People who need insulin for their type 1 or type 2 diabetes are skimping on the shots because the drug has become so expensive.
A study this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that more than 25% of people with diabetes who rely on insulin for blood sugar control said they skipped required doses because they could not afford the medication. Among those aged 18 to 40 whom they surveyed, it was even worse: more than 32% said they cut back on their required shots to save money.
CBS News: High cost of insulin has many diabetics cutting back on insulin Medical Express: One in four patients say they've skimped on insulin because of high costAn editorial in the same issue noted that between 2007 and 2017, the average wholesale price of the most popular insulins in the US has more than tripled in price. Between 2010 and 2015, the monthly wholesale price of Humulin, the most popular insulin, rose to nearly $1100, up from $258 for the average patient, the editorial said.
"Skimping on insulin can be rapidly deadly in people whose bodies make none of their own and can result in a life-threatening metabolic disturbance," said the editorial, headlined: When high prices mean needless death.
We have covered aspects of the soaring cost of insulin in news stories before ( here and here).
Insulin is essential for people with type 1 diabetes, whose pancreas no longer makes the hormone. We, however, have guides, patients' success stories, news stories and videos about how a well formulated low-carb diet can help people with the condition manage their blood sugar and safely reduce their need for insulin to the lowest required dose.
Among those with type 2 diabetes, about 20% need insulin to manage their high blood sugar. However, adopting a low-carb diet has enabled some type 2 diabetics to come off insulin completely, even after decades of dependence on the drug. Check out all of our many type 2 diabetes success stories and links, such as How to reverse type 2 diabetes.