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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    How could/should the use of Insulin be managed more cost effectively?

    How do we manage insulin use in a cost-effective manner?
  • Find a professional to answer your question

  • Lisa Renn

    Dietitian

    Lisa is an APD with 12 years experience, specialising in helping people identify and change habits that impact negatively on their health. Inspiring change, Lisa … View Profile

    Hi there,
    insulin dosage will be determined by your specialist/diabetes educator and will be calculated using your insulin sensitivity and your blood sugar levels among other lifestyle factors; as such, cost is not a usual consideration.
    Insulin is prescribed as an essential part of the treatment of type 1diabetes and as a means to bring blood sugar levels into target for those with type 2 diabetes when oral medications are no longer keeping the levels within the desired range.
    If you have Type 1 diabetes I am a DAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating) facilitator and have seen people decrease the amount of insulin they use as a result of attending this program, while still maintaining good control of blood sugar levels.
    If you are interested in the program it is run throughout Australia- See website www.dafne.org.au.
    Good Luck.

  • Claire Kerslake

    Credentialled Diabetes Educator (CDE), Diabetes Educator

    Claire Kerslake is a Credentialed Diabetes Educator, Registered Nurse and Health Coach based in Deniliquin in country New South Wales. Claire is the founder of … View Profile

    The cost of medications including insulin can be a real issue in this day & age.  Insulin doses vary enormously between people, with some people not requiring much and other people needing quite large doses.  

    The important thing from a health perspective is that your blood glucose levels are in the normal range.  Factors that can affect the amount of insulin you need include the amount of carbohydrate in your diet, the amount of exercise that you do and your weight.

    It is possible if someone is quite overweight and they sensibly lose weight by following a healthy diet and exercise, that their insulin requirements will be lower.  What I would suggest is that you make an appointment with your GP or diabetes educator to see if there are any options for your particular circumstance

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