Dexcom G4 or G5?

I've only had 1 senso with a G4 transmitter last for 30 days but the rest has been on an average of about 15 to 20 days. G5 transmitter on sensor is ok for 7 days but then starts to deteriate and needs taking out by day 10.
G5 is more accurate but the G4 is only a few minutes behind it so there isn't that much of a difference except in the price

iHs said:

I've only had 1 senso with a G4 transmitter last for 30 days but the rest has been on an average of about 15 to 20 days. G5 transmitter on sensor is ok for 7 days but then starts to deteriate and needs taking out by day 10.
G5 is more accurate but the G4 is only a few minutes behind it so there isn't that much of a difference except in the price

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iHS .. you imply that the G4 and G5 sensors are different in some way, when they are exactly the same and so should have similar sensor life.

I believe the algorithm for G5 may be different to G4, so possibly be more accurate, but my checking on G4 accuracy shows it is very accurate so mainly within about 12% with just the odd larger difference.

Here is the costing table for G5 and indeed it is much more expensive than G4 due to the Transmitter life being only 3 months. So for G4 transmitter cost is £520 whereas for G5 it is £800, so a difference of £280 more. At £51 per sensor that is equivalent to an extra 5 sensors.

So the price differences for both G4 and G5 is all about getting the sensor to last at least 4 or 5 weeks, which I believe is possible for a careful adult.

Admittedly, I wasn't able to read every single reply in this thread, but I did notice that several highly-respected members have already commented and I trust they provided very helpful information.

Before I share my own experiences, it's worth mentioning that my situation is somewhat "Unique." I'm very fortunate to be in a financial situation that allows me to afford the medical equipment I need without having to worry about if I can still fulfill my other financial obligations. Sadly, I recognize that for many people it's not always that easy.

I use the Dexcom G5 system which is more expensive that the G4 system. While I've heard rumors that suggest otherwise, I'm not aware of anything that proves that the G4 and G5 software calculates blood sugar readings any differently. Ultimately, the decision should be about whether or not you're okay with carrying around the Dexcom receiver (G4), or if you'd prefer to just have the readings go directly to your phone (G5). I live a very active and busy lifestyle and don't want to carry around an extra device. As a result, it was an easy decision to go with the G5 system even knowing it would be $1000-1500 (I'm in the USA) more expensive each year.

I fly a good amount for work which makes my CGM almost a requirement. To put that into perspective, I'll be traveling more days than I'm home for the rest of 2016. My CGM helps tremendously with avoiding any traveler's anxiety from being on a plane for 3+ hours, staying in hotels for 2 weeks at a time, and the other "Excitement" from always being in a new place each week.

Ultimately, I can say without hesitation that my CGM is absolutely worth it and I'd consider it to be a top item that is essential to my everyday life (not far below my insulin pens). I get to go to sleep at night knowing that I have a safeguard to wake me up if my blood sugar does something odd. I can go for 7 mile run knowing that I'll get an alert if my blood sugar starts dropping. I can go on a 2 week road trip and not have to worry (quite as much) about changes to my diet and the difficulties of being away from home.

Is it worth it? Absolutely. At the very least, if you can afford the G4 system it will help tremendously even if you only use it for a few months.

Good luck!!

JontyW said:

Here are the costings and you can see that G4 & G5 are dominated by how long you can make the sensors last. My average sensor life so far is 4.5 weeks, and it seems that many can get between 2 and 4 weeks, and up to 10 weeks in a few cases. My first sensor lasted 8.5 weeks and is my best to date. Keeping good adhesion is key and I use Skin Tac to stick down any peeling edges after a week or so. Plus I use Tegaderm with a hole cut in it to put over the original G4 pad. Also it seems that have good control appears to extend the sensor life.

The costing table assumes the Receiver will in fact last 2yrs, even though it is only warrantied for 1yr. Dexcom incorrectly advised me that Receiver warranty was 2yr in Uk but 1yr in US, which was incorrect. But it means they will run for 2yrs so I've costed it that way.

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That is an amazing spreadsheet, clear and concise. Well done @JontyW

Hawra1981 said:

Dear all,

I am very grateful for all your time and replies, thanks a lot! Your information has been very helpful. I have read all of your comments, thank you. I think the G4 suits me better then, at least the transmitter lasts for 6 months or more in comparison to 3 months for the G5. I wouldn't mind having to carry the receiver around for the G4 as that is really all I can afford for now.. so I think I am set to getting the G4 when I am back in the UK in a couple of months. I badly need this device to alert me before my sugar reaches very low or high so that I can avoid the extremes. I can't wait for the day when I can afford an integrated pump system! Maybe the artificial pancreas next year but I guess it will be really costly!

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Good luck .......

Before you decide to buy a Dexcom receiver, do look at xDrip and the xDrip kit that will enable an Android phone to be used as the receiver for the G4 and will save the £££ that Dexcom demand in favour of just buying the kit for ££ instead. I was quite taken back to find so many folks using Dexcom and xDrip

I'm currently using the Freestyle Libre but am looking into Dexcom so I can use the alarms. Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the G4 and G5?

I see that the G5 works out as more expensive but does it have extra features or better accuracy to make it worthwhile?

Is G5 supposed to be a replacement for the G4? i.e. will the G4 eventually not be supported / available?

Any advice much appreciated

BeccyB said:

I'm currently using the Freestyle Libre but am looking into Dexcom so I can use the alarms. Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the G4 and G5?

