25 Comments
Do you currently have an unexpired glucagon kit? If so, what kind?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
© 2022 T1D Exchange. All Rights Reserved.
I’m a little confused. People use nasal glucose and nasal insulin. But my pulmonologist warned me the respiratory system was “not designed” for medical marijuana; it’s all hype. Maybe I should have asked her about cooling and filtering marijuana smoke thru a water pipe, a bong?
For low bg, I’m trying to think like a pancreas and just use 1 or 2 sugar cubes (4-8 grams sugar) and waiting 15’ to test bg again. I try to catch rising bg with just 1 unit of injected lispro if above 130. This helps me avoid having to take an extra 2 or 3 units later.
I answered “no”. But, I recently threw out my old expired glucagon when I got a new prescription of Gvoke hypo-pen.
I answered “no” but I do have an expired (2019) glucagon kit, the powder/liquid mix kind. Would it still work if I had to use it? What is the real purpose of “expiration dates”?
The only time one was used on me, it was the kind you described and had been expired for over 4 years, may have been 5 years, and it worked great.
I had a glucagon kit a long time ago, which included a syringe filled with liquid and a vial of powder. You had to inject the liquid into the powder, shake it, and then draw it out again. It was given to me in 2008 when I was first diagnosed. I kept it for about three or four years, but I eventually threw it out because I was afraid it was no longer effective.
I’ve never had a glucagon kit. I’ve had two different Endo’s and neither one ever prescribed one or said I should get one. I’ve always wondered why not, but never think to ask.
If you actually want one, keep a list of concerns the next time you go see your doctor to prevent you from forgetting to ask about any medical concerns.
I have two that expired ages ago. I have never used one.
I think the last time a glucagon kit was in “my” possession was in the 1970’s as a teenager. Leaving home at 16, I never thought to buy one and even now, here at least in Canada where I currently live .. I’ve so far never had such a bad low that I cannot manage it on my own. Plus you’re looking at an average cost of $150.
I’ve had a couple of these over the years and have never used them which becomes a unnecessary expensive. Without a doubt it’s a potentially helpful preventative but with the CGM and pump situation that I’m living with I have opted out.
Yes! First time in all my years as T1d. My new endo prescribed and Kaiser paid for it. Never gone low enough not to treat it myself though .
The Lilly Glugacon pen we have expired in Nov 2018. I haven’t needed glucagon since I began using a pump in 2011. I learned the hard way in 2010 that using an expired glucagon pen will not work as well as one that is not expired. While on vacation in Idaho (I live in Florida), my husband couldn’t wake me on our first morning in Pocatello. He injected me with glucagon (which had worked well in the past) and, although I became conscious and ambulatroy, I was confused and incoherent. He drove me to the nearby hospital. I was admitted because they feared I might have suffered a stroke. After multiple tests, I was discharged the next day after the determination that I had suffered severe hypoglycemia. Luckily, there were no long-lasting effects but we cancelled our vacation. I should toss the expired glucagon pen we have.
No. When I was first diagnosed in 1987 we got one but never had to use it. It said in the fridge for years. When I moved out on my own I never got one because even though I had some severe lows, at those times I would not have been able to administer the glucagon to myself. Now I know they have the nasal kind that you can leave by your bed, but being on a pump & CGM has prevented those super scary lows. Also, my insurance doesn’t cover ANY of the available glucagon types.
I have2 Glucagon dry powder kit, I never used either one. In fact, in 66 years with T1D I have never used Glucagon
I just got a nasal glucagon kit this week. It cost me more than $500, but I decided it was a good way to spend out my deductible for the year. I haven’t kept glucagon around because I live alone and wouldn’t be able to use the mix-and-inject kind myself. I’ve only had a severe hypo once, decades ago, but I feel that the risk of a severe hypo might be greater if I ever have to use large boluses to bring down high blood sugars associated with an illness like Covid. Hope it never becomes necessary-Knock on wood!!!
