FOR US RESIDENTS ONLY
You may have diabetes, but that’s only part of the story. There are goals to achieve, dinners to savor, loved ones to enjoy — and yes, maybe even a workout or two to master. It can all be a bit overwhelming. So here you’ll find some resources, tools and tips to help you manage your overall diabetes.
Resources if you’re new to insulin
Why Insulin,Hear From People Taking Toujeo,About Injecting,Nutrition and Fitness,Talk It Out
1665947870556923883,1665948202714426209,1665948334702859798,1665948406175834801,1665948516738817190
View Video Transcript
I’m starting insulin. Is it my fault?
It might not be your fault. While a lot about diabetes is unpredictable, you can count on it changing even if you’re doing your best. Let TeamingUp for Diabetes break down 3 important steps of how your body responds to diabetes over time.
See the StepsHelp if you’re already on insulin
To check feet, try a hand mirror
Did you know that a diabetic ulcer is different from a cut? They often appear on your feet and can quickly turn serious. That’s why doctors suggest looking at your feet daily. Make it easy by placing a hand mirror on the ground, and give your feet a quick once-over.
My doctor wants to change my treatment. Why is that?
It’s not just you, it’s also your diabetes. Even when you’re taking diabetes medication and following your doctor’s recommendation for healthy eating and exercise, your blood sugar may become harder to manage. Learn more about why your medication may need to change to keep up with your body.
Tools you can use
A1C and Daily Blood Sugar Calculator
Both your A1C and your blood sugar levels are important. A1C measures average blood sugar levels over the past 2-3 months. So it’s a great way to track how your diabetes is being controlled over time. See how these two numbers are related.
To find your personal average blood sugar level:
This calculator is not a replacement for an A1C test in your doctor’s office, and the results should not be used to make therapy decisions.
Source: ADA - Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes
Blood Sugar Log
It is important to keep track of your blood sugar levels and your insulin dose by following the schedule worked out with your doctor. Use our Blood Sugar Log to help and share it with your doctor.
Support. Powered by TeamingUp
TeamingUp for Diabetes is all about giving you information so you can take on your diabetes in the smartest way possible. Think of it as your source for tips, facts, fresh ideas, and more.
Find out what you can do with the right team behind you at TeamingUp for Diabetes.
Get questions to ask your doctor
Be prepared for your next doctor visit with our downloadable thought starters.
Get QuestionsWith the Toujeo Savings Card, eligible patients can save on their prescription. Terms & Restrictions Apply.*
See Savings OfferIf I Knew Then Video Transcript
ERRON JAY: More often than not, fear can be due to a lack of information. It’s true in life and it’s also true when you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes. When someone mentions they have questions and may be a little nervous about insulin, I’m sympathetic, but I’m also going to dig in and find out what they’re concerned about. In this week’s “If I Knew Then What I Know Now,” we’ll meet JoAnn, a mother and grandmother who learned how to overcome her fears and take control of her diabetes.
JOANN: If I knew then what I know now, I would have taken insulin sooner. Because you feel better sooner, and you have more control. They made it like it was a last resort. You take this and you have really messed up, and that’s not true. Like certain diseases run in different families, and for me it’s like, “Who doesn't have diabetes?” you know? ‘Cause now it’s affecting my cousins, my first cousins and all, because our parents and grandparents. Even though the family history was there, nobody was really taking care of themselves or really understood what it was and was doing what they were supposed to do. So, needless to say, I kind of did the same thing for six years.
Look at my daughter, how cute…and she, too, now has type 2 diabetes, and she has an 8-year-old. But she went totally all out as to make sure he eats healthy. Her experience is totally different because he didn’t get anything sweet until he was a year old – a piece of cake. If I knew then what I know now, I’d tell her, “You’re going to be the one that has the child that breaks the cycle.”
And I’m proud to say…I helped her, yes. You're gonna have to make changes…and they’re not hard. It’s things that we should be doing anyway. …you know, It’s like taking on a new project. Do 60 percent, 70 percent. Get up to at least 80 percent to where you’re doing 80 percent right. Let’s hit the ground running with the education. Let’s change the way we’re eating.
