Sunday, December 23, 2018

Levemir Woes

Right before we left yesterday to spend the holidays with hubby's side, I was able to get my Armour thyroid refilled with a 3 month supply.  However, I was not so fortunate with my Levemir refill.  The pharmacy called me and told me that my doctor had denied to refill it due to the fact that they want me to try Tresiba.  I have decided I am not interested in trying it for several reasons:

1.  My blood sugars have been known to change on a dime and require a drop or increase in basal on a moment's notice.  Having Levemir taken every 8 hours allows for more frequent changes as needed.  Tresiba would be taken every 12 hours (I know the doctor thinks it's once a day but splitting provides more steady coverage.  Insulin actually only lasts as much as the amount of insulin on board stays active, and the less you take, the shorter its life span).
2.  I'm worried about negative reactions I've heard some people experience while on Tresiba.  I don't have negative reactions to Levemir. 
3.  Levemir works when it's dialed in correctly.  The problem I have is figuring out how to dial it in correctly.  Once I do that, I won't have such issues.  But that's no reason to switch to a new insulin.
4.  Trying to push me to try a new insulin just because they may get paid more in bonus money really irks me.  I hate that doctors don't consider the preferences of their patients because they're too focused on making money off of them.  The MORE you PUSH me, the MORE I RESIST.

I now have a limited supply of Levemir because I was forced to leave without the RX.  I contacted my doctor and requested the RX be refilled ASAP but it won't be responded to until after Christmas.  I brought a Tresiba pen, as well as the Levemir pen I've had on hand for emergencies.  I'm praying I won't run into any trouble, but I may have to find a TeleDoc to write me an RX in the meantime.

I managed to find an extra Dexcom sensor in my travel bag before we left, so it should last me the whole trip, but I'm still trying to get a medical supplier set up so I can order more.  

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