AfrezzaUser

Advocate for Afrezza

Afrezza Users talk about “Journey so far” on #Afrezza

Timely advice here as more and more diabetics discover the “life-changing” inhalable insulin AFREZZA. Call it tips, tricks, opinions, feedback or whatever you would like, but the Afrezza Users “Real-Life” Results Group pulled together our thoughts and experience in how this miracle drug transformed all of our lives and we all wanted to share some of our learned knowledge to help any new Afrezza users. (Note: Disclaimer. None of us are medical professionals, we are all just real people living with diabetes and our answers should not be taken as medical advice. Always discuss your treatment with your own doctor.) There is simply nothing in the world that treats diabetes as well as  Afrezza–and as proof I invite you to sit back, relax and read about the inside scoop of our experiences thus far. 

(Ann) = Ann – Type 1 for 12 years, (Jackie) = Jackie – Type 1 for 16 years, (Laureen) = Laureen – Type 1 for 32 years, (Brian) = Brian – Type 1 Diabetic for 16 years, (Eric) = Eric – Type 1 for 22 years. (Sam) = Sam – Type 1 for 16 years.

 

How did you feel the first time you took Afrezza?

(Ann)   Afraid. I was scared of going low because I had heard how quickly it worked, and I wasn’t sure how sensitive I would be to it. So the first few times, I inhaled while keeping a glass of juice on hand.

(Jackie)  I was very excited and could not wait to try Afrezza. I was very happy to be able to use it.

(Laureen)  Excited

(Brian)  It felt great! My very first day my average was 127, which was incredible compared to my Humalog averages. Of course it just got better and easier every week after that.

(Eric)  I thought FINALLY!!!!! I spent too many years waiting for this. It was a big moment.

(Sam)  It was 2012 the day before my trials, and I felt… nothing….it was like I inhaled “pure” air. No smell and no taste whatsoever. And I remember starting my stopwatch and measuring my blood sugars every 2 minutes for the next 4 hours. And I knew my entire life was going to change as I was writing down the numbers.

How important is it to have a Dexcom or CGM?

(Ann)  I think very important. It lets you see any rises that occur after the first hour, and you can do followup doses at just the right time. Plus, being able to visually see that you are “keeping between the lines” which is a huge motivator!

(Jackie)  My Dexcom is very important to me. It helps me determine where I am and where my blood sugars are going. The Dexcom software with all its graphs really give me (and my doctors) a great picture of where I am at with my blood sugars at all times.

(Laureen)  Personally, I don’t think it is critical as long as you check your blood sugars to figure out how much Afrezza lowers bs and to determine an individual’s Afrezza/carb ratio.

(Brian)  I had really good control using test strips and Afrezza. The CGM did allow me to see a drop in my insulin resistance as my control became better using Afrezza. It would have been harder to figure that out with test strips. Now the CGM helps me see a rise in BG and I can take a dose of Afrezza at that moment. Afrezza works so fast it can stop my BG from rising almost as fast as I see it show up on the CGM. This means I can control my BG without counting carbs. Overall I like the CGM, it helps me keep even tighter control, but I could still maintain great control without it as long as I’m using Afrezza as my insulin.

(Eric)  It’s not a must but when I talk to diabetics about afrezza I tend to mention the CGM in the same sentence. Why poke yourself 10 times a day? Get a dexcom and make your life easier.

(Sam) If you want the tightest control and to limit as much damage as possible from diabetes, then I would recommend a CGM over checking BG 8 to 10+ times a day. CGM + Afrezza = Real Time Monitoring with Real Time Insulin = Unbelievable Results.

 

How long do you think it takes before you know how to dose Afrezza and you “settle in” to your dosing schedule?

(Ann)   A couple of weeks for the most part, but I still feel like I’m learning. Diabetes is a changing thing. So many factors.

(Jackie)   2 weeks to 1 month.

(Laureen)   Around 3-4 weeks. I still am making minor adjustments to ensure the best control, but I have the overall major dosing figured out.

(Brian)   I figured it out in the first week. I don’t have a dosing schedule, or count carbs. If my BG is 130 or higher I take a dose of 4 units or more, depending on my reading, just like a non-diabetic. Their bodies don’t count carbs either. The pancreas just releases insulin until it gets their BG into range. That’s how I do it. If I’m rising, I take a dose and Afrezza stops my BG from rising. If I have already let it get a little high I take more. Its simple. The 4 unit dose is great at stopping BG from rising, but it is very gentle at lowering corrections. At first I worried 4 units would be too much to correct a BG of 130, but that’s because I was comparing it to Humalog. You cannot compare them. They don’t work anything like each other. It’s really difficult to crash using Afrezza.