Traditionally, being African-American, we go all out for the holidays, all right. You have a dessert table, the food. Do you need four or five meats? No. Do you need the chocolate cake, banana pudding, peach cobbler? Hecks no. What I did, I skipped the food and had all the desserts. So if I knew then what I know now, I would eat first, and then I’d have a little bit. Because we can have a little bit. You just cannot have a lot.
If I knew then what I know now, insulin would be one of the things that I would take. One of the tools that I would choose to use to help me with my diabetes. It’s gonna be a tool that you can take out of that toolbox and use. It’s gonna be one of your lifesavers. Not your only one, but one of them. Now, of course, that’s not a miracle, that if you do this, you don't have to do anything else. You still have to eat healthy, you still have to exercise. I may ride a bike, I may lay on the floor pretendin’ like I’m doing yoga. I say pretendin’ because I don't know whether I’m doing it right or not. I’m doing it with the DVD. But I’m doing stuff.
We have a disease, but if you do what you’re supposed to do, you will be fine. Because look at me. I’m 68, I’m still here and I’m doing it.
© 2018 sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC.
All rights reserved. SAUS.TJO.18.01.0338
If I Knew Then Video Transcript
ERRON JAY: One of the great things about life is that we generally get smarter the older we get. You know more today, than you did yesterday, right? That’s also true for those of us diagnosed with diabetes. In this segment of “If I Knew Then, What I Know Now,” we’ll meet Reggie, who began his diabetes journey early in life, and hear what he’s learned about good routines along the way.
REGGIE: If I had known what I know now back then, I would say that you will have a more than a normal life. You can do all things. You could go swimming, you could play football, you could travel. You can enjoy a birthday party. You will enjoy a birthday party.
Don’t ignore your diabetes. Don’t ignore the management of your diabetes. I know you want to be normal, but seek out education, seek out a management plan to control your diabetes. I know you want to party. You want to go and work and go to school, but take time out to understand what’s going on within.
Our father was a community coach. He coached many children in the community: basketball, football, other sports – track and field. And when Park and Rec came, we were in line with the other kids, not knowing that our father was at the table and said, “Son, you can’t play football.” You know you always want to be accepted by your father. The acceptance wasn’t there.
When I was diagnosed, Mama decided to send me off to diabetes camp. Because Mom and Dad, they did not know how to deal with, or did not know anything of diabetes. Because I didn’t know what to expect at first. But just being around a group of people who had diabetes who was dealing with many, many things, I wasn’t the abnormal, sickly child. I became someone special. I was amongst a support group and they were able to explain to me and educate me.
When I got back from, uh, diabetes camp, um, I learned so much I couldn't help but share it with others. I wish I knew what I know now when I was 19. I would eat one meal a day thinking that my blood sugars would not spike or go up, but it had the adverse effect. It wasn’t helping me; it was hurting me.
Now, I eat four meals a day, so that’s a long way from eating one meal a day. You know, you learn more the older you get. I would tell the 19-year-old: Stop ignoring diabetes. I would tell the 30-year-old to accept it more. I would tell the 40-year-old: Keep up the good work. You have discovered how to manage diabetes.
So, as you learn more facts about your diabetes, it will be empowering because you will overcome whatever situations that are put before you. Because you’ll be more in tuned to yourself to be able to, uh, to solve whatever comes your way.
© 2018 sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC.
All rights reserved. SAUS.TJO.18.01.0340
Insulin, Glucose, and You Video Transcript
When you hear the word insulin, you may think of a drug taken by people who have diabetes.While this is true, what you may not know is that insulin is one of the many hormones created in the human body.Insulin is important to the body. It allows blood sugar (or glucose) to get into cells to provide them with energy.When you eat, your body breaks down food into glucose in your small intestine.This is your body’s source of energy for everything it does, from working and thinking to exercising and healing.Glucose travels through your bloodstream, looking for individual cells that need energy.For glucose to get into the cells, it requires insulin.Insulin is the key that unlocks cells for glucose to enter and deliver energy.When insulin arrives, it signals the cells to activate glucose transporters.These transporters pull glucose through cell walls.When glucose moves into the cell, it delivers energy.
