• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Costs of cgm 640g vs vibe vs libre

B

bethgriff

Member
Messages
16
Type of diabetes
Type 3c
Treatment type
Insulin
I've seen a lot of posts re 640g vs vibe. My biggest factor in choosing my pump is the cost of cgm, as I'm quite keen to use it at least some of the time.

I know that the libre is about £100/month and full cgm is much more.

Is anyone who's using the Dexcom with the vibe or the medtronic cgm able to tell me how much it costs roughly each month?

Thanks
 
There is a new cgm sensor available as of 1st Dec.

Medtronic guardian. Works like a libre, same size as libre and communicates to a mobile.

It is supposedly going to be cheaper, more towards price of libre. But no scanning... it is a real time cgm, straight to phone.

I will hopefully have one funded in the next couple weeks. Hospital has applued for it. Just have to wait for training....
 
@donnellysdogs, I think it's the Guardian Connect? The Guardian system already exists as I think I completely misposted on another thread because it was referred to as Guardian rather than Guardian Connect. Woops!

EDIT to add - here's a link that may be of use. I see it's only compatible with iOS...

https://hcp.medtronic-diabetes.com.au/guardian-connect
 
Last edited:
The Enlite sensors for their 640g to work together.

The Guardian is a totally stand alone CGM and usable by mdi persons. It
 
Dexcom costs me less than £100 / month that libre is. My current sensor was about £50 and is on day 31 at the moment, still working fine. G4 transmitter was £260 which is an additional expense but only about once a year.
 
edan said:
Dexcom costs me less than £100 / month that libre is. My current sensor was about £50 and is on day 31 at the moment, still working fine. G4 transmitter was £260 which is an additional expense but only about once a year.
Click to expand...
£260/12 + £50 for your sensor = circa £70.

That is a pretty good price, but I'm sure that you'll not get all your Dexcom sensors to 31 days though?
 
GrantGam1337 said:
£260/12 + £50 for your sensor = circa £70.

That is a pretty good price, but I'm sure that you'll not get all your Dexcom sensors to 31 days though?
Click to expand...

you've missed out the cost of the receiver.

G4 receiver - >12 mth lifespan - £350
G4 transmitter ~12mth lifespan - £260
G4 sensor ~21 days - pack of 4 £205, if you need 1 every three weeks it works out at around £925 a year, its rare I get much more than 3 weeks, but they usually go well for that long.

So the total annual cost is maybe £1,535 or a monthly cost of £128 (although a fair bit of that is paid up front, and the costs depend on how long you can get out of your sensor).

Although if you have a vibe, you can get dexcom stuff cheaper from animas I think.
 
catapillar said:
you've missed out the cost of the receiver.

G4 receiver - >12 mth lifespan - £350
G4 transmitter ~12mth lifespan - £260
G4 sensor ~21 days - pack of 4 £205, if you need 1 every three weeks it works out at around £925 a year, its rare I get much more than 3 weeks, but they usually go well for that long.

So the total annual cost is maybe £1,535 or a monthly cost of £128 (although a fair bit of that is paid up front, and the costs depend on how long you can get out of your sensor).

Although if you have a vibe, you can get dexcom stuff cheaper from animas I think.
Click to expand...
Sorry @catapillar, I was assuming the Dexcom was with respect to a Vibe pump. I think that was the intent of the original post?

None the less, if you factor in the cost of the receiver then it's a good bit more!
 
GrantGam1337 said:
Sorry @catapillar, I was assuming the Dexcom was with respect to a Vibe pump. I think that was the intent of the original post?

None the less, if you factor in the cost of the receiver then it's a good bit more!
Click to expand...

Sorry you're right, if you have animas the pump is your receiver. A starter pack of transmiter and sensors from animas is £600' then the sensors from animas are £60 each so you might be better off buying from dexcom direct. But not sure if they would sell to a new customer without receiver...

Although if you get a pump with options for CGM integration it's gotta be worth at least discussing the possibility of NHS funding for the CGM, it might be a slim chance, but you never know until you ask.
 
