[justjeanne1]

Hello, My name is Jeanne, and my mother has been diabetic for 30+ yrs, and has to give herself 3 shots a day. My father is diabetic, but only for the last 10 yrs, and is only taking pills. My younger brother has been diagnosed about 6 mos. ago, and is only taking pills.

I am on a quest to help them, as I have found out that the injectable insulin that my mother takes (2 types) is not generic, so her costs are extremely high, and she has threatoned to stop taking her insulin when she hits the "donut hole" in medicare.

I have put all of them on a system that I have discovered, and am hoping it works, but does anyone have any suggestions about what else can be done. Is there any insulin assistance program that she may be able to take advantage of?

Why aren't any injectable insulin's generic?
Why won't the pills help my mother?
Am I predestined to be a diabetic also?

Any help is appreciated.

Sincerely

And why don't the pills work for her, but they do for my father and brother

 

[onaughmae]

Well, the rules are a little different for insulin simply because it isnt a drug exactly....its a naturally occuring hormone in your body. There is quite a bit to read about the idea of generic insulin on the internet. Try googling "generic insulin". Thats what I did and was quite interesting reading Diabetes affects everyone a bit differently. Your mom obviously cannot be managed on pills alone anymore. (I am assuming she is type 2). She has been diabetic for a long time and the disease is usually progressive. With such a strong family history of diabetes, I would monitor your blood sugar occasionaly and do what I can to maintian a healthy diet and exercise. That way you might be able to hold it off for longer if you were to develop it.

 

[Jen]

Hi. Your mom can contact the maker of her insulin and ask if they have a patient assistance program.

Your Mom needs insulin because her body either makes insufficient insulin, is very resistant to the insulin she makes, or both. Her doctor has concluded that insulin is the best treatment for her. It's possible that an oral med like Metformin might help. How is her diet? Does she exercise? Does she have other health problems? Diabetes is a complex condition and there's no single treatment that will work for everyone.

As for whether you will develop diabetes, no one can say for sure. Given that there is likely a genetic component to it, it looks like you're a candidate, but that doesn't guarantee it. The best thing for you to do is make sure you eat fresh, healthful foods, limiting starchy carbs and processed junk food, get lots of exercise and sleep. If you do end up joining the diabetes club, at least you'll have established good habits that will help you control it.

Jen

 

[justjeanne1]

Thank you, I will google now..

 

[justjeanne1]

Thank you for the "patient assistance" idea.. My mother is overweight, and I have researched a metabolism type diet for her.. Hope this helps her. Dad and Bro. are both tall and thin. Dad can't exercise anymore because he is in very poor health due to heart and lung problems, but Bro. is in good shape, still plays Basketball weekly.

 

[justjeanne1]

Wow, what an interesting read about generic diabetes, onaughmae,didn't get thru all of them, but got the jest. I have already called my mother to tell her about the Wal-Mart stuff, but will have to check with doctor to see if she can take that. But it's a start... Thank you very much..

 

[Shanny]

Jeanne . . . just wanna say hello & welcome . . . you're getting great advice already - nothing more for me to add except kudos to you for getting involved in your family members' care.

Thank you for joining us and I hope we see you often.

 

[breezeonby]

Check out the insulin that Walmart sells. They sell Novolin N and Novolin R. You can also check out NeedyMeds. They have information about cheap prescription drugs and different programs that help with free medications.

 

[justjeanne1]

Thank you so much, have checked out the NeedyMeds. Also, I actually tagged you to be a friend, as my family also lives in Ohio, unfortunately Cincy, not Cleveland. Go Buckeyes..

 

[breezeonby]

Thank you so much, have checked out the NeedyMeds. Also, I actually tagged you to be a friend, as my family also lives in Ohio, unfortunately Cincy, not Cleveland. Go Buckeyes..

Hello from Ohio! I just love the Buckeyes!