(Eric)  It took me around  7-14 days. Am I’m still learning ! 

(Sam)  It takes a good 2 weeks, and month 2 is better than month 1. Give yourself time.

 

What are some of things you had to learn that were different from what you were doing (with injectables)?

(Ann)

  •  Followup doses. I didn’t expect to need them. Taking them is key!
  •  Having the cartridge dose cover a “range” of carb values instead of a hard and fast carb/insulin ratio.
  •  Not having to be worried about going low hours after the last dose (a hard fear to get over…)

(Laureen)    A 4u/8u cartridge is different than a 4u/8u injection. It isn’t a 1 to 1 ratio so you have to re-think the dosing you are using.

 (Brian)    With injectable insulin you must take in many factors, It’s like trying to predict the weather. What’s your current BG? Am I rising or falling? How much am I going to eat by counting carbs, and when? How much exercise am I going to have? Plus many other factors…. You take all that, dump it into a best guess of what size of an injection your going to take and when your going to take it and throw a hail Mary. Hope you guessed everything just right, I rarely ever did make a good guess with injects, and when I missed, I wouldn’t take a correction injection. I would wait until the next guess of a shot and try to add that to the equation. It was horrible… Afrezza works at the same rate as digestion, so you can take your best guess, or even less than what you think, and if it wasn’t enough, you can just take more, as often as necessary. The results are fast, so its easy to see the results right away. Afrezza also stops working fast, so you know your not going to continue to drop. I can write paragraphs about it, but the reality is that it’s so easy to use and really hard to mess up. The exact opposite of injectable insulin.

(Eric)  How to live life with less stress. Yes that’s correct LESS STRESS. With humalog I was always thinking ok when was the last time I gave myself insulin, knowing it was still “active” in my body up to 4-6 hours. Stress sucks especially for a diabetic. Less stress once again coming from the fact that I didn’t have to avoid my numbers after eating a meal knowing damn well my sugars would be “high”. I no longer get those types of feelings because afrezza starts to work in 12-15 minutes. On Humalog, there were too many times I would watch my blood sugars go high (>200) for hours on my CGM…Id plug my insulin into my pump and WAIT…I am no longer waiting now that I have Afrezza, which is so less stressful on me and my family!

 (Sam)  With injectables I couldn’t tell where I was going to land 4 hours later, but with Afrezza I generally know in about an hour, thus I can do a “follow-up” dose if needed. Landings are smoother and I get 2 shots with Afrezza before my old injectable insulin would even peak. Afrezza is predictable, faster and easier in every way. Follow up Doses are crucial for that 2nd Phase mimicking of the prancreas–if needed take 60-90 minutes after the meal. 

Did anything surprise you when you were in the “figuring it out” stage?

(Ann) I was shocked by the large amount of insulin I was taking. 4U sounded like so much!  Also, I thought I would be able to ditch my pump and rely on Afrezza alone for bolus. But I was surprised to discover that until 2U cartridges become available, I will still need my pump. This is because 4U doses are often too much for the followups and too much for corrections less than 180. So what I’m doing until the 2U becomes available is to give a small dose of Apidra with my pump and that usually eliminates the need for followups. (It seems that by the time the Afrezza is wearing off, the pump insulin is just beginning to work, so the two insulins have worked well together.) Even though I still have to use the pump, it is still worth it to do the extra step of using the Afrezza because that initial dose suppresses the postprandial spikes like nothing else I have ever tried! My control is far better than it was before. (For corrections of less than 180, I sometimes make up my own 2U cartridge. But this is a pain, and I long for the “real thing”!)

(Jackie)    How quickly Afrezza works.

(Laureen)   To ensure I exhaled before inhaling and holding the inhaler correctly to ensure proper dosing into lungs. Also, that I could do an 8u up front and another 4u 30-45 minutes later. I would never do that with Novolog (due to overlap), so it makes it easy to dose again if you need a little more.

(Brian)   My insulin resistance dropped, and I started to crash in the middle of the night because of my Lantus. I had to significantly reduce my Lantus dose over several weeks. I did not expect that.

(Eric)   Yes and this feeling is still in my head, Afrezza is so simple and easy to use that when I take a dose of afrezza I ask myself  “did I just take insulin? Did the afrezza get into my body?” All my questions are answered once I look at my CGM or do a finger prick. Afrezza works and you just have to trust it-it is truly unbelievable!  