The new medtronic looks exactly same as libre. Worlks to iphone or android phone. No reader as with libre.

My pump educator called it a guardian. Yes it is the guardian connect...

https://guardianconnect.medtronic-diabetes.co.uk/

I was told it would work on android as well as ios.

PE told me it was only available in uk as 1st Dec.

I prob been told all wrong!!
 
donnellysdogs said:
The new medtronic looks exactly same as libre. Worlks to iphone or android phone. No reader as with libre.

My pump educator called it a guardian. Yes it is the guardian connect...

https://guardianconnect.medtronic-diabetes.co.uk/

I was told it would work on android as well as ios.

PE told me it was only available in uk as 1st Dec.

I prob been told all wrong!!
Click to expand...
I look forward to you telling us all how you get on with this new CGM:)
 
No where near price of libre though going on the US charges and exchange rate. Still equates to £215.

Hopefully get mine before xmas!!! Be a nice xmas present.!!! Nhs pay for 3 months. Then have to reapply for the funding every 3 months ongoing....
 
catapillar said:
Although if you get a pump with options for CGM integration it's gotta be worth at least discussing the possibility of NHS funding for the CGM, it might be a slim chance, but you never know until you ask.
Click to expand...

I've been given the option of 5 pumps, I've narrowed it down to the ones with integrated cgm because my consultant said they may well be funded in the future and are generally more modern (especially seeing as I'll have it for 4 years!). He said it's possible to get funding but they'd have to do a business case and like you said... it's slim

So the reason I'm asking is because I think ultimately the costs of cgm are going to sway me between the two. My gut is animas at the moment but I keep changing my mind!

Thanks for all the replies, everyone bit of info is helpful!
 
GrantGam1337 said:
£260/12 + £50 for your sensor = circa £70.

That is a pretty good price, but I'm sure that you'll not get all your Dexcom sensors to 31 days though?
Click to expand...
Other than the very first sensor which i messed up, the shortest i've had was 3 weeks 3 days long. The one before this was just over 5 weeks, so on average 1 per month for me. I budgeted 1 sensor per month and if it only lasts 3.5 weeks i just have a couple days off before the next sensor.
 
catapillar said:
Sorry you're right, if you have animas the pump is your receiver. A starter pack of transmiter and sensors from animas is £600' then the sensors from animas are £60 each so you might be better off buying from dexcom direct. But not sure if they would sell to a new customer without receiver...

Although if you get a pump with options for CGM integration it's gotta be worth at least discussing the possibility of NHS funding for the CGM, it might be a slim chance, but you never know until you ask.
Click to expand...

I buy sensors from dexcom without having bought a receiver. (I use xdrip instead). Transmitter was £260, sensors are about £50 each. Free postage. Dont know whats in the animas starter kit but could be cheaper from dexcom.
 
edan said:
Other than the very first sensor which i messed up, the shortest i've had was 3 weeks 3 days long. The one before this was just over 5 weeks, so on average 1 per month for me. I budgeted 1 sensor per month and if it only lasts 3.5 weeks i just have a couple days off before the next sensor.
Click to expand...
That's an impressive sensor life! Are you finding them accurate throughout the duration or drawing a line when you feel they're not performing as they should?
 
GrantGam1337 said:
That's an impressive sensor life! Are you finding them accurate throughout the duration or drawing a line when you feel they're not performing as they should?
Click to expand...
Thats how long of accurate readings i'm getting till i start getting odd or missed readings and at that point remove them.
 
I now have an animas pump. but I am occasionally at the moment using a libre to help as my basal requirements seem to change. However the last couple of sensors have been inacurate on day 12 onwards even 3.5 and more on day 14. The last one I removed it on day 12. I did get one replaced once, but it was difficult to get. Pity they can't be callibrated to a glucose test. The rest of the time not too bad (within about 0.5) Not pleased with it but will have to manage for a while.
 
Back
Top