I see that the G5 works out as more expensive but does it have extra features or better accuracy to make it worthwhile?

Is G5 supposed to be a replacement for the G4? i.e. will the G4 eventually not be supported / available?

Any advice much appreciated

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I switched from Libre to Dexcom because of an allergic reaction to the Libre adhesive. The alarms are a fantastic benefit.

G4 and G5 are essentially the same in the way they calculate your readings; the difference is that the G5 lets you just use your iPhone (i.e. the sensor transmitter connects via bluetooth to your iPhone and you use that to check your levels). With the G4 you cannot use your phone; you need to carry around the receiver device.

BeccyB said:

I'm currently using the Freestyle Libre but am looking into Dexcom so I can use the alarms. Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the G4 and G5?

I see that the G5 works out as more expensive but does it have extra features or better accuracy to make it worthwhile?

Is G5 supposed to be a replacement for the G4? i.e. will the G4 eventually not be supported / available?

Any advice much appreciated

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Having now used Dexcom G4 with xDrip, Libre, Dexcom G5 and Medtronic Enlites, I think I'm in a reasonable position to comment here.

For me, The Dexcom G5 and the Medtronic Enlites with Guardian 2 (Updated) transmitter (which appeared in the summer of 2016) are by far and away the most accurate. I achieved numbers that were typically within 9% of my blood glucose tests using those, although the Dexcom G5 remains in line more often. even if you are 12 hours late calibrating. The Enlites needed to be calibrated every 12 hours or the 640G stopped using the data.

For me the Libre and Dexcom G4 were similarly out from the blood tests, hitting the heady heights on average of around 12%.

There is some research showing that if you are going to bolus from the data, being less than 10% out is generally okay. As a result, the FDA and EMA have signed off bolusing from G5, which isn't something that's been done with any other CGM or CGR system.

It's reasonable to assume that access to G4 will start to become restricted sometime soon, simply because the G6 is in the offing and Dexcom have already announced that there is to be a reduction in size of the G5 transmitter (by 50%). With the G6 slated for launch in 2017 in the US, I'd anticipate that it will shortly only be possible to get G4 supplies through the pump suppliers that use G4.

In terms of longevity of the sensors, the best I've managed is 29 days on a G4, before the data got truly messy. On average I was getting about 21 days. G5, due to the algorithm difference in the transmitter, I find the data quality drops off and I get a lot of poor readings/loss of sensor errors at around 14-16 days.

The best I got out of the Enlites was a 12-day run, but typically I got 8-10 days.

All of them get less accurate as time goes by. The other thing to mention is that if you use xDrip on an Android phone, you can use G5 with it (but not all phones work) and people have got 5 months out of a transmitter. My G5 transmitter comes to the end of life on the official app this week so I'll be testing that out shortly.

Insulin_junky said:

Just a quick note on what catapillar said, you don't need a receiver for the G5 (as you can use the bluetooth on your phone) but the folks at dexcom won't sell you the G5 transmitter unless you have one... they keep records of what they have sold seemingly.

I tried to buy without and failed.

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This has changed now, you can get a transmitter without a receiver for G5 I've heard from a number of places. also the G5 sensors can go over the same as the G4 ones (they are actually the same thing) it just needs a restart.

Engineer88 said:

This has changed now, you can get a transmitter without a receiver for G5 I've heard from a number of places. also the G5 sensors can go over the same as the G4 ones (they are actually the same thing) it just needs a restart.

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This depends where in the world you are. In the UK, you can do it like this. In the US, the FDA has mandated that you must get a receiver as well.

tim2000s said:

It's reasonable to assume that access to G4 will start to become restricted sometime soon, simply because the G6 is in the offing and Dexcom have already announced that there is to be a reduction in size of the G5 transmitter (by 50%). With the G6 slated for launch in 2017 in the US, I'd anticipate that it will shortly only be possible to get G4 supplies through the pump suppliers that use G4.

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Some people (here in the US) are already claiming to be receiving G5x transmitters which, like the Libre, can store readings in the transmitter to fill in any holes within the graph. As you mentioned, the G6 is expected to be released in late 2017 and there is a new sensor and sensor insertion device that are also expected to be released in 2017.

Honestly, I can see the G5 going away, but I'm not sure that it would be wise (for Dexcom) to do away with the G4 as it's far from obsolete and by far the most effective system for people on a budget (or without health insurance). In short, the G6 will compete against the G5, but it wouldn't compete against G4. They're completely different buyers' markets.

People like me are the ones who value the G5 over the G4, and people like me are the ones who will switch to the G5x and then the G6. As someone in the US with good health insurance, it's easy for me to justify the extra premium between the G4 and G5 system because ~75% of the cost is paid by my insurance. I only have to pay about $20 per sensor and $50 per transmitter which effectively makes my G5 system about $1200 per year. Even if the G4 system cost half as much per year, I'd still stay with the G5 simply because of how much more convenient it is and it would only save me $600.

In contrast, someone who fully funds their Dexcom has to multiply those figures by at least 3-4x. Consequently, it makes sense for them to stick with a G4 transmitter which could last a full year and save them $500+, or to replace their sensors every 2 weeks which could save them $1500+ a year.

Bottom line: If Dexcom has any business sense, they'll keep the G4 system alive (or remove the auto-shutoff from the G5 transmitter) when the G6 comes out later this year.