Insulin deficiency
Insulin is normally produced in the pancreas by specialized cells called beta cells. When glucose enters your bloodstream, the pancreas matches it with the right amount of insulin to move glucose into your cells. In people with diabetes, this process doesn't work as it should. In type 1 diabetes, scientists believe the body's immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys beta cells in the pancreas. A person with type 1 diabetes loses the ability to produce insulin. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas is not producing enough insulin to meet the body's needs. Over time, the amount of insulin typically becomes less and less.
Insulin resistance
In some type 2 diabetes patients, cells build up a resistance to insulin. Even though there may be insulin in the bloodstream, it is not enough to unlock cells to allow glucose to enter.As a result, it takes more insulin to find the right key to unlock the cell for glucose. This makes it more difficult for cells to get the energy they need.
The effects of diabetes
When glucose can’t get into cells—either because there isn’t enough insulin or because the body is resisting it—glucose begins to build up in the bloodstream.
As a result, all that energy is wasted. It does not get to cells where it is needed. Without glucose in your cells, they lack the energy they require to keep your body working.
Toujeo Time Video Transcript
ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Straight Talk About Diabetes, the talk show made FOR people with diabetes—BY people with diabetes.
ERRON: Now in terms of medication, you're on Toujeo®.
AMY: Insulin glargine injection, 300 units per milliliter.
ERRON: For those who may not be familiar, Toujeo is from the makers of Lantus®. Prescription Toujeo is a long-acting man-made insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children who are 6 years of age and older with diabetes mellitus. It takes longer to start working in the bloodstream, but it lasts all day long.
AMY: Right.
ERRON: Also, Toujeo contains three times as much insulin in one milliliter as standard insulin, 100 units per milliliter.
[Phone buzzes] Hold on, I got to get this.
[Looks at phone] Hmm.
[Addresses camera] So there are limitations of use for Toujeo that everyone should know. Toujeo is not for use to treat diabetic ketoacidosis. It is not known if Toujeo is safe and effective in children under 6 years of age. So, Amy, how are you doing since you started on Toujeo?
AMY: My blood sugar levels are normal throughout the day when I measure, and my last A1C was in my target range.
ERRON: Ooh, that's great. I should note that Toujeo is not for everyone, and individual results may vary.
[Phone buzzes] But wait. There's more. This time it's Important Safety Information about Toujeo. Do not take Toujeo if you have low blood sugar or if you are allergic to insulin or any of the ingredients in Toujeo.
AMY: Yeah, that's important.
ERRON: Also, do not reuse needles or share insulin pens, even if the needle has been changed. What would you tell somebody who is just getting the news that insulin is the next step for them?
AMY: That don't be afraid. This isn't about, you know, that your disease is so far gone that this is the only thing that's going to help you, that we're able to use that as a tool.
ERRON: That's—I think that's great advice.
AMY: So, yeah.
ERRON: I mean because you hear "insulin" or you hear "medication" period, and you're like—
AMY: Yeah. Yeah, it's like, oh, it's over.
ERRON: I'm only taking this medication because I am so bad.
AMY: Right. Right.
ERRON: But not the case.
AMY: No.
ERRON: I am taking this medication because you need it—
AMY: Right.
[Phone buzzes]
ERRON: Mom! No, no, no, no. No, no, mom. Ma! Ma! I'm doing an interview right now. I love you too, pooh bear. Okay, bye.
Sorry. My mother says, "Hello, Amy."
AMY: Hello, mom.
ERRON: Yeah. What are some of the names you've heard maybe diabetes be called other than diabetes?
AMY: Oh, the sugar is my favorite.
ERRON: The sugar.
AMY: The sugar.
ERRON: Oh, you got the sugar, baby!
AMY: Oh, well why are you doing that? I don't have the sugar.
