Insulin price Philippines increases due to the rise in diabetes patients number.
However, it is still slightly lower compared to other countries. The availability and affordability of insulin in this country insist diabetes patients get an insulin injection here.
People with diabetes cannot produce insulin or the insulin cannot work effectively. This condition leads to increased blood sugar which causes various health problems. You must know the insulin injection price and the procedures before you get one.
What is Insulin?
Insulin is a hormone that has a significant impact on your health. The pancreas produces insulin that stabilizes sugar in the body.
It stores blood sugar in several body parts like the liver, muscles, and fat. It also controls the metabolism process in the body.
Improper insulin function will disturb the glucose-storing process. Another case is the inability of the pancreas to produce insulin, resulting in too high blood sugar increase or too low blood sugar drop.
There is also a condition called insulin resistance when the liver, muscles, and fat cannot respond to insulin well.
Therefore, those body parts cannot take up the glucose well which leads to type 2 diabetes. If you face those conditions, paying a specific insulin price Philippines can help.
Insulin Function
The primary function of insulin is to regulate blood sugar levels in the body. After you consume food, carbohydrates break down into smaller parts called glucose.
It becomes the main source of energy for your body. Glucose will enter the bloodstream and transfer to the body cells to provide energy.
What are the Different Types of Insulin?
Most people only know that those with diabetes require insulin to replace one produced by the pancreas. However, there are five types of insulin diabetes that doctors usually prescribe as follows:
- Rapid-acting insulin: This type affects blood sugar around 15 minutes after pen insulin injection. It optimizes within an hour and continues to work for the rest.
- Short-acting insulin: this type enters the bloodstream around 30 minutes after insulin injection. It optimizes within 2 or 3 hours and remains effective in 3 to 6 hours.
- Long-acting insulin: this type reaches the bloodstream approximately after 1 or 2 hours of injection and remains effective within 24 hours. It does not have optimum time and works similarly to pancreatic insulin.
- Intermediate-acting insulin: this type uses NPH insulin to regulate blood sugar within 10 to 12 hours. NPH is an abbreviation of Neutral Protamine Hagedorn. It highlights a specific protein type, Protamine that slackens the insulin action.
- Combination insulin: this type combines a rapid- or short-acting insulin with intermediate-acting insulin to eliminate the insulin need of more than one bottle.
Insulin Price List in Philippines
Insulin price Philippines varies based on the product dosage. You can discover many insulin products in the market. Most likely, they are available in the form of soluble for injection stored in the vial insulin. Here is the price list of insulin products available in the Philippines.
| No | Product | Price per vial |
| 1 | Regular insulin 10 mL | ₱ 500 |
| 2 | Isophane insulin human 10 mL | ₱ 500 |
| 3 | Biphasic isophane human insulin 10 mL | ₱ 500 |
| 4 | Insuget N 10 mL | ₱ 795 |
| 5 | Tresiba flexpen 3 mL | ₱ 763 |
| 6 | Lantus 10 mL | ₱ 1,650 |
How to Inject Insulin
Numerous people with diabetes can take insulin themselves. They usually inject insulin into their body using a syringe.
To ensure you can take the insulin easily, the doctor often marks the outside of the syringe to show the medication amount inside the needle.
Various size syringes are available and you can discuss with your doctor if you want to take the insulin individually. The doctor will help you to choose the most suitable syringe.
Side Effects of Insulin
There are potential side effects of insulin that can be mild or serious. Some mild side effects after insulin injection may happen like redness, swelling, and itching around the injected site.
You may experience skin changes like thickening or shrinking skin near the injected area.
No worry if you experience mild side effects because they usually go away within a few days or weeks.
However, you must call your doctor immediately if serious side effects happen like severe low blood sugar, low blood potassium, serious allergic reaction, or heart failure.
FAQ
Why is insulin so expensive?
The insulin price Philippines is considerably affordable compared to other countries but insulin prices are still too high for diabetes patients. Some reasons contribute to the expensive insulin price. One of the reasons is the pharmaceutical supply chain complexity.
Another reason affecting the high price of insulin is the minimum of generic substitutions. However, the world diabetes association suggests policy changes to stop continuously rising insulin prices and provide affordable access to insulin for those who need it.
What is an insulin resistance diet?
An insulin-resistance diet is a meal plan specifically formulated for people experiencing insulin resistance, the primary cause of type 2 diabetes.
It consists of foods that can help the body to regulate insulin balance and blood sugar. It combines lean proteins, healthy fats, veggies, and fruits.
Insulin price Philippines are various because it depends on the insulin type and how much dosage you take.
Visit your doctor to undergo examination and further discussion to choose the best insulin type and dosage according to your health condition.
You can ask your doctor about how much insulin cost in Philippines and compare it with insulin prices in other countries. However, if you want a more cost-effective insulin option, Philippines is one of the best options available.
Reference : southstardrug.com, doh.gov.ph
Originally posted 2022-11-11 11:21:00.