Afrezza: dealing with the 4U minimum

Will you post the link for that article? Thanks!

MannKind: Afrezza Sales Still Low As Company Tries To Increase Outreach

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And this. i’m not a fan of Seeking Alpha but they consistently cover all the MannKind weekly scripts. https://seekingalpha.com/article/4066772-mannkind-afrezza-scripts-dip-investor-frustration-rises

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I think this is an important factor – why are people not continuing with it? Is it because no one is bothering to explain how to use it, they get frustrated and quit?
I suspect there are some people out there for whom it’s not a good fit too – maybe they actually digest food pretty slowly and the “fast-acting” insulin action curve works better for them – my son is like this. Or maybe it’s the fact that it might be a great fit for some foods but not a great fit for others, and people don’t want to have two different insulins they use?
But still, just getting more sales reps to fill scripts will only work if people continue to use them.

I would like to make a recommendation to all adult T1D’s (as long as you do not have any pulmonary concerns). No matter what your current insulin regimen is, no matter if you are using a pump or MDI, no matter what insulin you are using…

If you have a glucagon kit at home for emergency lows, why not have a box of Afrezza cartridges for emergency highs? Even if you don’t want to use it daily, you can use it for those times when you are spiking wildly and want to bring your BG down quickly.

I currently do this a different way (it involves the letters I and V), which for me gives me the quick drop. But I know most people don’t want to do this. So get yourself some Af, and give it a try. You don’t need to wait hours for a BG to come down.

I’ve tried Af a few times. It’s quick!

I am going to experiment with a few other methods of using it also, for people concerned with their lungs.

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People tend to have reservations about anything “new”…I’m pretty sure Afrezza falls into this same category. It’s new…it’s radical…it’s different…therefore it must be bad (or maybe not bad, but I’m gonna wait until I see more people using it…type of mentality).

Maybe?

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People don’t know about it, that’s the problem. People love new things, they flock to it. That’s why they buy new iPhones as soon as they come out. It’s the Doctors who do not like new things that are so different. It requires them to learn and spend a lot more effort with their patients in such a different way of treatment. That’s why I had to change Dr’s as he literally said it wouldn’t help me and wouldn’t prescribe it. After 15 years of same Dr I went to new one and I can’t be happier. And guess what? This drug that wouldn’t help my 8.xx A1C which was mainly caused by spikes right after eating brought it down to 6.5 in a few months! This is after YEARS of high A1C.

Every time I meet someone who is diabetic or family member, wife, etc is I ask tell them about it and they are shocked that there is inhaled insulin. My CVS pharmacist never heard of it! They have no clue. It’s up to the Dr’s to educate their patients on the proper medication that can help them and most Dr’s are simply refusing.

Most people are not like us and do not keep up with the latest research and treatment options.

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You should visit your old Dr and bring proof of your a1c and tell him this is what he could never do for you. I know that I’d try to embarrass him if it was me …

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I agree completely… but the invention of the wheel even didn’t change the world overnight. It’s a game changer… and big changes take time. The expectation amongst some that the world would change overnight was misguided… but that doesn’t mean the world isn’t changing. The vast majority of those who’ve tried this understand it’s a life changer and eventually a landscape changer. Not long ago I was convincing you this was worthwhile, now you’re convincing others, and they will too… that’s how breakthroughs actually occur. They’re not in real time, even though we may look back at them and see them seem like it someday.

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This is exactly what I insinuated in a different post on a different forum.

Change - especially for diabetics - is super, super scary . . . especially when things seem to be “working.” I’m in the minority on this one as I’ll be the guinea pig for anything new and especially “radical”, which is exactly the way I’d describe Afrezza. Not radical in a bad way, but regimen changing. Most folks are like “what do you mean you take 4u for only 15g of carbs? How on earth don’t you go low?” Misconception and education on how something like Afrezza works is the key.

I also think that change for Endo’s is not something they all embrace. If something is “working” for their patients i don’t believe they have the time or desire to help a patient with a new insulin such as Afrezza. This is not taking a shot (pun meant) at endos as many are wonderful and supportive, but just my opinion. I’m very,very lucky to have an Endo who trusts and supports me with anything I want to try, which is exactly why I was the first patient in his extremely large practice to start on Afrezza.

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4 posts were split to a new topic: FIASP: trying new, very fast acting insulin?

6 posts were split to a new topic: T1 with insulin resistance

Splitting insulin resistance posts to -> T1 with insulin resistance

People have a hard time comprehending that the same dose can cover anything from an English muffin to a pig out session at a Mexican restaurant… this isn’t your granddaddys insulin…

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I found that in many situations 4u cartridges are too powerful so I split them in half by hand. They work quite well for me.

Actually, I am ordering Afrezza to Australia and paying full price. The 12/8 boxes are the most cost-effective so I have been breaking open the 8s and splitting them (by eye) into 4s. Then I started splitting the 4s in half as well.

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Interesting, how do you package them up after you split?

I use old 4u cartridges. I put a white sticker on the 2u ones. I’ll try to make a video of the process…

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There have been several times a 2 unit Afrezza correction would have fit perfectly into my D aresenal!! I’m very interested in how you do this. Thanks for the idea.

@mentat, it would be GREAT if you did this.

4 posts were split to a new topic: Custom Affrezza Doses - Making 2U Cartridges