(Sam)  The surprise is you feel like your pancreas is working again, and that you don’t have diabetes. With a CGM you could literally glance and adjust your BG in minutes. If you add up all the hours in a day, you could correct many more times with Afrezza vs. with injectables in my opinion since Afrezza has very short tail ends. This is really a huge shock when you think about it. In essence, you get your “control” back, diabetes no longer controls you.

How easy was it for you (1-simple to 10 difficult) and do you think someone could figure it out alone?

(Ann)  I did not try to figure it out alone. I got some advice from people using Afrezza, and that really helped me. I would say it was a level 5 in difficulty. A lot of trial and error. I think anybody trying it for the first time would benefit from someone who can answer their questions, even if it’s just a forum or some other form of social media.

(Jackie)   1 – very simple to figure out. Much easier than injectables.

(Laureen)    1-  Yes, it is easy to figure out, just takes patience so you can determine how your body reacts.

(Brian)  It’s a One, Uno, 1…. I figured it out alone, and If I can figure something out anyone can! I didn’t even read the directions.

(Eric)  5 – in general it’s not too hard, especially with social media and all the other Afrezza users out there. It is easy to find answers to any questions you may have. That’s also why I decided to create Afrezza  videos  and post tweets about Afrezza online–to help other people out so they could experience the same amazing results that I have.

(Sam) 1 for me, because I run all my own mini-tests all the time to see how Afrezza works in various combinations and situations. Once you are comfortable with how it interacts with your body, there is really very little work to it (no complex carb counting and no waiting around for hours babysitting). If you’re nervous or anxious it may take you a little longer to get comfortable. I think some people get scared and jump back to their old treatment and that handicaps how Afrezza performs with their body, ie. mixing insulins like a cocktail in different combinations and expecting immediate results. Doesn’t work or happen that way.

Is it true you don’t even need to count carbs on Afrezza (or Do you count and plan?)

(Ann) I still have to count carbs for two reasons:

  • If what I’m eating is less than 30 carbs, then I can’t use the 4U Afrezza or I will go low. (Tried this many times.) Thus, 2U cartridges are needed.
  • Also, if it’s above 60 carbs, then I’m likely going to need to take 8U instead of 4U.

(Jackie)   Larger meals, I take an 8u, smaller meals I take a 4u. Its that easy. Every now and then a follow up dose.

(Laureen)   I count carbs. Not to an exact amount, but I know around how many carbs are in food and dose accordingly. If I have a beer or glass of wine, I dose an extra 4u.

(Brian)   Counting carbs is not necessary, however, I would guess that if you counted carbs it would be possible to “flat-line” every meal. No rise in BG would even occur. Since I don’t count carbs I will see my BG spike up to 150 occasionally and then drop back down to 100 or so within an hour. I don’t mind hitting 150 for a few minutes, so I’m just not going to count carbs. Most of the time I can stop spikes from even reaching 130 though. 

(Eric)    I do not count carbs. All I ask myself is should I take a 4u or 8u for the meal I’m about to eat?  I know I can always do a follow-up dose with Afrezza that will only take a few seconds. 

(Sam) I have never had to count carbs on Afrezza, it is not necessary. If you want you can do a quick estimate, and that is fine. I have nothing against carb counting even if it’s only to obtain better health results.

Could you share what you think would be your 2-3 most helpful personal tips to somebody new to Afrezza—what would you tell them?

(Ann)

  • The first time, eat something with 30 carbs or so, let yourself go high (200 or so), and then take a 4U dose. Take note of how much you drop and how quickly. Do that a few times just to get used to the action in your own body.
  • Realize that you may need followup doses, so check after an hour or so and take more Afrezza if you are going up.
  • Realize that the label of “4 Units” does NOT equate to the strength of 4 units of regular insulin. It is not as strong, at least for me.
  • Realize that it really does stop working after about an hour and 15 minutes or so, so don’t worry about going low hours later or about stacking insulin with followup doses.

(Jackie)

  • Take your time to figure it out. It’s exciting that it works so well and so fast, but give it time to really dial into what works best for you.
  • Enjoy your new life!!!

(Laureen)

  • Be patient, it takes time for your body to adjust to it and you will have to adjust long lasting insulin.
  • Ensure you change the inhaler every 10 days or so.
  • Make sure you tilt the inhaler back a little when inhaling to ensure you get all the insulin into lungs.

