5 Tips For Better Insulin Use When You Have Diabetes

Giving yourself insulin can be frustrating and confusing if you have diabetes. Knowing when to give yourself insulin, giving the right dose according to your blood sugar numbers, and even paying for insulin all can be overwhelming. Here are a few tips to make insulin use for diabetes a little easier.

1. Work with a certified diabetes educator. The purpose of a certified diabetes educator, or CDE for short, is to help patients better manage their diabetes. A certified diabetes educator can help with insulin knowledge gaps that your well-meaning but busy doctor may not have time to fill. A CDE can help show you how to administer insulin and when to use it. That person’s advice will be tailored to your individual needs and goals. Find out if your local doctor or hospital has a CDE, or ask for local recommendations.
2. Store your insulin properly. Insulin that is not opened should be kept in the fridge. Once insulin is open, keep it at room temperature. One thing you’ll definitely want to avoid is temperature swings, such as extreme cold or heat. For instance, don’t leave insulin in your car on a cold Illinois winter night or a hot day in July in Florida. Very hot or cold weather can alter the effectiveness of your insulin, according to an article on the US News and World Report health site.
3. Know where to inject. Insulin is typically injected in the fattiest parts of your skin, including thighs, arms, and the fattiest parts of your stomach area. WebMD has a pictorial to show where you should inject yourself. You should also alter your injection site frequently, to avoid causing scaring in one area.
4. Hold your injection in place for a few seconds. “When injecting with an insulin pen, inject straight in and be sure to hold the pen in place for a few seconds after the insulin is delivered to ensure that no insulin leaks out,” recommends the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.
5. Shop around for the best insulin prices. Diabetes requires constant management, and the costs to manage this chronic disease can add up. One way to lower your costs is to shop for lower-cost medications. At Discount Med Direct, we’re able to obtain a variety of insulins at a lower price than you’ll find elsewhere. Our insulin products come in refrigerated packaging. Here are just some of the insulin cost savings you can find through Discount Med Direct:
   • Humulin R/10 ml dosage/1 vial–$202.36
   • Humalog/3 ml dosage/5 kwikpens–$241.14
   • Victoza/100 u/ml/2 pens–$380.51
   • Trulicity/1.5/0.5/5 pens–$400.30

Here’s How to Navigate—and Save—When You’re in Medicare’s Donut Hole

Medicare, the federal health insurance for citizens age 65 and over, has a funny-named coverage gap called the “donut hole.” The donut hole goes into effect after you and your drug plan have spent a specific amount of money on covered drugs through Medicare’s Part D program. That amount changes regularly but in 2017, the amount was $3,700. For seniors on a fixed income, the donut hole can cause financial strain as you still have a need to use specific medications—often for chronic conditions.

The good news is that there is a solution to help you better manage your time in the donut hole.

Discount Med Direct is a mail-order prescription service with three offices in Southwest Florida, one in Plains, Pennsylvania, and a fifth location in Rockford, Illinois. Our goal at Discount Med Direct is to help you save money on your prescription medications, and that’s one reason why our customers in the donut hole find us so valuable. We can source more than 14,000 generic and brand-name meds, offering savings of up to 80% compared with what you pay at your retail pharmacy.

How are we able to save you so much?

We use international pharmacies, as well as pharmacies in the U.S. and Canada, to obtain less expensive medication. We often can find generic medications abroad for brand-name formulations that are not yet generic in the U.S. And medication purchased from an international pharmacy is not included in the calculation toward the Medicare donut hole.

Here’s just one example of the savings we can help you obtain. Ninety tablets of generic cholesterol medication Zetia (10 mg) are $914.99 at a generic drug store. At Discount Med Direct, we can obtain 100 tablets for $124.71! Find similar savings on Eliquis, Januvia, Premarin, and more.

By using Discount Med Direct during your donut hole period—and year-round—you’ll save hundreds of dollars a year in out-of-pocket costs. Our friendly employees also are ready to help guide you through your Medicare Part D (medication plan) spending.

Call Discount Med Direct for All Your Medication Needs

Discount Med Direct works with a network of licensed U.S., Canadian, and international pharmacies to provide the best prices on prescription medications. We ship direct to your home. We require a valid prescription from a licensed physician. Our friendly employees are ready to help you save 30% to 80% on your medication costs, including when you’re stuck in the Medicare Part D “donut hole.” With locations in Sarasota, Ellenton, and Port Charlotte, Florida; Plains, Pennsylvania; and Rockford, Illinois, we’re ready to help. Call 941-355-7887. Or, visit us on Facebook at Discount Med Direct or online at www.discountmeddirect.com.