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Brexit supplies...

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W

wolvesd

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi

I am a Type 1 Diabetic in the UK, concerned by the impending events of Brexit and the potential effect on my supply of insulin.

With this in mind I am thinking about alternatives to my normal supply routes, in the event that delays occur and I am at risk of running out...

Can anyone offer any advice on procuring Insulin from outside the UK? Is it possible to buy it in France for example? Or any other country?

Me flying to another country to get what I need is a real option that I have to consider given the current timeline and lack of certainty about what will happen at the end of March.

Grateful for any advice apart from the standard government statements, which given the current political chaos I am not giving me much comfort!

Many thanks
 
Well - we have been told that there won't be a problem - and I can't see our Prime Minister letting there be really, since her life depends on it too. Despite the chaos you describe - I draw some comfort from that thought myself.

No Government - however much the currently appear to be behaving like a horde of screaming babies who have thrown their toys out of their prams - want to be responsible for bumping off so many of the voting public, surely? Cos it isn't only insulin to keep the likes of us going - what about all the other life saving drugs people need? 'Today we announce that (eg) all UK chemotherapy treatment will stop next Monday, diabetics the following week, cardiac patients the next week ……… '

Do you seriously think that's going to happen?
 
trophywench said:
Well - we have been told that there won't be a problem - and I can't see our Prime Minister letting there be really, since her life depends on it too. Despite the chaos you describe - I draw some comfort from that thought myself.

No Government - however much the currently appear to be behaving like a horde of screaming babies who have thrown their toys out of their prams - want to be responsible for bumping off so many of the voting public, surely? Cos it isn't only insulin to keep the likes of us going - what about all the other life saving drugs people need? 'Today we announce that (eg) all UK chemotherapy treatment will stop next Monday, diabetics the following week, cardiac patients the next week ……… '

Do you seriously think that's going to happen?
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Hi Jenny thanks for replying,

I sincerely hope it wont happen but there is a chance that it will, and I just want to know what my options are so I'm trying to find as much info as possible. I am 99% certain that what you've said is the case, but there is 1% chance that there will be chaos, causing people to panic buy everything and flood hospitals and GPs and there will be jams of Lorries on the roads from Dover and and other major ports. As you touched on, more immediately life threatening conditions will be supplied first, then I want to know what my options are. Also I suspect Mrs May might be slightly higher up on the pecking order than me!

That said, hopefully it will be fine! Just thinking of the worst case scenario and trying to find out where I could go to buy what I need if it did get urgent.....

Thanks
Steve
 
Hi Steve

I have thought about this too. Can't really offer any advice as I am newly diagnosed and not up with the latest on how insulin supplies are going to be affected. Let's hope the politicians get their finger out and put a lot of minds at rest.
 
Well I imagine if every single European nation gang up together - or the EU decrees to their members that they're going to kill some of us off to spite us - then it could happen but if all or any of them do try that one on - then I'd very much like to believe that more heads than mine would literally roll.

I wouldn't go back to MDI or animal insulin by choice - but if we're all stuck with that then we'd have to, wouldn't we?

Wockhardt still have the recipes!
 
We’ve had problems with epi pens the last few months - a manufacturing issue apparently. I’ve only just recieved the 2 owed from August, when mine when out of date. We were all assured it was fine to use them up to 6 months out of date, which directly goes against everything previously said.
 
Bruce Stephens said:
I'd hope not. It would surely not look good. On the other hand, how many times have I thought "surely politicians wouldn't be that daft"?
Click to expand...
Rather like Leave and Trump winning
 
trophywench said:
Well - we have been told that there won't be a problem - and I can't see our Prime Minister letting there be really, since her life depends on it too. Despite the chaos you describe - I draw some comfort from that thought myself.

No Government - however much the currently appear to be behaving like a horde of screaming babies who have thrown their toys out of their prams - want to be responsible for bumping off so many of the voting public, surely? Cos it isn't only insulin to keep the likes of us going - what about all the other life saving drugs people need? 'Today we announce that (eg) all UK chemotherapy treatment will stop next Monday, diabetics the following week, cardiac patients the next week ……… '

Do you seriously think that's going to happen?
Click to expand...

Hear, Hear, Jenny I fully support the P.M. on this issue.
 
Madeline said:
We’ve had problems with epi pens the last few months - a manufacturing issue apparently. I’ve only just recieved the 2 owed from August, when mine when out of date. We were all assured it was fine to use them up to 6 months out of date, which directly goes against everything previously said.
Click to expand...

Perhaps it's much like food stuffs, which they want us to throw away and buy a new one as soon as it gets to the date they stamp on it, whereas it's utterly fine to eat for ages after that.
 
Y
trophywench said:
Perhaps it's much like food stuffs, which they want us to throw away and buy a new one as soon as it gets to the date they stamp on it, whereas it's utterly fine to eat for ages after that.
Click to expand...
I think you’ve probably got it there. Appalling really, they are so expensive.
 
One change I have made is instead of waiting until I start my last insulin flexpen in the box before ordering, I now keep 1 whole box of 5 pens each as a backup. Because of 2 things:- 1 is my increased doses due to a lot of illness this winter & 2 the extra box gives me more leeway in case things get delayed for whatever reason. So, I have up to 4 boxes of basal & bolus insulins in the fridge: any more would take up too much space!
 
I'm doing that too Lanny, just making sure I get my new prescriptions of things a bit earlier than I would have done before. I'm not so concerned about the insulin as I use very little of that and even one full box will last me several months - it's the test strips that worry me!
 
Aye, lets all stockpile, then we can use up the stored insulin the drug companies have arranged. That’ll help, won’t it ?
 
Quite right Mike, stockpiling just screws up the supply chain with the biggest problems being caused at the manufacturer. They have to boost production to feed the stockpile and then cut production while the stockpiles are used up and that is bad for production safety and cost.
 
Docb said:
Quite right Mike, stockpiling just screws up the supply chain with the biggest problems being caused at the manufacturer. They have to boost production to feed the stockpile and then cut production while the stockpiles are used up and that is bad for production safety and cost.
Click to expand...

Project fear in full force, the insulin manufacturers have said there will be no shortages after the leave date.
 
I have always kept a spare box of cartridges in case I find I have a dud batch. I rotate the spare box to the front of the butter compartment when the current box is used, and order another - no extra supply pressures from me, the companies have become accustomed to my requirements and will have adjusted their production accordingly 😉
 
nonethewiser said:
Project fear in full force, the insulin manufacturers have said there will be no shortages after the leave date.
Click to expand...
There won't be any shortage of production going on, but all the common insulins are manufactured outside the UK and the problem comes if there are any delays getting it into the country when we aren't part of the EU free movement of goods any more. Which I agree may also be scaremongering, however the clowns we call a government are making such a mess of Brexit that it's quite feasible that there will be problems of some sort somewhere. The problem is the not knowing - maybe there won't be massive delays while every lorry trying to come into the UK has to have its load checked. Or maybe there will. And when people's lives depend on the import of particular products then you can understand them being a bit worried!

I have built up a stock of 3-4 months worth of insulin in our fridge, I did this gradually though and now try to just replace what we use, so no sudden stockpiling. I did not so long ago double the amount we can get on each prescription, but only because my daughter's insulin requirements shot up so much that the 2 vials we were getting before didn't last long enough. If I find my stock creeping up a bit too much then I don't order it for a month or two.
 
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