Generic Name: Afrezza (insulin-inhalation-rapid-acting)
Afrezza Reviews
For Diabetes, Type 1 "Afrezza is truly a remarkable therapy. My levels are flat, my postprandial highs are done away with. It seems to mimic the pancreas and gets into my system fast and expires within an hour. My energy levels increased, I use it with my basal insulin, and I have never felt as healthy in my life. I have better feelings in my hands and feet too, which was unexpected but welcome. I am based in the UK currently and cannot get it here. This is a huge disappointment as injectable insulin is so inferior."
For Diabetes, Type 1 "My doctor was reluctant to switch me from Humalog to Afrezza but did after I insisted I wanted to try inhaling over scaring myself 4 times a day. After a simple spirometer blow test, I got the green light. I learned to take my inhalation literally right before eating because Afrezza works that well. My doctor said it's because my body does not need to break down the zinc first. After using Afrezza for 4 months, I can honestly say this has transformed my life. I carry it with me so discreetly, no more going to dirty bathrooms to inject myself if on a date. My A1C has dropped from 8.4 to 7.1, and I lost 12 lbs. My doctor says simply because I'm finally in control. Thank you Afrezza! I still have to take 12u of Lantus at bedtime, but that's easy."
For Diabetes, Type 1 "I'm impressed with the change I have seen since using Afrezza. I have been using it for about 4 months. I dropped my basal dose down, and I feel 30 years younger. I used to get frequent highs and lows before, I often felt scatterbrained and/or sluggish, and now that's gone! I used to have bad erectile dysfunction, I won't get into the details, but since starting Afrezza, I haven't had any problems anymore. I feel better than I have in years. You take for granted that it's normal to feel that way until you don't anymore. I wouldn't give this stuff up for a million dollars."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "Those who are complaining that this is not working are likely Afrezza's competitors. I'm 6 ft, 170 lbs well and reasonably fit. I've genetic type-2 diabetes (every male member in my family has it). Was on metformin, but my body started to develop resistance towards the drug. I hate needles, so Afrezza was a godsend for me. I took a simple spirometric test and was prescribed the drug. This drug is phenomenal. One cartridge is 4 u, I typically need 4 u along with regular food, and I'm all set. Blood sugar is within normal levels within the next 90 mins. Please don't spread bad news if you are a competitor. You are playing with people's lives here."
For Diabetes, Type 1 "I just started Afrezza, my PCP recommended it. Honestly, Afrezza saved my life, again, mentally and physically. I am now able to control my A1c levels without the stress of multiple injections. Thank you, J."
For Diabetes, Type 1 "Think Afrezza works great. Only been on it two months. My CGM says average blood is at 130, compared to 160. I would say it would be better if I timed it better. Only knock would be overnight when you eat things that are fatty, takes a lot longer to break down. Have to take 2 doses overnight to lower it down. When I say lower, it's at 198 steady. Haven't had a BG over 220 in 2 months."
For Diabetes, Type 1 "There is no medication that will work with 100% accuracy. And this one is the same, I truly hate needles, and this has definitely helped me to keep my levels normal with less poking at my skin. You have no idea how hard it is to have diabetes and hate injections."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I feel great since starting Afrezza three months ago. You get so used to the lows and the brain fog from high doses of the long-acting injections that you forget what it feels like to feel normal. I cut down my basal, and now I only get what I need. I haven't had a low or even felt one coming on in months. I've lost 5 lbs and got back the stamina I had 20 years ago. Starting Afrezza changed my life."
For Diabetes, Type 1 "I can understand some of the confusion people have on this product. From my perspective, it is unusable as the sole source of insulin. It seems negative reviews are trying to do just that. However, if you pair its use with a pump and use exclusively for corrections and/or carb heavy meals, it is a huge improvement to the manageability of my type 1 (I imagine most type 1's can relate to those times when you screw up a carb estimate, and it normally takes hours to normalize again. With Afrezza, it is resolved in an hour)."
For Diabetes, Type 1 "I have used different insulins over my 26 years started with MDI, then the pump, added Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM). Now the combination of pump, CGM, and afrezza I really feel like control is within reach. Only been using afrezza for a couple of weeks but the control, immediate onset, and predictability are very encouraging. Part of the learning curve I wasn't prepared for was the quick fall off, now I split dosing between liquid and inhaled insulin. I thought closed loop was the next best thing for T1Ds that was before. Now Afrezza will be part of my regular regime, just need to get my insurance to agree!"
For Diabetes, Type 1 "If I had to guess, 90% of the positive reviews on here are written by stock shareholders of this product. Because if they were actual users they'd realize how inaccurate and inconsistent dosing is which makes this drug essentially useless. Too many factors effect the dosing of this drug which is not good when dosing a medication such as insulin which can easily kill you if taken too much of."
For Diabetes, Type 1 "Middle of the road so far. Agree that this is expensive. I am using with pump therapy to counter those quick spikes after a meal and combine this with a normal or extended bolus. Overall A1Cs range from 5.9% - 6.4% and this is being used to fine tune."
For Diabetes, Type 1 "I tried the Afrezza system out thinking it was going to be great with how fast it works, not having to inject anymore, and not having lows (quotes from the sales person). How all of those points are so wrong. The product is awful. I had to inhale twice per meal ( which means I had to check my blood sugar more often) 2 hours apart. Plus I still had to inject for my long acting insulin. Also before I did my second inhale my BG's would be in the low 40's 2 hours after I ate, and then 1 hour later my Bg's were up in the 300s, since the insulin stays in your body for only 2 hours. My A1C before using it was 6.2 and after 1 month of using Afrezza (not Humilog) went up to 6.7. I highly don't recommend using this product."
