was interpreting them incorrectly!!! WHAT??? SERIOUSLY!!!!
Long story short, I told her it was my decision as to how to spend my money & I chose to spend it on the higher tier insulin!! U can bet, when I see my endo next, this difficulty w the CDE will be discussed!!! She wouldn’t even consider that for me Novolog and Humalog are not interchangeable!! I was furious!!! Not amount of data showing her otherwise would convince her that Novolog was better for my numbers!!!
If I hadn’t needed a refill I would have waited to speak to my endo who was away!!! It just proves that even some so called “experts” in the diabetes field have NO CLUE that, as Bennett says, YDMV (you diabetes may vary).
muddybrooks 