(Brian)    Don’t be afraid to try a dose and wait 40 minutes and see the results. Get a base line of how much you drop with a 4 unit dose. You will probably be surprised that it doesn’t lower your BG for a correction as much as you thought. You can then get open to the idea of taking more and correcting as often as necessary. You can always take more, anytime, anywhere. Of coarse, that’s not medical advice, that’s just what I do. Report your findings to your Dr. and generate a dosage plan. Also expect your body to become less resistant to insulin, so you will have to reduce your insulin dosages for both insulins.

(Eric)

  • Demand it from your doctor or switch doctors.
  • Take afrezza at the start of the meal. Exhale a breath first before you inhale Afrezza.
  • For certain meals (for me meals such as pizza, pasta, and breads) I need a follow up dose of afrezza around 45 minutes after the meal is completed.

(Sam)

  •  When you’re at your doctors office, make sure you have the doctor figure out what your 1 month supply number is and figure in a small cushion when you’re just beginning. For example, if you took 30U of Novolog per day, then get 40U of Afrezza per day = about 1200U  or 2 boxes or more while you get started. There have been occasions where a doctor just orders one box per month, but as a Type 1 diabetic you will need more, especially during the “learning curve” and “assimilation period” and for snacks and corrections. For some Type 2’s, the feedback I have heard is 3 doses a day is perfect. BTW, Afrezza is NOT Inhaled Novolog–it works totally different and I don’t want anyone to think it is a 1:1 ratio of what to expect. Just like when you began injectables, you need to do a “test” to see what your “drop rate” and “duration” is for Afrezza. And then adjust accordingly as your body adapts to this new and “life-changing” treatment.
  • Check your sugars (or CGM) 1 hour after your meal and take a follow up dose if necessary, based on your “drop rate” is and “duration”. This is the “sticking the perfect landing” part–achieved by the follow up dose.
  • Be patient! You will not “flatline” every meal, and you will have some spikes. Yes, you will sometimes see 200 again, diabetes is relentless. However, When you do “flatline” your first meal, you will NEVER forget it, and you will then understand what is possible.

Is there a “routine” you generally follow-if so how does it go and what seems to work best for you? (please describe in detail)

(Ann)  Estimate carbs (a ballpark estimate is adequate for me.) If less than 30 carbs, add more carbs or skip the Afrezza to avoid going low. Otherwise, if 60 carbs or less, then inhale 4U at start of meal (waiting just doesn’t seem to work for me.) At the same time, I give myself a small dose (1-2 units) of pump insulin. This usually keeps me from having to do followup doses. If it’s more than 60 carbs, then I will usually give a second 4U dose half an hour or so after the first one.

(Jackie)   My routine changed so I take my basal insulin in the morning (7am) and at 9pm at night. I take Afrezza when I eat. That’s it.

(Laureen)  I usually eat 3 meals a day, so the timing could be different but generally dose afrezza right before eating and have found that most helpful so I don’t get spikes in BS.

(Brian)  I have no routine. I live a happy-go-lucky life. I live in the moment. Since I have obtained control of my diabetes with Afrezza I have been eating foods I haven’t ate in 16 years. It’s been fun eating like a non-diabetic, and maintaining perfect control. Not healthy, but fun. If I’m at a dinner party or waiting for my car to get serviced, or some scenario like that, and someone offers a forbidden donut, I can have it, and not get a high BG reading at all. My blood is no longer the blood of a diabetic. I still have to control it by taking Afrezza, but its so easy now, I don’t lose control. I almost never go over 200 anymore, and in the 3-5 times I have gone over 200 in the last 3 months, it was only for a few minutes. I’m laughing just thinking that my BG now only touches 200 once a month, for a few minutes. Wow, before Afrezza I had a A1c of 10.1 I couldn’t get below 200, and when I did I would crash.

(Eric)   I check my CGM a lot daily because it’s fun for a diabetic to see NON-DIABETIC type numbers.  Once you try afrezza you will never want to use any other meal-time insulin.  It’s that good. 

(Sam) I check my CGM throughout the day and take Afrezza accordingly. It’s as simple as that.

Could you share if there is anything you would NOT have done that you did when figuring out Afrezza?

(Ann)   I would not have panicked when I started dropping so fast and furiously the first few times. I ended up freaking out and drinking a bunch of juice I didn’t actually need to!

(Jackie)   I would not wait as long to make sure it is working-If your numbers aren’t dropping enough or staying a bit high, go ahead and take a follow up dose. This is the difference with injectables vs. Afrezza.

