Did you know that insulin was discovered one hundred years ago? In 1921, Canadian scientist Frederick Banting identified the medical potential of insulin in diabetes treatment. Since that time, the lives of people who have high blood sugar levels have drastically changed. Namely, their life expectancy has increased, as well as their standard of living. Let’s go over insulin from Canada.
These days, around 7.5 million diabetics in the U.S. are dependent on a regular intake of insulin. Interestingly enough, a lot of them order it from Canada, mainly because it costs cheaper there.
But why is it so? And, is it legal to buy insulin from Canada? Well, go through this article and figure out everything you need to know before buying insulin from Canada.
What Is Insulin and What Does It Have to Do with Diabetes?
Above anything else, let us briefly define the notion of insulin. In simple terms, it is a hormone that regulates the way your body transforms glucose into energy.
Here is how it works:
- Your pancreas produces insulin;
- Meanwhile, the food you intake supplies your body with glucose that enters your blood;
- Insulin assists your body in transferring the above-mentioned glucose from your blood to your cells;
- Cells store glucose and transform it into energy.
Therefore, insulin is extremely important when it comes to the way processes within your body function. However, one of the two following health conditions might occur sometimes:
- Your body produces a very small amount of insulin or does not produce it at all;
- Your body manages insulin in the inappropriate way.
Both above-mentioned cases oftentimes lead to hyperglycemia, a main symptom of diabetes that is characterized by high blood glucose levels. In case of having diabetes, you will most probably need to take special diabetes medications.
Is Insulin the Main Diabetes Medication?
These days, diabetes might be managed by the intake of either insulin or its analog. Therefore, insulin is the main option to manage diabetes as of now.
Thus, insulin injections belong to the most efficient ways of treating diabetes. They might be performed with the help of:
- A vial and a syringe;
- A pump (external or implantable);
- A special pen (either pre-filled or reusable);
- An inhaler;
- Etc.
Insulin might be divided into several types, all of them having their individual properties when it comes to their:
- Onset;
- Peak;
- Duration;
- Concentration;
- Delivery route.
Here is the list of main types of insulin:
- Rapid-acting insulin;
- Short-acting insulin (or, as it is sometimes called, regular insulin);
- Intermediate-acting insulin;
- Long-acting insulin;
- Mixed insulin.
The most well-known insulin brands are:
- Humalog, Novolog, and Apidra (rapid-acting insulin);
- Novolin (short-acting insulin);
- NPH (intermediate-acting insulin);
- Basaglar, Levemir, Tresiba (long-acting insulin);
- Humulin 70/30, Novolin 70/30, Novolog 70/30 (mixed insulin).
Please note that only certified health care practitioners should define what type and brand of insulin to use in your individual case. Therefore, make sure to consult with them before ordering insulin.
Where Can You Buy Insulin?
You have a number of options when it comes to places where you can buy Canadian insulin, namely:
- A local pharmacy;
- An online store.
As a side note: Please take into account that, no matter whether you would like to buy insulin for your family member or for your individual needs, you will most probably need to provide valid prescriptions from your health care practitioners.
Both above-mentioned options of buying insulin have their own benefits and drawbacks. For instance:
- If you buy insulin at a local pharmacy, you won’t need to wait for it to be delivered to you;
- If you place your insulin order online, you will be able to save some money in most cases.
Moreover, you might either buy insulin locally or order it from abroad. For example, there is an option to buy insulin from Canada even if you live in the U.S., as it might cost less there.
Why Is Canadian Insulin Cheaper than American Insulin?
In most cases, Canadian insulin has a lower price if compared to the U.S. one. The main reason for it is that the Canadian government has the power to regulate drug prices.
Here is how it works:
- Canadian review board (which is a special institution that does food and drug administration in Canada) decides on a reasonable and affordable price for a certain drug;
- Based on the above-mentioned decision, Canadian pharmacists regulate their price for that particular drug and make sure that it is not too high.
This principle, however, does not work in the same way in the U.S. Therefore, Canada offers lower-cost insulin if compared to its “southern neighbor.”
As a side note: The principle of rationing insulin that Canada uses has made the drug much more affordable for diabetics with a low income. Due to the fact that a life of a person who lives with diabetes depends on insulin (no matter how much money they earn), its Canadian costs are called “life-saving prices.”
Is It Legal to Buy Insulin from Canadian Pharmacies?
The question of whether it is legal to buy insulin from Canadian pharmacies if you are a U.S. citizen is rather dubious:
- On the one hand, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration watches out for purchasing medications from Canada;
- On the other hand, however, it is legal for Canadian pharmacies to deliver medications to the U.S.
Moreover, this “technically illegal” option to buy medications from Canada has been “decriminalized” by the following regulation: a person in the U.S. might import a less than a three-month supply of drugs for personal use from Canada.
Therefore, it is legal to get a less than three-month supply of insulin shipped from Canada in case it will be administered for personal use.
Thus, you might order insulin products from a Canadian prescription referral service and, as a result, benefit from reasonable prices.
A Bottom Line
All in all, there are three main things you need to know before buying insulin from Canada. Firstly, you will most probably need to have a valid prescription from your doctor to purchase insulin to regulate your high blood sugar levels. Secondly, insulin in Canada will have a lower price than in the U.S. in most cases. Thirdly, it is legal to get insulin and other pharmaceuticals delivered to you from Canada if they will be applied for personal usage.
So, how about ordering insulin from Canada and, therefore, benefiting from reasonable savings on every single vial of needed drugs?
P.S. The safety of a pharmaceutical is a top priority of every person. Therefore, order insulin only from a reliable supplier who is known for providing prompt and courteous service tailored for your satisfaction.
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