Getting affordable insulin is the hardest task for people with diabetes, as excess medical costs continue to rise, and diabetics are among the most affected by the prices of the meds.
Nevertheless, planning your budget and saving money for the injection are not the only ways to afford your medications. What are the others? Keep reading to learn about them.
Briefly about Diabetes
There are many types of the disease. Still, the majority of diabetes cases are associated with 3 main types:
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is mostly diagnosed in kids and adolescents younger than 18 y.o. It occurs as a result of the body's inability to produce insulin - a hormone that lowers blood sugar levels;
Type 2 diabetes (T2D)(https://insulin.store/blog/tips-on-how-to-prevent-diabetes-mellitus-type-2/) is diagnosed mostly in the adult population of various ethnic groups. Having type 2 diabetes means being resistant to insulin instead of having insulin shortage like with T1D, so the treatment is somewhat different;
Gestational diabetes (GD) occurs in pregnant women. Sometimes it transforms into type 2 diabetes, sometimes it goes away after giving birth.
Some of the diabetes-related complications are:
Chronic kidney disease;
Kidney failure;
Ischemic heart disease;
Cardiovascular disease;
High blood pressure;
Low blood sugar;
Heart attack;
Diabetic neuropathy;
Diabetic ketoacidosis, and others.
The consequences of untreated diabetes can be avoided with the right diabetes care measures. Still, when left undiagnosed, diabetes causes not only serious complications but even premature death.
Physical inactivity, incorrect treatment, and bad habits are all risk factors for developing kidney diseases and other health problems associated with the disease.
How Many Diagnosed Diabetes Patients Are There in the USA?
Here are some statistics-based facts about diabetes published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and other organizations that will be of interest:
According to the National Diabetes Statistics Report, diabetes incidence among Americans reaches 11%;
A person gets diagnosed every 17 seconds;
Non-Hispanic Whites are high-risk individuals for having prediabetes;
However, the native population is at the highest diabetes risk in the USA;
Having GA is a major risk factor for developing T2D (up to 50%);
According to the National Diabetes Prevention Program outcomes, opting for physical activity and implementing healthy lifestyle intervention reduces the risk of being diagnosed with T2D and developing microvascular and macrovascular complications;
Type 1 diabetes mellitus is mostly diagnosed in kids and adolescents younger than 18 y.o. However, there are other causes for T1D as well.
Escaping the High Cost of Insulin in the United States: Is Canadian Insulin Cheaper?
Today, the medical costs for people with diabetes are higher than ever. Skipping doses or splitting them will eventually lead to severe problems with health, so make sure to plan your budget in a way that allows you to receive as much insulin or other antidiabetic medication as needed.
Despite the absurdly high cost of public health care systems' services in the USA, a person with a diabetes diagnosis can still reduce the direct medical costs of their treatment by buying meds from abroad.
People with newly diagnosed diabetes might wonder whether it's legal to order medications from Canada. The answer is somewhat complicated, as there is a loophole in the legislation that allows US citizens to buy insulin from Canada without violating the law, to know more - visit https://insulin.store/about-us/.
Even though patients can't purchase medications from abroad, the said loophole allows pharmacies to ship the meds to USA residents. This is how many diabetes patients receive their injectables at a sane price to control blood glucose and avoid diabetic complications.
Keep in mind, however, that you'll still need a valid prescription from your medical care provider.
To Sum Up
Diabetes is a disease that occurs in many people. Unfortunately, it can't be cured but can be treated, and serious diabetes complications can be dodged, allowing patients with elevated blood glucose levels to live a full and healthy life.
Having diabetes means implementing some changes. Even though lifestyle intervention is always a difficult task, successful diabetes management is completely worth the effort.
Although the costs of antidiabetic medications in the USA are increasing, patients can still get their treatment at a reasonable price from abroad. Luckily, given the licensed distributor and a valid prescription, purchasing Canadian insulin is completely legal and isn't persecuted.