(Laureen)  I would not take the higher dosing cartridges with Afrezza all at once. The 2nd week, I starting dosing 2, 8u at meals and it lowered my BS too much. This could also have been my body adjusting to a new medication. Seems like taking one cartridge, then another an hour later as needed works better.

(Brian)  Because I was starting a new insulin I started to test about 10 times a day to see my results. This sparked a battle with insurance, a lot of going back and forth with Dr. to get a Rx for test strips written that insurance would cover, and all the Rx’s written confused the Pharmacy. I guess I should have thought about getting all my ducks in a row 1st. Instead I dumped a bunch of new Rx’s on my Insurance and Pharmacy and it created a tangled mess, that seemed like it should have been easy to fix, but somehow it was difficult for them.

(Eric)   Remember like I said before: 4u of afrezza is not equal to 4u of humalog–they are totally different drugs; You just need to calculate how much and for how long your BG drops after taking a dose of Afrezza- and then after that it’s that easy to get your routine down.

 (Sam) I can’t think of anything I would not have done. Afrezza for me was so superior over the results I was getting on injectables that I never really had an issue in comparison. 

It seems no matter how careful you are, diabetes is always trying to wreak havoc-is there anything you need to adjust or do different when you exercise? Are sick? Stressed? Use a pump? Travel?

(Laureen)   Of course – I find exercise lowers my bs 70-100 points, so I ensure bs isn’t too low before I exercise. When sick, I need more insulin, so adjust Afrezza dosage accordingly. Also my body does crazy things in the Spring and Fall with the weather change so I am a little more conservative to ensure my bs doesn’t drop unexpectedly.

(Brian)   As with any fast acting insulin, exercise has a big impact. If I have a BG of 150, I’ll take 4 units, wait 15 minutes and do a 100 jumping jacks. My BG will drop like a rock, but Afrezza stops working so fast, by the time it gets around 100 or so it will be done and level out. I also ride my bike frequently on a hardcore uphill bike ride. I won’t do the ride if I have taken Afrezza within the hour, unless I am at 150 or so. In other words, if I took a 4 unit dose 30 minutes ago, and was at 120, I would hold off on the ride. If I was at 150, I’d go ahead and ride. It’s something that takes practice.  As far as being sick, I always have used more insulin when I’m sick. In the past, with Humalog, I could inject large doses with little effect when I had a cold. My body is more insulin resistant when sick.  When traveling, Afrezza is super cool! You can just throw it in the car and go. Or in my case often my Motorcycle. I have taken doses while riding my motorbike… Safely and easily, I might add. You can’t do that with an injection. You can literally take a dose anywhere, except scuba diving. You could even take a dose skydiving If you wanted to! It’s just that easy to use.

(Eric)  Many variables here but with a CGM and Afrezza there are much fewer things to worry about. Until there is a cure, for me using a CGM with Afrezza is the very best treatment option we have.

(Sam)  You will see there are lots of travel advantages with Afrezza–you can use it discretely on an airplane, and not have to fly with high blood sugars and go to the bathroom every 30 minutes. And how about not freaking out the person sitting next to you if you pulled out an injectable? Traveling is a breeze with Afrezza.

What has been the biggest benefit been to you from being on Afrezza?

(Ann)   Unbelievably excellent blood sugars, even right after eating! It’s truly the closest thing to a cure that we currently have!

(Jackie)    I am in control of my blood sugars now. I can see it, I can feel it.

(Laureen)   Freedom to eat and inhale and not worry about a tail end of Novolog being in my body still. I know Afrezza is in and out very quickly so it takes the worry away.

(Brian)    My blood is now non-diabetic as far as my body is concerned. It’s like I’m no longer a diabetic. I can go out and do anything now and not even have to spend time to control it. It still blows my mind to be able to say that.

(Eric)  Non-Diabetic type numbers.  No unexplained lows hours after a meal. And did I mention NO needles???!  

(Sam)  I don’t worry about my future with diabetes any longer. I know I have done damage to my body over the last 16 years anytime that my A1C was over 6 – so you can only imagine what was in store for someone with a 10.2 A1C (me) — this disease causes amputations, blindness, kidney failure, heart complications. nerve damage–I really don’t like to think about it and hopefully will never have to since my sugars are in “normal” range now.

At the end of the day, everyone is talking about their A1C—what do you think your new A1C will be after 12 or more weeks on Afrezza? (what was it before you started Afrezza)?

