To my knowledge, the Libre can’t be extended. People who have tried seem to only get a day or two of extra use. I think in the case of the Libre, it’s a battery issue.
Even though the Dexcom is cheaper than the Libre when stretching supplies, the Libre is far cheaper than Dexcom when supplies are used as directed. Like, about a third of the cost, which is huge when you’re paying for this stuff out of pocket. The sensors alone are half the price ($85 for a Dexcom sensor that lasts seven days versus $89 for a Libre sensor that lasts 14 days), and they increase even more when you consider that there are no transmitters to buy and the reader/receiver is a fraction of the price ($49 compared to $499 that I was quoted for a G5 receiver).
If the Libre remains this cheap when it becomes a full CGM in its next version, I think Dexcom is going to have some serious competition.
Not just Canada, but I think most countries outside the US.
And yes, when you consider that Dexcom had several years’ head-start, and yet Libre is picking up insurance coverage in Canada where Dexcom has not, I think it is serious competition.
(My plan is a good example of one that coverage Libre but not Dexcom. But the Libre coverage is ridiculous and stupid, which is why I have’t bothered applying. It requires, among other things, an A1c >7% and yearly re-authorization for approval. So it would mean I need to run an A1c >7% to qualify each year. No thank-you.)
I also agree that, if provincial programs are going to cover CGMs (and there have been rumblings that some may start to), there is no way they will pay $6,000 a year for Dexcom when they can get the Libre for about $2,300 a year.
Also, for some reason the Abbott has done a much better job of marketing their product to the general public (and I’m saying this from Canada where direct-to-consumer marketing isn’t even allowed!). I can’t count the number of times I’ve talked to people without diabetes and they’ve gone, “Oh! Are you using that new thing where you don’t need to test?” And I’ve talked to several people with Type 2 in the US who are getting the system. Meanwhile, Dexcom has been out for years longer and outside of the Type 1 community no one knows what it is.
Abbott is a massive company with deep pockets and a high level of expertise in marketing and contracting. Without those things Abbott wouldn’t survive. Dexcom was built from the ground up as a CGM company. In companies that get built up this way you end up with people doing multiple jobs in the beginning and often people holding key jobs that wouldn’t get hired at Abbott. Neither is wrong, but it is understandable although regrettable as to why Abbott is able to out-market/maneuver Dexcom.
From my perspective, Dexcom is doing very well. I am using the G6 with Sony watch and xDrip+. This is the best of all the Dexcom generations I have used. It still needs occasional calibration, but works better for me than the earlier versions. First day accuracy is not good, and I can see the data in xDrip+ going flakey when the 10 day limit approaches. I have not had problems with their customer support. One of my first transmitters died early and they sent me a new one, and sensor, with minimal questioning.
Although we are all unhappy with the cost of our transmitters and sensors, Dexcom has never made a profit, so it’s hard to say they are overcharging us. I think their stock price indicates what investors believe the best CGM on the market is worth long-term.
Totally not ramblings. Your paragraph explained much about Dexcom that I did not understand. Thank you.
I do have concerns about the customer service going downhill, but I feel like it is a weak concern on my part. I do not think that having to wait 40+ minutes to talk to somebody is helpful, and I do not like the brusque and disinterested behavior that I was greeted with. However, the second time that I called it was quick and the person was a delight. So I could probably blame this more on human nature than anything else.
We have also had fairly good luck with the G6. The share capability is much more reliable than the previous iterations. And EH has not mentioned any major problems for quite some time. He feels like he gets full sensor life mostly and the accuracy is great. And the inserter is better even though it is giant and not recyclable.
I would also add that I think frequently people come to let off steam in the DOC or online forums generally. So maybe it’s like product reviews for large items - folks that got a lemon will complain but the happy people see no need for recourse and don’t do a positive write up? That’s probably oversimplifying it.
I started with the G5 and have upgraded to the G6 when it became available and I absolutely LOVE it! Sure it has its quirks, but the one thing that I love is the ZERO CALIBRATION!
And for the person who asked about Xdrip, see https://jamorham.github.io/ . Its an app that runs on your Android phone that does so much more than the Dexcom app does. It also automatically resets the 10 day thing on the G6 so you can get more than 10 days. I typically get 12-15 but sometimes it goes wonky around day 7-9 or so. Just depends.
I am still using the Dex G4, I like being able to use a sensor for 2 or 3 weeks. I have a Facebook friend who replaces the battery in the transmitter for $60. I have used that service several times. The renewed transmitter lasts 5 months, with no problems. I use a receiver, and there are receivers that you can buy. A couple were given to me by friends who were changing to a newer model. The G4/G5 sensors work fine with my G4. I do not need any apps, I am 79 years old, and very old fashioned. lol
Very frustrated with my most recent experience with Dexcom…I feel like they are; indeed, imploding. I think I posted about the 2 transmitters that I had problems with a few weeks back and I called them multiple times and discussed it with multiple people in tech support and THREE TIMES I’ve had to call them because…the first two times, the orders weren’t actually placed, and this most recent call (today) because I receive PART of the shipment and the other part (the 2nd transmitter) wasn’t even entered into the order…neither was the Overpatch that I requested.
Calling them is becoming very frustrating because they just don’t seem to be competent anymore.
For the past 6 months or so, I’ve noticed a significant decline in the actual helpfulness you receive…they’re nice, polite, but at the end of the day my issue either isn’t resolved and I have to call back multiple times, or they don’t complete the orders correctly.
I had this problem with them a few years ago, at that point they did the right thing and gave me the direct number to a supervisor who I was able to directly call with all of our issues after the horrendous customer service. I suspect that they won’t do that for you today.
The bad news is that since they have a pretty captive audience, i.e. your other choice is Medtronic, unless you are willing to work with a 3rd party device to make the Libre act like a CGM, they can be pretty awful and keep customers anyway. uuugh.
I specifically requested a supervisor THREE TIMES and the person I spoke with said a) there aren’t any available and b) I can fix this for you…please provide me the opportunity to make this right. I was like how can you guarentee you can make this right if the other 3 people haven’t? Then she said "Did they provide you with an Order # or a Call Reference #? I’m going to give you both of those things before you hang up.
Then, because she actually NEEDED a supervisor to approve the order, she wanted me to hang up (reminder…3 people before her also said all this) and only get the call reference #. I said…hell no - I’ll stay on the phone for 3 more hours if I have too (until their COB) until this supervisor gets out of his/her meeting and approves this order.
An hour later (yes, I waited on hold and prefered that to a) not getting order and b) having to call back like I was doing now…for the 4th time), she said “A supervisor has reviewed the order and approved it! Here is your order #.” She READ the order to me and I repeated to her to be sure SHE understood…2 sensors, 2 transmitters and a pack of Overpatch.
I received 2 sensors, 1 transmitter and no overpatch…that’s why I had to call them again today to have the other two things shipped (they didn’t even show the overpatch on the previous order.)
Agreed, and needlessly frustrating for a key part of the diabetic management solution. Maybe like the guerilla insulin project, we should start making these in our garages. It actually isn’t that hard to make the sensor. The transmitter is a bit more difficult.
Have you tried their “Chat” technical support? I haven’t, but curious if that would better??? I know I always prefer using chat over phone if that’s an option.
Yes. Either way it’s time spent so I prefer talking to someone when given the choice, but I have used the chat function and it’s there as an option. I also tried the ordering of Overpatch right from the site because there is that option…but my attempt failed. I forget the message but it basically said we can’t do that for you right now.
To submit a sensor issue (to get a sensor replacement) without calling, fill out this form. I haven’t tried this but the Dexcom rep told me about it yesterday during my call.