ERRON: My sugar's in check.
AMY: My sugar's fine. And I check it and it's 327.
ERRON: Right. Right, because you ate three pieces of cake.
AMY: Mm-hmm.
ERRON: With jam in it.
AMY: Mm-hmm.
ERRON: Amy, thank you so much for joining me, keeping it real with me.
AMY: It has been my pleasure. It has been my pleasure.
ERRON: And, um, you're welcome back.
AMY: I hope we can get real again sometime soon.
ERRON: You're welcome back any time. Mi casa su casa.
AMY: Oh, thank you.
ERRON: Amy, let's move. Yeah, get that exercise in, girl. Yeah, you better boogie. Get it. Get it. Get it. This show has been brought to you by Toujeo. To learn more visit Toujeo.com.
What is Toujeo® (insulin glargine injection) 300 Units/mL?
Prescription Toujeo is a long-acting man-made insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children who are 6 years of age and older with diabetes mellitus.
Important Safety Information
Do not take Toujeo if you have low blood sugar or if you are allergic to insulin or any of the ingredients in Toujeo.
Do not share your pen(s) with other people, even if the needle has been changed. You may give other people a serious infection, or get a serious infection from them.
Before starting Toujeo, tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you have liver or kidney problems, if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or if you are breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed.
Change (rotate) your injection sites within the area you chose with each dose to reduce your risk of getting lipodystrophy (pitted or thickened skin) and localized cutaneous amyloidosis (skin with lumps) at the injection sites. Do not use the same spot for each injection or inject where the skin is pitted, thickened, lumpy, tender, bruised, scaly, hard, scarred or damaged
Heart failure can occur if you are taking insulin together with pills called TZDs (thiazolidinediones), even if you have never had heart failure or other heart problems. If you have heart failure, it may get worse while you take TZDs with Toujeo. Your treatment with TZDs and Toujeo may need to be changed or stopped by your doctor if you have new or worsening heart failure. Tell your doctor if you have any new or worsening symptoms including:
Tell your doctor about all the medications you take, including OTC medicines, vitamins, and supplements, and herbal supplements.
Toujeo should be taken at the same time once a day. Test your blood sugar levels daily while using any insulin. Do not change your dose or type of insulin without talking to your doctor. Verify you have the correct insulin before each injection. Do NOT use a syringe to remove Toujeo from your pen. Your dose for Toujeo may be different from other insulins you have taken. Any change of insulin should be made cautiously and only under medical supervision.
Do NOT dilute or mix Toujeo with any other insulin or solution. It will not work as intended and you may lose blood sugar control, which could be serious. Use Toujeo only if the solution is clear and colorless with no particles visible.
While using Toujeo, do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Toujeo affects you. Don’t drink alcohol or use other medicines that contain alcohol.
The most common side effect of any insulin, including Toujeo, is low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which may be serious and life-threatening. Severe hypoglycemia may cause harm to your heart or brain. Symptoms of serious low blood sugar may include shaking, sweating, fast heartbeat, and blurred vision.
Toujeo may cause severe allergic reactions that can lead to death. Get medical help right away if you have:
Toujeo may have additional side effects including swelling, weight gain, low potassium, and injection site reactions which may include change in fat tissue, skin thickening, redness, swelling, and itching.
Toujeo® SoloStar® and Toujeo® Max SoloStar® are single-patient-use prefilled insulin pens. It is important to perform a safety test when using a new pen for the first time. Talk to your doctor about proper injection technique and follow instructions in the Instruction Leaflet that comes with the pen.
SAUS.TJO.17.05.2588g(2) | 01/20
© 2020 sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC
Meet Bill Video Transcript
Bill: You know, I find that humor makes people feel better. As someone who’s had type 2 diabetes for almost 20 years, I find it helps me get through some pretty rough spots.
Bill: I guess you could say humor comes naturally to me. I remember as a kid I thought I could be pretty funny.