(Ann) Started at 7.0. I am hoping for something below 6 (which is something I thought I would NEVER be able to achieve.)

(Jackie)  I hope to find out in a few weeks.. I will be 10 weeks on Afrezza, I am hoping for an A1C in the low 6s. I thought my previous A1C in February was 8.9, but it was actually 9.1 … I am so excited to see how much it goes down. (*update–Jackie had an A1C test at her doctors after 72 days on Afrezza–and she measured a 6.7–a new personal record/personal best).

(Laureen)   In Febraury 2015, mine was 6.5. I am giving myself 6 months before seeing a big drop, but expect a 5.2-5.5.

(Brian)  Before Afrezza it was 10.1. My A1c with Afrezza will be around 5.5.

(Eric)   I got my a1c checked the day before I started afrezza it was a 7.5 which I’m not proud of. My goal is to have a A1C in the 5’s. During the nighttime is when I struggle the most with my diabetes and that’s because I’m still trying to figure out the proper basal rates.  One thing I want to explain about an A1C in the 5’s is this: I don’t carb count, I ask myself 4u or 8u of afrezza and that’s it. I workout and stay very active and afrezza is perfect for when I play basketball and tend to go higher (>200) the minute I take afrezza and within 30 minutes my sugars are already starting to come down. Before afrezza I would be “high” for hours and hours.

(Sam)  My A1C before Afrezza was 10.2. During the drug trials, with all the “holdbacks” my A1C improved to a 7.1 at the finish. This time, without all the constraints, I think my A1C will be in the mid-5’s (ie. NON-DIABETIC). That is how flawed the FDA Afrezza Drug trial design was.

What would be one or two helpful suggestions for MannKind/Sanofi to improve Afrezza and how you use it?

(Ann)   I really need 2U doses if I am ever going to be able to get off of the pump. Also, I think they will have a hard time getting this approved for young children without having 2U available. I know that the “buzz” is that Afrezza cannot make you go low, but this just isn’t true for everyone. (Even Amy from Diabetes Mine has experienced the exact same thing. It isn’t only me!)

(Jackie)

  •  I would like to see a 2u cartridge.
  • I think the cartridge colors should be different colors – the blue and green are too similar.
  • They need to come up with a convenient case to carry the inhaler and some cartridges along with my lantus pen. That would be awesome.

(Laureen)   Additional dosing options would provide me with better control. Sanofi should update the Injectable to Afrezza dosing guide as I don’t find it to be accurate.

(Brian)   Lets get some advertising going! I look all over the web and see people not using Afrezza “showing off” that they got their BG down to a 200 average for a day. They need to try Afrezza and have a BG average of 100 everyday. They wont even see 200 anymore. It shocks me how many people don’t even know about Afrezza. If they don’t know about it, they can’t try it. I would also like to see a 2 unit dose so that I can lower my BG from 110 to 90. 110 is too high of a reading for me these days.

(Eric)   Have a 2 Unit Cartridge! 

(Sam)

  • Put more patient information in the boxes, and also include for doctors a simple dosing explanation on how to write prescriptions for Afrezza based on the dosing. This would also include having a larger box with more cartridges for Type 1 Diabetics or guiding doctors better about multiple boxes and the best combinations.
  • A 2 Unit Cartridge is also needed for “snacking” and small corrections, and clearly would be needed for the pediatric trials.

What advice would give doctors who are apprehensive about prescribing Afrezza?

(Ann)   Realize that even if you have doubts about the drug, the right thing to do is to let the patient try it. You may be pleasantly surprised! And, forget all of your preconceived notions about how to dose insulin…they don’t apply to Afrezza!

(Jackie)  Please, give it to your patients, watch their progress and then decide. Talk to patients who are using Afrezza, look at their statistics. Educate yourselves on Afrezza. The proof is in the pudding.

(Laureen)   Afrezza allows much more freedom than any other rapid acting analog insulin. It makes it so much easier to manage diabetes every day.

(Brian)   This is a hot topic for me. It is their job to be informed about new insulins prior to launch. It is crazy how few of them even know Afrezza exists, or how little they know about it. A large % of Dr.’s think it’s only for Type 2 diabetics. Others wont prescribe it because they don’t understand it and don’t feel like researching it. New insulins only come to the market every so often. I feel it’s really their job to spent a few hours researching it and seeing how early adopters are doing with it. If you are considering using Afrezza, make sure your Endo is doing their job, and if they are not, find one that will. Same with insurance. They should be knowledgeable about all new drugs entering the market, and be spring loaded to cover them at time of launch. That is why we are paying them.

