Is Afrezza worth the risk?

[Sweeeeeeeeeet]

I know this is a UK forum and Afrezza is currently only being marketed in the US; however, I've recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and would rather avoid needles as much as possible. I've seen video of people taking Afrezza and it seems so quick and simple; yet I know it comes with a warning. My partner is a heavy smoker, so I'm living in a cloud of smoke! I would rather take the Afrezza than have to inject myself for meals. Does anyone here have any experience with Afrezza (from the US)?

 

[Patricia21]

Hi and welcome to the forum.
Sorry I have never herd of Afrezza.

 

[Sweeeeeeeeeet]

Hi and welcome to the forum.
Sorry I have never herd of Afrezza.

Afrezza is the new inhaled insulin by MannKind (Sanofi). It looks like one of those asthma inhalers and you puff it, like an asthma inhaler. But, they say it's risky, especially if you've ever had lung problems or have ever smoked. Take a look at their website: https://www.afrezza.com/ It's a lot more discreet than having to give yourself insulin injections, especially if you're always out and about, which I am.

 

[Spencer67]

Hi, not sure if it is touted by the GPs in the uk yet, or if it has even been approved by the FDA, i've never come across anyone using it. looks like a feasible alternative, certainly less invasive. i'd like to hear other members views on it.

 

[catherinecherub]

There is a 9 page thread about Afrezza here.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/afrezza-inhaled-fast-acting-insulin.73664/

 

[Sweeeeeeeeeet]

Hi, not sure if it is touted by the GPs in the uk yet, or if it has even been approved by the FDA, i've never come across anyone using it. looks like a feasible alternative, certainly less invasive. i'd like to hear other members views on it.

Afrezza is only available in the US. It just came on the market recently. It was approved by the FDA on its third try! If enough people have favorable results on it, I'd love to try it, myself. Then I wouldn't have to kill myself going on a low-carb diet. From what I'm seeing from other Afrezza users on social sites like Twitter, they're eating all sorts of yummy things that diabetics would normally consider off limits, and are getting very good results. But, talking there is a real pain in the behind because no one can agree on anything, and too many investors with agendas making getting a straight answer impossible!

 

[Sweeeeeeeeeet]

There is a 9 page thread about Afrezza here.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/afrezza-inhaled-fast-acting-insulin.73664/

Thank you. Just signed up for the forum, not sure how to navigate it, yet. Must have missed that thread. Thanks, again.

 

[Sweeeeeeeeeet]

There is a 9 page thread about Afrezza here.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/afrezza-inhaled-fast-acting-insulin.73664/

I read some of the thread, and it's just as I suspected; a bunch of investors pitching it, instead of anyone who's actually on it. Everyone on that thread interested in the money, says how great it is, yet none of them is actually using it. And, the people on the thread worried about how it might affect their lungs and health, although they're coming at it from the right angle, can't attest to it, personally. Maybe I should just stick to this thread and hope someone with actual Afrezza experience (a real live Afrezza user) comes along and does a real review of it!

 

[robert72]

I think @fallongerie has been using it for a couple of weeks here in the UK. Hopefully she'll be along to tell how she's getting on with it.

 

[noblehead]

What are your concerns with injecting, it does all sound daunting at first but after a couple of weeks you soon get use to it.

 

[Sweeeeeeeeeet]

I think @fallongerie has been using it for a couple of weeks here in the UK. Hopefully she'll be along to tell how she's getting on with it.

In the UK? Well, how on earth did she manage to get her hands on it in the UK? It's only being sold in the US.

 

[Sweeeeeeeeeet]

What are your concerns with injecting, it does all sound daunting at first but after a couple of weeks you soon get use to it.

I better get used to it; I doubt my doctor will write me a script for Afrezza now. I just found out I'm pregnant. Yay me. :-(

 

[tim2000s]

In the UK? Well, how on earth did she manage to get her hands on it in the UK? It's only being sold in the US.

I believe that her healthcare trust (or whatever it is called these days) was involved in early adopter trials of some sort.

 

[Heathenlass]

" kill myself going on a low carb diet " ?

I can assure you it wouldn't kill you It may just make you healthier, depending on what diet you are currently eating. Good blood glucose control on low carb is an important factor, but not the whole picture.