Bill: I even did a stand-up act years ago in the late ’80s, played comedy clubs all around the country. I couldn’t help it—I was always writing jokes, or finding the humor in things.
Bill: Comedy was fun, but then I thought it was time to settle down.
Bill: I work as a project manager now, but I still love to see people smiling and laughing.
Bill: I dress up like Santa at Christmastime for the kids at the local hospitals. With this beard, I’m pretty convincing. (chuckle) It’s fun for the kids, and it’s good for me to see them happy.
Bill: When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, it definitely changed how I went about my life.
Bill: For a while, I managed diabetes with medications. My family is very supportive. My wife, Tish, gives me endless encouragement and support. She has a good sense of humor, too, and she lightens up my day.
Bill: Then I went through a period where, I admit, I wasn’t doing that whole due diligence thing, wasn’t on top of it.
Bill: I didn’t eat right,
Bill: I didn’t exercise much.
Bill: After a long day at my office and commuting, I didn’t have the energy to work out. Plus, I wasn’t testing my blood sugar levels every day.
Bill: But I’ve never been one to quit. I’m just not that guy. It’s like someone flipped a switch. I said to myself…
Bill: “Bill, you gotta stop ignoring the obvious. This diabetes thing isn’t going to go away. Get with the program, do whatever you got to do to keep it in check.”
Bill: So I talked about it with my doctor, and told her about how my diabetes management was going. She explained that diabetes can change over time, and that the ways you manage it may have to as well. That’s when we decided that Toujeo® (insulin glargine injection) 300 Units/mL was an option for me.
Voiceover: From the makers of Lantus® (insulin glargine injection) 100 Units/mL comes Toujeo® (insulin glargine injection) 300 Units/mL. Toujeo® is a long-acting man-made insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children who are 6 years of age and older with diabetes mellitus.
Toujeo® is not for use to treat diabetic ketoacidosis.
It is not known if Toujeo® is safe and effective in children under 6 years of age.
Bill: Once-daily Toujeo® provides proven full 24-hour blood sugar control, and significant A1C reductions in adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Voiceover: Do not take Toujeo® if you have low blood sugar or if you are allergic to insulin or any of the ingredients in Toujeo®
Bill: I take Toujeo® once a day at the same time every day.
Bill: Toujeo® works by slowly releasing small amounts of insulin to provide continuous glucose-lowering activity that lasts beyond 24 hours.
Voiceover: The most common side effect of any insulin, including Toujeo® is low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which may be serious and life-threatening. Do NOT share your pen(s) with other people, even if the needle has been changed. You may give other people a serious infection, or get a serious infection from them.
Bill: Now I’ve been eating better. I limit certain foods like pasta, bread, white flour, sugars.
Bill: I do a lot of salads, and sometimes fish, grilled chicken, that sort of thing. I’m also definitely more mindful when I eat out.
Bill: It was kind of like a breakup in a relationship---even though I still love them, we just aren’t that good together anymore. (laughs) Cooking took on a new light with diabetes.
Bill: Also, my little dog Bella helps me exercise. My wife and I like to take her to the dog park. When Bella is worn out, I know my walk’s done for the day!
Bill: You just kind of have to look at it as, oh well, life is always full of things you have to do. So you might as well deal with them in a positive way.
Bill: And if you can find some humor in it, and laugh at yourself, that’s the way to do it. Now I look at food as part of my treatment, a smart way I can help control my blood sugar.
Bill: The SoloStar® pen has become part of my daily life now.
Bill: It uses a small, thin needle, and I don't have to press hard to get my dose. I also like that I only need to hold the button down for 5 seconds.
Bill: Now my numbers are where my doctor and I wanted them. My blood sugar levels are in a range we set. My last A1C test was in my target range.
Bill: Changing up your lifestyle can be stressful, but I’ve found change doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
Bill: Diabetes doesn’t have to be a struggle. If you work at it, you may end up a stronger person for it.
Bill: I guess I’ve learned that even though I love to make people laugh and help people, well…I needed to help myself, too.
Bill: My name is Bill, and I help manage my type 2 diabetes with Toujeo®.
