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FDA clears first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor

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Re: FDA clears first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor

#351

Post by ps2fats »

dhoe wrote: post #338
znpy wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd really love to be able to do that (experimenting) but i'm in the EU and haven't looked at the possibilities yet (i'm not diabetic). However i recently saw a video of a woman that carried a glucose monitor (even if she didn't need one) as part of a study (she volunteered) and was able to correlate her mood and her weight take/loss with sugar intake. I'm very curious about this. I've started a diet recently and aft…

I'm in the Netherlands and just bought a Freestyle Libre 3 from https://www.dia-centrum.nl/ . It didn't require a prescription and was easy to set up and you can get the data out of Freestyle's website, as a CSV download if I remember correctly. I had a doctor comment that he'd never seen anybody wearing one just out of interest, and he was slightly condescending about it.

Perfect, I'm also in the NL and was hoping someone would have more information. I totally believe the GP being condescending about it, they are trained as gatekeepers to medical care to reduce costs to the system (wife is a doctor). It is also unimaginable to them, for whatever reason, that people would pay for things out of pocket.

Re: FDA clears first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor

#352

Post by binoct »

int_19h wrote: post #329
Aurornis wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Fasting is problematic to the medical industry because it is zero cost. No, fasting is problematic because people don't like it. Health conscious people don't understand how much resistance the average patient has to advice about lifestyle modifications, or how difficult it is to get patients to adhere to recommended lifestyle changes. A good example is sleep apnea and CPAP machines: In theory, a CPAP machine shoul…

Speaking as someone who has spent several months trying to adjust to a CPAP machine before finally giving up, it's not because it's annoying, it's because I literally can't sleep with the damn thing strapped onto my face. I'm well aware of the benefits, and I would love it if I could have them... but between sleep apnea and no sleep at all, the choice is obvious.

Everyone has a unique situation, but wanted to share my experience because improving apnea can have such a huge impact. I have a relatively mild case, so CPAP was borderline but I tried it. Like you spent 4 months and never got past 3 hours in one night, even trying several masks. Gave up for a year, worked on sleep hygiene in general and tried again. After about 2 weeks of a new mask and adjusting settings slept through the night. 5 years on I still wish I didn’t need it, but the improved quality of life means I basically never go to sleep without it. Can’t imagine how big a deal it is to someone with severe apnea.

You don’t need to completely throw in the towel if you don’t want to. Take breaks, try different masks as much as you can, get your dr to help adjust pressures. At least for some of us it does eventually click.

Good luck!

Re: FDA clears first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor

#353

Post by code_duck »

bakedoatmeal wrote: post #314
mangoman wrote: post #166

I recently had an unusual health event that resulted in me passing out. My wife, who is a physician, thought it might be hypoglycemia, since i'm at high risk for diabetes. She found a super friendly endocrinologist who put me on a CGM for two weeks. I never hit the hypoglycemia range during those two weeks, so it didn't really explain what my issue... but honestly the data was SUPER interesting. Just observing the va…

What is the connection between being at risk of diabetes and hypoglycemia? Wouldn’t a pre-diabetic be very protected from hypoglycemia?

There is something called reactive hypoglycemia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_hypoglycemia

It can occur for various reasons. Personally, I was developing adult onset type 1 (LADA) for a couple of years before I was diagnosed and I had all sorts of effects. While it was of course mainly effects of chronic hyperglycemia and shortage of insulin, I also had some episodes of hypoglycemia. Now that I’m on insulin, I’m very familiar with hypoglycemia resulting from an imbalance of exogenous insulin and carbohydrates. However, I looked back and realized this happened to me a few times before I was on insulin. I recall waking up a few times at night, sweating and shaking, and having a strong urge to consume food. I’d drink some juice or eat chips, feel better in 20-30 minutes and go back to sleep. This occurred after drinking alcohol, which makes sense as alcohol intensifies the effect of insulin and also prevents your body from releasing chemicals which raise your blood glucose level. I didn’t think much about it at the time but now I can see it was related to T1 onset.