For Diabetes, Type 1 "I was a test patient for the inhaled insulin. Beware it caused severe lung problems putting me in the hospital for 2 days & required treatment for two years! Still have lung inflammation issues 6 years later. Review their side effects warnings about potential lung issues - it is real."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "All the positive reviews on here are written by paidpeople and MNKD shareholders. Afrezza isn't being prescribed because it's an expensive drug with unknown long term effects on the lungs. Proceed with caution"
For Diabetes, Type 2 "A bit of a pain as it was not explained properly. Having not been on insulin I had nothing to compare the dose to. Educator did not explain that after taking the dose to adjust to your optimum number you also adjust for the food you are about to eat. Whole first month almost a bust. The AIC did go down slightly. They dismissed the issues I raised that involved my throat and convinced me to go another month. Also, not sure they are all Quality Controlled. Some of the same dose feel like like nothing in them. It is confusing and not easy to keep track of how much you used to adjust for every time you eat something. I had a coupon, first month free. Copay after that is $15.00 per pack."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "Biggest problem is that dosing is too erratic. Can't be dosed like typical injectable insulin. Unusable in my case with a cold or other respiratory infection. Although it saves you an injection, it actually causes more finger pricks as you don't know if you are using a correct dose."
For Diabetes, Type 1 "I have been on the pump for 21 years. For various reasons, my doctor suggested I try going on tresiba and afrezza for the summer so after discussing it I gave it a try. Afrezza works great for dropping blood sugars very fast, which was the biggest benefit. However, the last month or so I have developed asthma symptoms and am short of breath when I am active. It takes me a long time to catch my breath after moderate activity and a cough begins as well. I visited my endocrinologist again and he pulled me off afrezza immediately. I am hoping the shortness of breath goes away as I have no prior symptoms of lung problems. If it doesn't go away shortly I will have to begin using an inhaler. Users be aware of side affects!!!!!"
For Diabetes, Type 2 "Where do I begin? The product is extremely expensive and dosing is erratic. One meal I need 4 units and the next I might need 8 (did I mention this stuff isn't cheap?). Causes a nagging cough (you are inhaling a powder into your lungs). Long term side effects on the lungs are unknown at this point (lung cancer noted in a couple of patients using Afrezza). Not worth the hassle nor the money"
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I can't stop coughing. Like really can't stop coughing for the whole day I take this. I feel like my lungs are filled with powder, which my doctor says they pretty much are. Not using again. It's also really expensive."
For Diabetes, Type 1 "Well, I have been using this with Levemir, and before a week ago, with Humulin R. This week, I completely cut the regular insulin injections and have used only Afrezza. For the very first time, my sugars are mostly within the normal range. This is truly amazing, as now, because they are discontinuing Levemir, I'm going on the pump as I cannot use any other basal insulin. I almost don't want the pump, but I remember the severe cold-like symptoms Tresiba and Lantus gave me. I am astounded at how flat my sugars are now. Afrezza caused me no breathing problems. I don't want to give up Afrezza now that I see how truly wonderful it is. I used to use it maybe once every couple of days and was not impressed. Even when I had my sugars as high as 500, I'd inject regular insulin because I'm so used to it. No more. I've only been taking 2 shots a day now, amazing what happens when you completely get rid of Humalog and regular insulin. Waking up at normal levels, not 530 or so, and staying normal. Amazing."
For Diabetes, Type 1 "This stuff is almost completely useless. Forget about using it as a mealtime insulin. You'll end up using several cartridges spaced 45 minutes to an hour apart to keep your blood sugar from rising out of range. And if you wait too long, your blood sugar will rise to the point that a next dosage becomes completely ineffective. Sometimes, even this doesn't work. Increasing the dosage from 8u to 12u didn't solve the issue at all. The 12u does only as much work as the 8u. As a type 1 diabetic who's suffering with severe lipohypertrophy, this is my second line of defence as a treatment option. Very disappointing that this stuff doesn't work like it claims to."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "Bad and uncomfortable cough. Inconsistent results. Sometimes active after 30 minutes. Sometimes an hour. Drug seems safe short term but questionable for long term use. Pharmacy and dealing with uninformed Afrezza reps is whacko."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "Excellent! Works very well. You have to figure out how much time before the meal you should take it which enables you to get the best results. My A1C is now 6.4 and holding there. I have been taking Afrezza since when it was first approved."
For Diabetes, Type 1 "This is a terrible drug and I caution everyone who is thinking of using it to do research on the FDA Website for adverse reactions because I will soon be submitting multiple ones to them. My son is T1 for 24 yrs now & in the hospital now for brain surgery as a result of his most recent low blood sugar because of using Afrezza that resulted in severe hypoglycemia, seizures and brain bleeds as a result of the seizures. This drug is difficult to dose & MOST IMPORTANTLY leaves very little room to catch a declining blood sugar & subsequent severe hypoglycemic reaction. It acts so quickly that by the time you realize you need juice or glucose you are already seizing. The claim that the body’s natural glycogen will kick in to save you is totally FALSE. I’m not sure how the FDA approved the drug. This is not the first time he is in the hospital for Afrezza hypoglycemia issues either, just the most serIous. Please please save yourself from this drug and DO NOT USE IT."
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