(Eric)   Look at your diabetic patients that are not on Afrezza and look at the early adopters of Afrezza. Their blood sugars, A1c’s, etc will be much different and totally in favor of Afrezza.  

(Sam)  Please take the time to do some research on how great Afrezza works and you will discover how “life-changing” this drug can be for all of your patients. The A1C numbers that were considered “acceptable” should no longer be acceptable knowing the power of  Afrezza and what it can do.

What would you like to share with anyone curious or thinking about going on Afrezza?

(Ann)   Try it! You may be just as shocked as me with your amazing results!

(Jackie)   Only use it if you are diabetic. 😉

(Laureen)  Afrezza provides a lot more flexibility and easier than injections. It just makes life so much easier!

(Brian)   Do it. Don’t walk, Run to get your Rx. My entire BG averages changed overnight, so will yours.

(Eric)  You don’t know until you try. And when you have a high blood sugar for hours imagine this….With afrezza you have the ability to correct this soooo much faster.  

(Sam)   Please try Afrezza and use it to treat “super Highs”  or  “late-night Highs” when you especially need your sugars controlled before you go to bed. If you start there, you will see the possibilities and become a satisfied patient for life. Remember, if your A1C is out of control or spiking high post meals you are doing damage to your body, so get your sugars under control and don’t take no for an answer. Even a great A1C of 7.0 by today’s standards is causing great harm to our bodies.

How much would someone have to pay you to take your Afrezza away for life (seriously)?

(Ann)  It is priceless. I will never give Afrezza up unless forced to for financial reasons.

(Jackie)    Great question… I could sure use the money.. but my health is worth more than that.   You couldn’t pay me enough to take it away.

(Laureen)    There is no price on Earth that I can place on this.

(Brian)    They could pay me a couple million dollars and then I would just secretly get it behind their backs. I’m sneaky like that.

(Eric)    Those are fighting words, don’t touch my Afrezza!  

(Sam)   I Would not do it for even 10 Million Dollars. No amount of money could give me the life I am enjoying right now!

 

What do your family members think of your life now that you are on afrezza? Have they seen any changes?  Have their lives changed?  

(Ann)   They know that I am very excited to be in such good control. I show them my Dexcom graphs all the time! They share my excitement because they have seen me struggle for years and years to improve my A1C and then I would get discouraged when all my efforts resulted in nothing. They know it has been a very long, hard road filled with many frustrations. Now they see me with no stress simply by adding one simple step to my diabetes regimen. Like me, they think that EVERYONE with this disease should at least try it!

(Jackie)   My family cannot be happier for me. They see I have more energy and that I feel better. I also have 2 brothers with type 1 diabetes who are going to see their doctors to get on Afrezza right now. That says everything.

 (Brian)    They are so happy with my new control. My kids are excited because they see that my BG readings will keep me alive and healthy. They are all having trouble keeping up with me now though. Things are so good that my new energy levels might wear out my other body parts faster.

(Eric)   Total and complete difference.  My mother even joined twitter just to follow my tweets about my sugars. Since on afrezza we have had multiple hour-long conversations about how hard it was for her and my father to manage my blood sugars when I was first diagnosed (22 years ago) as a Type 1 diabetic. Now with just 3 months of being on Afrezza, my BG numbers are all where we dreamed they would someday be. Turns out we were showing up to the battle with only pocket knives (humalog, novalog, metformin) and diabetes was using machine guns against us. Now we have Afrezza on our side, the ultimate weapon–the atomic bomb of treatment options. Afrezza is something that all diabetics need but never imagined was possible. That is until now. Thank you Al Mann from the bottom of my heart for inventing this product.  

(Sam)  For everyone reading this, my life has been consumed with spreading the word of Afrezza around the world so that all diabetics will be able to experience the pure joy and utter happiness every single day of not babysitting this brutal disease while being on a diabetic leash living with “out of control” blood sugars. You can read my story and see my testimony in front of the FDA on my website. As a diabetic we have all gotten that “look” or “stare” or “grin” where people think it’s our own fault, and we did something to deserve this or are “damaged goods”. With Afrezza, all I can say is, there is a new freedom and it’s truly state-of-the-art, and it works in “real-time”, yes, it changes EVERYTHING. Give it a try, you’ve got nothing to lose, except living with the nightmare of diabetes. It changed my life and I know it can change yours.