I have several Baqsimi nasal spray glucagon kits and keep one in my car, my wife’s car, my softball gear bag and surfing gear bag. It is so easy to use and there were no bad side effects for me the one time I needed to use it. I was fasting for some lab tests and my CGM had me trending low (low 70’s mg/dl) an hour before my lab appointment draw so I used one of my Baqsimi nasal devices to bring me back up to low 100’s mg/dl and the lab was none the wiser and I didn’t violate the fasting order. https://www.baqsimi.com/
I have expired powder mix, and will use it if needed!
I do not use glucagon. All of my contacts don’t like using it. Their choice is to feed me some type of sugar concoction.
If you are unconscious however, feeding a type of sugar isn’t recommended. You can have a different opinion, but inhaled insulin (baqsimi) is so easy to use that I would think your contacts could handle just spraying it up your nose. No need to mix any solutions or need to inject any medicines with a needle
Price is too prohibitive for this life-saving device which is a real injustice to Type 1s everywhere.
Have never had nor used Glucagon in 57 years, EMT gave Dextrose.
Only time I needed it was at 5:30am an hour before surgery and couldn’t eat or drink. For that reason, I’ve continued to keep an unexpired one around. My Endo asks me if I need one. The alternative was to rush to the hospital and get something intravenously. My husband came up with the idea. I was very proud of him. I needed to be at 140 BG before surgery and hit it exactly on the mark. He gave me the exact amount I needed. Amazing!
These should be free to Type 1 diabetics lor treated as DME at a reduced rate. It’s outrageous.
I’ve never used glucagon. May not be the wisest decision, but I was diagnosed long before glucagon was available and I’m still here. Probably a good conversation to revisit with my endo.
The first few years of having type 1, I didn’t have one, my endo never mentioned it, and luckily I never needed it. When he retired I went to a new doc who asked right off if I had one and prescribed one for me. It was the Glucagon Kit that needed to be mixed and injected and it sat in the drawer, unneeded so unused for years, but one night while sleeping, I had a seizure and was unconscious so my husband used it on me. It worked great and my husband said it was no big deal to mix it up and inject it. It saved my life and saved valuable time that it would have taken for EMT’s to get here, not to mention saving me the expense of EMTS, as well as the embarrassment and hassle of coming to with EMT’s all around. We had no warning that something like that was going to happen that night, it was totally out of the blue and I am very grateful we had the Glucagon Kit, which we would not have had had I not gone to a new doc, who wasn’t even an endo. I will always be grateful for him.
The one that was used on me had been expired for about 4 years, but it worked great. I will now keep the expired ones to be used first, but always want an unexpired one on hand just in case the expired one doesn’t work.
I did get some of the Baqsimi when it first came out, but once I read many reviews since then where it was literally and basically described as having a lit firework shoved up the persons nose, leaving them with a massive headache and burning feeling in their nose that lasted hours, and for some, days, I have gone back to the Glucagon Kit that needs to be mixed. I had no side effects from that, it just worked as intended, and as a plus, it didn’t skyrocket my levels. Because of the experience many others have had, I don’t want Baqsimi to ever be used on me, but until I have a couple Glucagon Kits, I am keeping the ones I have of it, just in case, but once I have a couple of back up Glucagon Kits, those are going into the garbage. Even though a few people have described not having any bad effects from it, there are many more who have had horrible effects from it so I don’t want to find out which group I would be in. Once the premixed ones like Gvoke have been around long enough to have many reviews, if those reviews are good, I will switch to it, but for now, the tried and true Glucagon Kit is what I want to have.
I hope to never have to have it used on me again, but due to the experience I had, I also hope to never be without one. It was well worth the 35 bucks it cost me, with insurance, and even if one never again gets used, I will spend that 35 bucks every year to have an unexpired one always. I feel it is something I should always have, mostly for when I am sleeping as I do think that is the only time it would ever be needed, but don’t know that, but do know that stuff happens when least expected, so it’s best to be prepared. I view it like insurance, something we hope to never use but something we should all have. It it is better than insurance though, as it is something that can actually save our lives.