If You’re Tired of Injections, Try This Insulin Patch
Editor’s Note: Educational content related to insulin patch technology is made possible with support from CeQur Simplicity, an active partner at the time of publication. Editorial control rests solely on Beyond Type 1.
“When I see new diabetes technology, I ask myself, ‘Where does it shine?’” said Jennifer Okemah, MS, RD, BCADM, CDCES, CSSD, from Salute Nutrition near Seattle, WA.
She admits she was skeptical of the CeQur Simplicity insulin patch at first.
“I quickly realized the shine of this insulin patch technology is how basic it is,” said Okemah.
Worn on your abdomen for up to three days, this ultra-thin patch requires just an easy squeeze of two small buttons to deliver insulin in 2-unit increments.
“When I show this insulin patch to my patients, their first reaction is usually, ‘Really? All I have to do is squeeze the buttons to take my insulin? That’s it?’” Okemah explained.
“It’s about simplicity. There are so many high-tech diabetes options out there, but the simplicity of this insulin patch is exactly what many people want.”
If you tend to skip your mealtime insulin
For people with any type of diabetes who don’t like taking injections in public, the discretion of squeezing buttons to dose insulin can be a true game-changer. You can even squeeze those buttons through the fabric of your shirt. With its super thin profile, this patch is probably the most discreet insulin-delivery system on the market.
Okemah said she realized that this patch technology could serve a remarkable number of her patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who were missing mealtime insulin doses via injection.
Reasons you might miss mealtime insulin doses include:
- Not comfortable taking injections in public
- Aren’t able to easily keep an insulin pen with you
- Don’t like having to carry an insulin pen with you
- Have a hard time remembering to take your insulin
“If you need help taking your mealtime insulin for whatever reason, CeQur could work for you,” said Okemah.
Where Cequr Simplicity has room for improvement
In the future, Okemah hopes CeQur adds a broader variety of patch colors to their options—at the moment, there is just one light skin tone version.
“We need to make sure everyone feels included,” stressed Okemah. “I also hope they develop a feature that will tell the user how much insulin is left in the patch. On day three of wearing a patch, you need to keep track of how much insulin you probably have left.”
Lastly, Okemah wishes there was an option to dose just one unit of insulin instead of two for people who are very sensitive to insulin and require smaller doses.
Take your insulin with just a few “clicks”
Okemah says CeQur dramatically improves a patient’s ability to reach their A1c and time-in-range goals because they’re taking mealtime insulin they weren’t taking consistently before.
“I talk to my patients about insulin with the patch in terms of ‘clicks because the patch buttons make an audible click sound when you squeeze them,’” said Okemah when she starts a patient on the CeQur Simplicity insulin patch.
“For example, based on a patient’s estimated insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio, I’ll help them learn that they need two clicks for—two clicks for a plain bowl of oatmeal or four clicks for his flavored oatmeal. We talk about dosing for meals in terms of clicks. They don’t have to keep track of anything else.”
A week later, Okemah meets with the patient again to discuss how things are going.
“They’ll say, ‘Wow, I have so much more energy and I don’t need to pee all the time,’” recalled Okemah. “Another patient who has a very active job in a shipping fulfillment center didn’t have time to take injections. Using this insulin patch, she said, ‘I can’t believe this, I have so much more energy at work.’”
If the patient wears a CGM, Okemah will take a look with her patients at their time-in-range data over a week.
“I just let them look at it for a little while and process the changes they’re seeing the graphs compared to before,” explained Okemah.
“We compare week one using CeQur and getting insulin with your meals to the week without CeQur. They can see the difference right there on the screen—it’s just a matter of taking insulin when they weren’t taking it otherwise with other options. It’s the simplicity of not having to pull out that insulin pen and take an injection.”
Whenever you start taking insulin, Okemah stresses that it’s critical to learn about the signs of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and get a prescription for emergency glucagon from your doctor.
Quick Facts: CeQur Simplicity insulin patch
Here are a quick need-to-know facts about the CeQur Simplicity insulin patch:
- FDA-cleared for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes aged 21 years and older
- FDA-cleared to be worn on your abdomen for up to three days
- Meets your meal-bolus and correction dose insulin needs
- Each squeeze of the buttons delivers two units of rapid-acting insulin
- Holds up to 200 units of insulin, with a minimum of 100 units
- Uses Humalog or Novolog insulin
- Can be used in conjunction with injections of long-acting/background insulin
- Water-resistant—can be worn in water as deep as one meter for up to 30 minutes
- Insulin-containing devices should not be worn in hot tubs, jacuzzis, etc.
- The need for simultaneous squeezing of both buttons prevents accidental dosing
- Makes it easier to remember to take your insulin
- Covered by most insurance plans and Medicare
- Zero batteries, zero apps, zero accessories
- Discreet, ultra-thin and comfortable
Talk to your doctor about trying the CeQur Simplicity insulin patch to see if it can help you manage your insulin needs!
