Which CGM is Best? Our Community on Continuous Glucose Monitors

The steady glucose monitor (CGM) has undoubtedly change into the diabetes sport changer. When it involves monitoring your blood sugar effortlessly and regularly, fingersticks merely can’t evaluate. The units could be costly, relying on your insurance coverage protection, however having this fixed stream of knowledge may also help you tighten your general administration and enhance each your A1C and Time In Range. 

Not positive which CGM is best for you? Here is a fast rundown of the continual glucose screens out there on the market.

The Competitors

Dexcom G6

Dexcom’s present mannequin, the Dexcom G6, is in all probability essentially the most profitable CGM ever launched. This is the machine that satisfied many individuals with diabetes that CGM expertise has lastly been achieved proper. Many of the perfect options of the G6 have been by no means seen earlier than. Let’s evaluation among the options:

• The sensor is inserted with a straightforward one-button applicator
• Glucose information is robotically transmitted to a smartphone, smartwatch, or Dexcom receiver each 5 minutes
• The Dexcom sounds alarms for each high and low blood sugar readings, and alarm threshholds could be customized.
• Glucose information doesn’t simply point out your blood sugar degree, but additionally traits. It predicts in case your blood sugar will proceed to rise or fall.
• You may also transmit your blood sugar information remotely to caretakers and family members – a godsend for folks (and college nurses).
• It could be worn for 10 days (although some have hacked the machine to increase it)

The G6 is additionally in all probability the main CGM for interoperability: the flexibility to sync it with different units. It’s due to this fact the selection for many loopers.

Keep your eyes open for the discharge of the Dexcom G7, which shall be even smaller and simpler to make use of. It’s anticipated to debut someday in 2022.

FreeModel Libre 2

For a number of years, virtually everybody agreed that the Dexcom G6 was the perfect CGM on the market. But with the discharge of Abbott’s latest mannequin, the FreeModel Libre 2, there’s now some severe competitors for that title.

The new Libre 2 provides a lot of the game-changing options that when set the G6 aside, and truly beats it in different methods. Here are the main points:

• The Libre 2 additionally has customizable high and low blood sugar alarms
• It additionally has a straightforward one-button sensor utility
• Glucose information is displayed on both a Libre receiver or a wise machine
• The Libre 2 additionally reveals upward and downward glucose traits
• The LibreLinkUp app robotically sends glucose information to distant customers

One main distinction is that the Libre 2 is, strictly talking, a flash glucose monitor. Your receiver or sensible machine doesn’t robotically obtain information from the sensor – it’s essential bodily scan the sensor by holding your machine inside 1.5 inches of it for about one second. (Low and excessive blood sugar alarms, nevertheless, will sound with out scanning).

But the Libre boasts a number of large options that Dexcom can’t compete with but:

• The sensor lasts 14 days
• The sensor is the smallest on the market, concerning the dimension of 1 / 4

The Libre 2 additionally tends to be cheaper than the G6.

Medtronic Guardian Sensor three

The Medtronic Guardian Sensor three is the least talked-about of the most important CGM programs. Most customers of the system buy it to make use of in live performance with the MiniMed 670G and the 630G insulin pump programs. To be trustworthy, except you’re utilizing a kind of Medtronic pumps in a loop system, only a few of our group members would advocate the CGM.

It has a number of particular drawbacks. It is not FDA-approved for therapy selections, which means that earlier than you make a blood glucose choice (like dosing insulin) in response to the Guardian Sensor information, you’re supposed to substantiate with a fingerstick. It’s additionally not authorized for kids beneath 14, and the sensor solely lasts 7 days. For extra particulars, take a look at our article on the tech.

The Eversense XL CGM System

A singular possibility that most individuals with diabetes are unfamiliar with, the Eversense CGM system makes use of an implantable sensor that sits beneath the pores and skin for as much as 90 days. You do must put on a relatively cumbersome transmitter on prime of the sensor implant, though it may be eliminated and changed with ease.

Eversense virtually went beneath in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic (it wasn’t an excellent time for a product that requires a visit to the physician’s workplace each 90 days), nevertheless it was rescued by one other enterprise and is now again on the market.

The Eversense CGM shares lots of the options of the normal CGMs. It provides excessive and low blood sugar alerts, it beams its information to your smartphone, and it permits distant customers to watch blood sugar readings. The transmitter additionally vibrates throughout alarms, which is each extra discrete and means you don’t have to have your smartphone inside earshot to learn from the alert system.

Users could or could not just like the Eversense sensor and transmitter setup. The cumbersome transmitters stick onto your physique for about someday – they should be eliminated commonly for re-charging and to use a brand new adhesive. However, it’s good to know that the sensor received’t get knocked off by a door body, and if you wish to take away the transmitter briefly, it’s straightforward to take action.

The system additionally requires two fingerstick calibrations per day.

The Eversense is actually the brand new child on the block. When we requested followers for his or her opinions on CGMs, not a single person who had tried the Eversense responded. You can discover critiques of the system elsewhere, reminiscent of this one from our companions at BeyondType1. If you’ve used the Eversense CGM, we’d love to listen to your ideas!

How to Try a CGM for Free:

We know that, sadly, many people are on the mercy of complicated medical health insurance plans. It’s potential that one CGM shall be considerably cheaper than one other for you, which can tie your fingers – that is, in the event you’re fortunate sufficient to have protection for a CGM to start with. We additionally know that it will possibly appear almost unimaginable to seek out out out of your insurance coverage how a lot medical gear will truly price you.

The main CGM producers perceive how irritating the system is, and have made an effort to get samples of their merchandise into your fingers with out loads of pink tape.

Dexcom will ship you a free pattern by its Hello Dexcom program.