19 Comments

  • Reply johnhindepost |

    So it is agreed. Brian and Eric will go skydiving together. During the skydive, Brian will inhale Afrezza while Eric video’s the event with his GoPro and take a BG reading on landing.

  • Reply johnhindepost |

    The word COUGH not mentioned once by the contributors, that’s saying something!

  • Reply gamblerjag |

    Great Blog Sam and other participants. Glad to see so much life changing positives from your experiences. Keep sharing the knowledge…. Nothing is better than first hand information. Not Hedge funds, not analyst; heck not even MNKD management.

  • Reply Brian Braxton |

    Does anyone know if there is going to be a 2U option? I know 12 units was approved recently.

  • Reply Brian Braxton |

    Sorry one last questions if a person is having problems with lows can they try Afrezza after their meal?

    • Reply Sam Finta |

      If I am low I could wait to take Afrezza till after my meal. Since Afrezza is so fast I could let my sugar rise and still get it back to normal range before my old injectables would even peak.

  • Reply Arun N |

    Outstanding! Great expression of collective wisdom that has crystallized after years of pain, suffering , fortitude and Will to overcome!

  • Reply sonny |

    Cant believe corrupt doctors who I guess owes their allegiance to Big Pharma are not prescribing Afrezza in droves!!! UNREAL…letting poor patients continue to suffer…

  • Reply Debby |

    Thanks for this great info all in one place. My daughter (t1 for 10 1/2 years) is graduating from U of Miami this Friday, and my graduation present is a doctor’s appt May 20th with a dr. from Sam (since her dr. refused, even after I emailed her initial blogs and numbers) – and this blog. Best present I can imagine giving her, a healthy future!

    • Reply Sam Finta |

      While it is shocking that some doctors refuse to look out for a patients best interests there are plenty that will. I am glad I was able to help.

  • Reply tracyhoward |

    This is fantastic information. Thank you all for your efforts in documenting your experiences with this insulin! My husband is T2D with poorly controlled A1c levels and we’re excited to see how all of your new levels turn out.

  • Reply Jim Swinehart |

    Thanks to all of you so much for such great information. I am a T2 who just started on Afrezza 2 days ago. I hope before long there will be enough T2s that have used Afrezza for a month or so to do a similar “Tips, Tricks and Traps” for T2’s using Afrezza.

  • Reply KWF |

    What a fantastic, comprehensive look at user experience with Afrezza. Thanks to Sam for putting this together and thanks to all participants for taking the time to answer the questions thoroughly.

  • Reply John White |

    Been on Afrezza two weeks and I cannot believe the results. In-range numbers like I’ve never had. One suggestion for MannKind is make the part of the cartridge that holds the medication clear, rather than opaque white. I want to see whether I’ve successfully inhaled all the medicine and sometimes can’t tell if I don’t have a good source of lighting. This chat was very helpful to a new user. THANKS!

  • Reply Anonymous |

    I am a diabetic since I had my liver transplant 20 years ago .I told my doctor I want to try Afrezza, he told me is new to him and he refused to write me the prescription and at the same time make alot of excuses…..I really need to look for a doctor that care for the patient. I have to inject 3 times a day and my sugar is high too high low too low. What can I do……….. to convince him,

    • Reply newafrezzauser |

      You probably can’t convince him, find another doc, even if just for the Afrezza. My doc didn’t know about it, but let me do the lung function test required (that I informed her I needed b4 prescribing it). She came back and said I had asthma (never had breathing problems in my life, 38 yrs old!), so that was her excuse saying I wasn’t cleared too. She tried sending me to a lung specialist. I asked for a endocrinologist consult, got one…called that office and asked if they Rx’d Afrezza and they said no, that it was being discontinued (totally false) and the endo wouldn’t Rx it because there was too much involved. I started googling and found this site, afrezzauser.com/afrezza-prescribing-physicians, traveled 2-1/2 hours to see him. I took copies of the breathing test and my recent lab work. He said my lung function was perfect, and they didn’t read it right, it’s just to get a baseline. Anyway, if you are truly interested, find a doc who will Rx it, not all are listed on the site above. Most docs are too lazy to bother with this, as it does take some learning, not just some drug rep pushing another pill or shot.

  • Reply Maria |

    I just started Afrezza on 10/13 so I’m still in the “trial and error” phase but already see some changes (I am addicted to my CGM) in my numbers. I’m finding it very interesting reading everyone’s comments and all the similarities of what I’m experiencing so far. I have been a Type 1 diabetic for 38 years and have long awaited for something like this!

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