My understanding is that essentially the body’s systems which regulate blood glucose are disrupted. This happens a with type 1 in general - not only problems with the system that produces and releases insulin to lower blood glucose by allowing it into cells, but also the part that does the opposite and release glucose to raise blood glucose levels. Sometimes the glucose-raising system doesn’t work at all while other times it’s inappropriately in overdrive. The same is true for the insulin releasing/glucose lowering system as it fails.

Re: FDA clears first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor

#354

Post by melagonster »

mangoman wrote: post #166

I recently had an unusual health event that resulted in me passing out. My wife, who is a physician, thought it might be hypoglycemia, since i'm at high risk for diabetes. She found a super friendly endocrinologist who put me on a CGM for two weeks. I never hit the hypoglycemia range during those two weeks, so it didn't really explain what my issue... but honestly the data was SUPER interesting. Just observing the va…

Excuse me, this is stupid question. but can't you buy Freestyle Libre?

Re: FDA clears first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor

#355

Post by antirez »

I'll be that guy to say that if you don't have a diabete problem, you don't need a CGM: here in Italy there is this crazy fashion of wearing one if you are into sports or alike. It's much better to eat clean, check your weight, and don't care about your physiological parameters all the times.

Re: FDA clears first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor

#356

Post by slily »

watwut wrote: post #198
Aurornis wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Fasting is problematic to the medical industry because it is zero cost. No, fasting is problematic because people don't like it. Health conscious people don't understand how much resistance the average patient has to advice about lifestyle modifications, or how difficult it is to get patients to adhere to recommended lifestyle changes. A good example is sleep apnea and CPAP machines: In theory, a CPAP machine shoul…

Disordered eating is more dangerous then obesity.

I doubt that's true unless the degree is extreme. Humans evolved with "disordered eating" and fasting is well-researched.

Re: FDA clears first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor

#357

Post by maxehmookau »

I'm gonna go against the grain here and say that I tried a CGM for a few months and found it fairly unhelpful. (I'm not diabetic.)

Yeah, eating stuff that's bad for me caused a blood sugar spike and made me feel crummy. Eating healthier foods did not cause the same spike and I felt better.

I didn't need to spend money to tell me that.

Re: FDA clears first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor

#358

Post by TylerE »

cleandreams wrote: post #343
mangoman wrote: post #166

I recently had an unusual health event that resulted in me passing out. My wife, who is a physician, thought it might be hypoglycemia, since i'm at high risk for diabetes. She found a super friendly endocrinologist who put me on a CGM for two weeks. I never hit the hypoglycemia range during those two weeks, so it didn't really explain what my issue... but honestly the data was SUPER interesting. Just observing the va…

I am prediabetic and I have one. It's partly covered by insurance. By the metrics my estimated average glucose has gone down from 129 to 98 or so (normal). I haven't had my HbA1c in awhile. I think they are amazing. It's been SO HELPFUL. However I don't think it makes sense for normal people. I am on a reddit group for prediabetes and it's not unusual that people who are underweight (anorexic?) and have completely no…

What’s also surprising is what doesn’t. I’ve found for instance, that potatoes, even French fries, don’t do a whole lot to mine.

Re: FDA clears first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor

#359

Post by TylerE »

melagonster wrote: post #354
mangoman wrote: post #166

I recently had an unusual health event that resulted in me passing out. My wife, who is a physician, thought it might be hypoglycemia, since i'm at high risk for diabetes. She found a super friendly endocrinologist who put me on a CGM for two weeks. I never hit the hypoglycemia range during those two weeks, so it didn't really explain what my issue... but honestly the data was SUPER interesting. Just observing the va…

Excuse me, this is stupid question. but can't you buy Freestyle Libre?

Yes, but need a prescription.

Re: FDA clears first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor

#360

Post by TylerE »

veryfancy wrote: post #340
bakedoatmeal wrote: post #314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the connection between being at risk of diabetes and hypoglycemia? Wouldn’t a pre-diabetic be very protected from hypoglycemia?

Wondered this too. Diabetics are at risk for hypoglycemia because of the insulin they take, not the diabetes itself. Maybe metformin for a prediabetic could have this effect?

Nah, even as a full blown diabetic metformin doesn’t drive you low. It basically just makes the same amount of (naturally produced) insulin do more, essentially.
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