The cost of insulin is a serious problem for many people living with insulin-dependent diabetes in the United States.
That’s why some people are turning to Walmart’s release insulin and other commercially available insulin.
In this article, we’ll explain the types of insulin available from Walmart’s “Relion” brand, its cost, how it works, and whether it’s a good option for you.
update: At the end of this article, we added a list of announcements and new products. Read the full article before skipping to the end. This is because before you choose that, it is important to understand the different types of insulin available from Walmart.
Walmart’s Relion Insulin
over the counter Walmart’s insulin costs around $25 per vial, is limited to two types of insulin.
- Normal (Insulin R)
- NPH (Insulin N)
You can also get an expected combination of NPH and regulars called 70-30.
Both of these insulins are known as “synthetic human insulin.” It is different from the new insulin, called insulin analogues.
Both require a very strict meal schedule. In the “old day” of type 1 diabetes management, patients taking regular insulin and NPH insulin must eat a very specific number of carbohydrates every 2-3 hours.
Failure to adhere to a consistent feeding schedule and carbohydrate levels can lead to repeated severe hypoglycemia.
For example, as a child with type 1 diabetes in the 90s, I followed the following regimen:
- 8am: 45 grams of carbohydrates
- 10:30am: 15 grams of carbohydrates
- 12pm: 60 grams of carbohydrates
- 3pm: 15 grams of carbohydrates
- 6pm: 60 grams of carbohydrates
- 8:30pm: 15 grams of carbohydrates
Your life is dominated by the watch when you are taking these types of insulin, compared to the flexibility and freedom that comes with today’s insulin options.
patient Those who switch to these insulins without guidance from healthcare professionals You may not know that these insulins do not function in the body, like new insulins that are likely to be taken previously. This can lead to severe blood glucose variability and can be potentially fatal.
Let’s take a closer look at regular insulin and NPH insulin.
Normal insulin
Regular insulin is also known as “short-acting” insulin, and is taken several times a day.
It was once the only option for managing blood sugar levels around diet, but compared to today’s “quickly” acting insulin, normal insulin has long been the system, up to 8 hours, and up to 8 hours, and peak Almost 4 hours after infusion.
If you don’t eat every 2-3 hours while taking multiple doses of regular insulin, multiple hypoglycemia will develop.
More modern insulin is active in your bloodstream within 15 minutes. Outside Within 4 hours of blood flow. This means you don’t have to worry about dropping or taking insulin doses after 2-3 hours of use.
In hospitals, patients receive insulin via IV and find that short-acting insulin is still commonly used, based on traditional “slide-scale” insulin administration protocols.
NPH insulin
NPH insulin is also known as “middle” insulin. Previously it was the only “background” insulin option, but it pales in comparison to other background options today, just like regular insulin.
NPH should be taken twice a day to cover your 24-hour background insulin needs.
It also takes several hours to activate in the bloodstream and reaches its peak about 4-6 hours after taking it. Today’s long-acting insulin options – Basargar, Lantas, Rebemir, Tresiva and Tuheo generally have no peaks.
Peaks in NPH contribute to a rigid dietary schedule that a person must follow if they use these older insulins to manage their blood glucose levels.
Do I need a prescription?
in short, nono prescription is required to purchase regular or NPH insulin from Walmart. However, he doesn’t even sit at the counter next to Tylenol.
You will need to go to the Walmart store and ask the pharmacist for a vial to buy it.
Although it is now considered an “over-the-counter” drug, the pharmacy still needs to be refrigerated and is still a high value drug, despite only $25 per vial, so it is managed very carefully.
Is Walmark Insulin a good option for you?
Considering that today’s most modern insulin options cost at least $300 per vial, Walmart’s affordable insulin is appealing. Unfortunately, these insulin strict schedules and restrictions really make them a “last resort” option.
They are particularly challenging for younger children who have unpredictable eating habits and do not necessarily understand how important it is to eat a certain amount of food at certain times.
These insulins will help you stay alive if you really can’t afford modern insulin. If they are the only type of insulin you have access to, yesthat’s a good option for you.
If you can get more modern insulin through health insurance or one of the many financial aid programs that exist today, you’d better go that route.
Certainly, it’s nice to have easy access to these old insulins, but for people with diabetes it’s not a long, healthy, perfect life solution. They are the last resort.
Latest updates
July 6, 2021 – Walmart today announced that it will begin selling its own private brand, Rapid Acting Analogin Surin. The new insulin is currently available at Walmart Pharmacy and is expected to be available at Sam’s Club Store in mid-July. You will need a prescription to purchase this insulin.
Available in two different formats, $73 per vial (10 ml each, or 1,000 units) or $86 for the package of five prelit insulin pens (flex pens, 3 ml each, or flex pens with 300 units each).
Walmart’s private label Insulin is manufactured by Novo Nordisk and resembles the Novo Nordisk brand.