Signy

 

[brendan101]

Hi there I am living in the UK and I have purchased Afrezza from the USA. I have had a life changing experience using it. My levels have been flat and my energy soared. It gets to work like insulin in a pancreas and peaks within 15 minutes and is used up within an hour in me so no lows! Everyone is different with diabetes. I am Type 1 and use Tresiba as my trusted basal. Afrezza is truly amazing. I had no problems inhaling and my diabetic friend in the States helped me with it. I have spoken with my endo in Eastbourne about it and Prof Amiel at Kings in London. I saw a post by Fallongerie but apologies if I am incorrect but she doesn't appear to know anything about it and I have tried numerous times to engage with her to no avail so take that as you will. I have contacted and spoken to Sanofi UK and it's not available over here at this time. I am happy to share my experience or answer questions.

 

[RuthW]

It is no use for me as my insulin sensitivity is high. I rarely take four units of insulin. I regularly take doses in fractions of a unit. It simply doesn't allow fine enough control for me.

 

[brendan101]

That's completely understandable Ruth. The 4u dose of Afrezza is different to 4u of injectable insulin however as I have found that my body is able to manage the Afrezza much better and stabilise blood glucose than if I injected 4u of insulin which would make me go hypo! I went low much less on Afrezza and was able to walk around happily at 4mmol without having a fear of going hypo. This was really liberating. I have heard of increments of 0.5u with some pens but I have never heard of anyone injecting a total dose of less than one unit if I am understanding your comment but this shows how everyone with diabetes is different. Although my HbA1c is good at 6.2, I get massive swings after eating when I use injectable insulin followed by having to snack to keep levels up 2 hours later which reeks havoc on my life and this glycemic variability has been shown to cause complications. I have been told that I need to go for further tests due to an eye exam showing up maculopathy recently despite my apparently good HbA1c and the fact that I have always taken my diabetes seriously!!

 

[brendan101]

Out of interest Ruth, it says that you are from Istanbul. Are you in Turkey now and have you tried Afrezza at all?

 

[RuthW]

That's completely understandable Ruth. The 4u dose of Afrezza is different to 4u of injectable insulin however as I have found that my body is able to manage the Afrezza much better and stabilise blood glucose than if I injected 4u of insulin which would make me go hypo! I went low much less on Afrezza and was able to walk around happily at 4mmol without having a fear of going hypo. This was really liberating. I have heard of increments of 0.5u with some pens but I have never heard of anyone injecting a total dose of less than one unit if I am understanding your comment but this shows how everyone with diabetes is different. Although my HbA1c is good at 6.2, I get massive swings after eating when I use injectable insulin followed by having to snack to keep levels up 2 hours later which reeks havoc on my life and this glycemic variability has been shown to cause complications. I have been told that I need to go for further tests due to an eye exam showing up maculopathy recently despite my apparently good HbA1c and the fact that I have always taken my diabetes seriously!!

Gosh, I am sorry about your complications and your swings. It does sound as if you would do much better on a pump, though.

 

[brendan101]

Good suggestion Ruth. However I was on the Omnipod for a few weeks about a year ago and I also used a pump when I was much younger. I believe it was by Minimed which later became Medtronic I understand. I had site absorption issues and my body didn't respond well to being off background insulin. I would get seriously high blood glucose readings very quickly if delivery was lacking for whatever reason. I flew from Gatwick to Edinburgh one morning, changed my pump at 4am before leaving the house and unfortunately the automatic insertion device fired but didn't stay under my skin. I was sick getting on the plane and could barely get off when I got to my destination. Luckily my back-up Novopen saved the day and within an hour I was below 15 having risen to 26mmol!! I felt truly unwell and in fact thought I would end up in hospital. I have had high blood sugars before but when on the pump and anything went wrong and let's say I rose to 15mmol, it felt like the worst 15mmol I have ever had yet I have had them when on multiple injections with background insulin and they have not felt half as bad. I use Tresiba now as my background and it is fantastic. It lasts up to 40 hours and is completely flat. The only problem is that if I have to change my dose it can take 4 days for the dose correction to take effect. Luckily I am on 39u all the time and don't need to change this much. I understand that the pump works for many and it's definitely a worthwhile treatment but not for everyone. I am having more Afrezza shipped over to me so I cannot wait for its arrival! I love having non-diabetic numbers without much effort and feeling like I am controlling diabetes and not the other way round!