Insulin availability

[Flower]

I've just been to collect my prescription where I get 2 or 3 vials (depending how much I have left) of Humalog to last me a few months. This time I'd ordered 3 vials to see me through the holiday period.

I was given 1 vial and told the pharmacy couldn't get a supply or order anymore because of Brexit. I asked if they knew if or when they might be able to get supplies and was told they didn't know and I was advised to contact my Doctor and ask for an alternative.

Does anyone know if the different chains of pharmacies are all supplied by the same wholesale drug distributors? I will ask around in other pharmacies but just wondered if they all order from the same place.

I'm seriously worried about this. I will ask in my gp surgery if I can have a new prescription for Humalog and tout it around pharmacies in town to see if there is some out there.

Has anyone else been told there is an availibity issue?

 

[rebrascora]

I haven't had any problems so far (NovoRapid, Fiasp and Levemir .... don't ask me about HRT though!!) and I suspect this is more to do with people stock piling because they are worried about Brexit rather than because of Brexit itself, perhaps as a result of scare mongering stories in the press. Brexit has not even happened yet and may not happen at all so I find it difficult to see how it could be responsible for a shortage now.
Do ring around other pharmacies to see if they have it and do so each week if you are unsuccessful at first because I found that to be the only way to source my HRT patches.... not Brexit related..
I do feel for you as it is very concerning and please keep us informed of how you get on

 

[Flower]

I presume it is a combination of people stockpiling and supply chains being disrupted due to manufacturers having to stockpile x months worth for whatever may or may not happen next. Either way I was alarmed to be told to ask for an alternative.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

@Flower can you give the manufactures a ring on Monday morning and ask them what is going on as there is meant to be a stockpile of insulin. More often than not it's a wholesale problem and nothing wrong with availability.

 

[Drummer]

I hope that you can find the supplies you need.
For some time I have been noticing odd supply problems of everyday items when out shopping for groceries, so there is definitely something going on - though I remember when my mother in law died her husband was bewildered to find that she had bought and stored dozens of bags of sugar, of flour of all kinds, of salt and of washing powder.
I told him that I'd had letters warning me of shortages of those items, and that I should stock up or would be without.... so rumours were rife even before the internet could help spread panic.
I will be so glad when a little normality creeps back. I just hope it is soon for everyone's sake.

 

[AJLang]

@Flower i get my humalog in Pen cartridges which are perfect for my pump and had no problem when I picked up my prescription on Tuesday. I do find where I live that pharmacists close together can vastly differ with what they can/can’t get. Good luck on Monday.

 

[Lucy Honeychurch]

I got my Novo rapid Pump carts today.It might be worth ringing other local pharmacies to see if they have any, failing that the manfacturer. How worrying for you, the shape of things to come post 'B'

 

[Flower]

Thanks all, I’ll ask for a new prescription from my GPs as my old one is now part issued with 2 vials owing and take it to different pharmacies in town and ask if they have it/can get it. If there’s no joy there I’ll contact Eli Lilly.

 

[DaveB]

Hi. Did you really mean vials and not cartridges? Only a few now use vials instead of pens and that may explain the difficulty in obtaining them. If you can I would ask to be swapped to the use of pens as I'm not aware of any supply problems.

 

[Flower]

I use Humalog from a vial to fill the reservoir in my pump. I’ll try and find out what the problem is tomorrow.

 

[Sally71]

@DaveB - you need vials to fill a pump with, whilst I believe it is possible to fill a pump from a pen cartridge I don't think it's particularly easy, and most people on pumps would not want to swap back to pens, for various reasons. We use Novorapid vials and so far haven't had any problems, so hopefully @Flower will find that it's only a temporary blip and will get sorted soon!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I’m not sure I believe what you were told I’m afraid @Flower . It’s a bit like ‘manufacturing issue’ which has often been said to me over the past decades and which generally means ‘our of stock at the warehouse/supplier - and nothing to do with manufacturing. As that recen released document shows, shortages and hiccups in the supply chain have always happened. And are a bit more noticeable with the ‘just in time’ culture these days. Suppliers don’t have capacity to hold massive stocks

do you have a different pharmacy you can try another time? When Jane was needing lots of meds I never used to hand over the script unless I knew they had whatever it was in stock that we needed immediately. I’m fortunate to have several choices locally, and by and large at least one of them would have whatever it was in.

The insulin manufacturers have been building stocks in case of disruption at the ports, but Brexit hasn’t happened yet, so the ports and flow of goods are unaffected.

 

[Flower]

Thanks @everydayupsanddowns ,I couldn't see why the present political uncertainty should be affecting insulin supplies but there was big queue in the chemists and I couldn't be bothered to discuss further. My prescriptions are sent electronically to the linked pharmacy so I can't ask if the supplies are available in advance. I've spoken to a pharmacy in town who rang the distributors and has ordered 3 vials. Phew. Next job to go and ask for a paper prescription to take to town to the helpful pharmacy. Just getting my coat on! 🙂

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Thanks @everydayupsanddowns ,I couldn't see why the present political uncertainty should be affecting insulin supplies but there was big queue in the chemists and I couldn't be bothered to discuss further. My prescriptions are sent electronically to the linked pharmacy so I can't ask if the supplies are available in advance. I've spoken to a pharmacy in town who rang the distributors and has ordered 3 vials. Phew. Next job to go and ask for a paper prescription to take to town to the helpful pharmacy. Just getting my coat on! 🙂

yes the electronic-only thing can be a bit of a hassle can’t it. I preferred it when they had the actual prescription there that you had to sign (I still get this half the time) - which meant you could ask if everything was in stock and take it somewhere else if necessary!

 

[DaveB]

@DaveB - you need vials to fill a pump with, whilst I believe it is possible to fill a pump from a pen cartridge I don't think it's particularly easy, and most people on pumps would not want to swap back to pens, for various reasons. We use Novorapid vials and so far haven't had any problems, so hopefully @Flower will find that it's only a temporary blip and will get sorted soon!

Apologies for my ignorance of vials for pumps. There's always more to learn!

 

[trophywench]

Apologies for my ignorance of vials for pumps. There's always more to learn!

When I had my first pump in 2009 - it was 25 years since I'd housed an insulin vial in my fridge!

 

[Pumper_Sue]

When I had my first pump in 2009 - it was 25 years since I'd housed an insulin vial in my fridge!

And there's me who has never used a cartridge or seen one in almost 55 years of type 1 diabetes 🙂