And Abbott will ship you a free pattern by its MyFreeModel program.

Medtronic will even ship you a free pattern by its Guardian Connect analysis program.

Which CGM is Best? Here’s What Our Community Thinks

I believe it’s truthful to say that almost all of our readers desire the Dexcom G6 (and that they actually, actually don’t just like the Medtronic Guardian Sensor three). If there was a single most consultant remark, it was this one:

“I hated Medtronic, liked Freestyle, love Dexcom.”

Many consider that Dexcom is the gold customary. They usually desire the actual fact you don’t want to scan the sensor:

“I​​ love the Dexcom! I like that I can see it on my Apple Watch and cellphone with out having to scan it just like the Libre.”

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“I’m presently utilizing Dexcom G6. I like that it shows on my Apple Watch and offers me alarms. I additionally get pleasure from not having to scan it and that it lasts (for me) with out points for 10 days.

Some values Dexcom’s superior interoperability:

“I personally desire Dexcom as a result of it is much more suitable with different apps and pumps. I personally have had far fewer points than after I used Libre. Libre wouldn’t final the total 14 days I believe primarily due to how lively I’m.”

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“I love my Dexcom 6 because I loop with Omnipod, which has been life-changing.”

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“Dexcom + the Sugarmate app changed my life.”

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“There are pros & cons to each. I went from Libre to Dexcom primarily for a closed-loop system with Tandem. The extra adhesive perimeter is a plus with Dexcom. It’s beyond me why Libre didn’t consider that, especially when you wear their sensors for 14 days.”

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“Dexcom connects to my phone and Garmin Forerunner 945. This is great when you are training.”

But not everybody agrees! The Dexcom’s bigger dimension and price acquired a justifiable share of criticism:

“I dislike the wonky readings the primary 24 hours, I discover it to be barely bulkier than different CGMs, and I get compression lows If I sleep on my Dexcom.”

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“I started with the Dexcom and found it to be too intrusive and uncomfortable. I love, love, love the Libre 2! Can’t go wrong with either though. Game changer for us!”

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“Libre to Libre 2 all the way. However, with the smaller G7 coming out we are going to give it a shot. The direct to watch is what we’re excited about.  My son hated the other Dexcom, said they were uncomfortable and painful to insert.”

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“I used Dexcom for years and it was obnoxious and obtrusive (to not point out $$$$). I switched to Libre2 and I like this little factor a lot greater than Dexcom. It’s straightforward to make use of, comparatively cheap, lasts perpetually, it matches into MY life (no alarm fatigue!), I’ve by no means had one fail (in three years), and numbers have been actually correct for me based mostly on lab check outcomes. Love it!

I’m within the US and with the assistance of a third celebration app, my libre 2 information is collected by Bluetooth and transmitted to my cellphone. Easier than Dexcom, out there on the pharmacy, and cheaper by far. And I do know there is a lot dispute, however my sensors are all the time dead-on correct.”

Libre customers are additionally excited concerning the upgrades that got here with the Libre 2:

“I’ve only ever used the Libre Freestyle and Libre 2.  They were both effective tools but I preferred the Libre 2 as it had better accuracy and I like the high/low glucose alarms.”

The poor Medtronic system actually got here in for a beating:

Dexcom G6. I’ve a Medtronic one and hated it. Alarmed on a regular basis, was usually off, and so forth. Love my Dexcom”

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“Dexcom is SO much better than Medtronic. But SO expensive.”

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“I started with Medtronic and happily changed to Dexcom. More accurate, feels more secure on my arm… looks better too and lasts longer than the Medtronic did.”

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“I started with Medtronic and I didn’t like it. It always went off and never got any sleep with it on. Then I switched over to Dexcom and have had no problems.” 

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“I love the Dexcom G6 that I have right now. I have used Medtronic’s CGM that worked with their pump before and did not like it anywhere near as much as the Dexcom. The Dexcom is much more accurate and reliable and I have not had any problems with the Dexcom staying in place as I did with the Medtronic one.”

Finally, we most valued the opinions of these which might be acquainted with all three:

“I wore the Guardian Sensor by Medtronic for 3 years before I agreed to give the Dexcom G6 a try. I wore them side by side for 6 weeks before I conceded. I had been a loyal Medtronic customer. Been with Dex for nearly two years.  Management has never been better. I helped my type 2 stepmom get started on the Libre and she liked it. But after seeing my graphs on the Clarity app, she decided to give the Dexcom a try. In 6 months her a1c is 6.6.”

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“I used Medtronic, Libre, and now Dexcom. I disliked Medtronic but it was what I had to start with. It started getting really twitchy near the end before I switched to Libre. For the Libre, I really liked the low cost, the long wear time, and the accuracy. I disliked having to scan to get numbers but it wasn’t bad … Have been on Dexcom/tSlim now for about a month and absolutely LOVE it! I find it pretty accurate. Love having the alarms again (mostly – lol). I just wished my insurance covered a larger chunk of my costs for supplies.”

Takeaways

There you will have it. The Dexcom is in all probability the king, however it may be very costly and a few discover the sensor too cumbersome. The FreeModel Libre 2 requires annoying handbook scanning, however customers love how slim it is, that it lasts 14 days, and the decrease price. (And as for the Medtronic Guardian system, the much less mentioned, the higher).

We hope that the ideas and opinions of different group members allow you to to determine which CGM is best for you!

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Read extra about 630G, 670G, A1c, Abbott, Apple, steady glucose monitor (CGM), Dexcom, eversense, freestyle, insulin, insulin pumps, Intensive administration, libre, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), Medtronic, Omnipod, sensenoics, Tandem, Tandem t:slim, U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).