Bill: Now it’s your turn. Talk to your doctor to see if it’s time to work toward your diabetes management goals with Toujeo®.
Voiceover:
What is Toujeo® (insulin glargine injection) 300 Units/mL?
Prescription Toujeo is a long-acting man-made insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children who are 6 years of age and older with diabetes mellitus.
Important Safety Information
Do not take Toujeo if you have low blood sugar or if you are allergic to insulin or any of the ingredients in Toujeo.
Do not share your pen(s) with other people, even if the needle has been changed. You may give other people a serious infection, or get a serious infection from them.
Before starting Toujeo, tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you have liver or kidney problems, if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or if you are breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed.
Change (rotate) your injection sites within the area you chose with each dose to reduce your risk of getting lipodystrophy (pitted or thickened skin) and localized cutaneous amyloidosis (skin with lumps) at the injection sites. Do not use the same spot for each injection or inject where the skin is pitted, thickened, lumpy, tender, bruised, scaly, hard, scarred or damaged.
Heart failure can occur if you are taking insulin together with pills called TZDs (thiazolidinediones), even if you have never had heart failure or other heart problems. If you have heart failure, it may get worse while you take TZDs with Toujeo. Your treatment with TZDs and Toujeo may need to be changed or stopped by your doctor if you have new or worsening heart failure. Tell your doctor if you have any new or worsening symptoms including:
Tell your doctor about all the medications you take, including OTC medicines, vitamins, and supplements, and herbal supplements.
Toujeo should be taken at the same time once a day. Test your blood sugar levels daily while using any insulin. Do not change your dose or type of insulin without talking to your doctor. Verify you have the correct insulin before each injection. Do NOT use a syringe to remove Toujeo from your pen. Your dose for Toujeo may be different from other insulins you have taken. Any change of insulin should be made cautiously and only under medical supervision.
Do NOT dilute or mix Toujeo with any other insulin or solution. It will not work as intended and you may lose blood sugar control, which could be serious. Use Toujeo only if the solution is clear and colorless with no particles visible.
While using Toujeo, do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Toujeo affects you. Don’t drink alcohol or use other medicines that contain alcohol.
The most common side effect of any insulin, including Toujeo, is low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which may be serious and life-threatening. Severe hypoglycemia may cause harm to your heart or brain. Symptoms of serious low blood sugar may include shaking, sweating, fast heartbeat, and blurred vision.
Toujeo may cause severe allergic reactions that can lead to death. Get medical help right away if you have:
Toujeo may have additional side effects including swelling, weight gain, low potassium, and injection site reactions which may include change in fat tissue, skin thickening, redness, swelling, and itching.
Toujeo® SoloStar® and Toujeo® Max SoloStar® are single-patient-use prefilled insulin pens. It is important to perform a safety test when using a new pen for the first time. Talk to your doctor about proper injection technique and follow instructions in the Instruction Leaflet that comes with the pen.
SAUS.TJO.18.04.2715(1) | 01/20
© 2020 sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC
Is it Time to Consider Toujeo Video Transcript
SUPER: Douglas. Diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 13 years ago
Douglas: My goals are to be healthy, and to make sure I’m doing my best to manage my diabetes. My diabetes has changed over time, and I wonder if the way I manage it needs to as well. I’m ready to talk to my doctor, and learn about my options.
SUPER: Please see Full Important Safety Information and link to Full Prescribing Information for Toujeo® next to this video.
SUPER:
Vanessa. Diabetes Educator
Vanessa: One option is Toujeo®
SUPER:
Please see Full Important Safety Information and link to Full Prescribing Information for Toujeo® next to this video.
Narrator: Insulin glargine injection 300 Units/mL.
SUPER:
*Terms and restrictions apply
See website for full offer terms and eligibility restrictions.
Pay as low as $0 and no more than $99* for a 30-day supply.
Please see Full Important Safety Information and link to Full Prescribing Information for Toujeo® next to this video.
Vanessa: Toujeo® is a long-acting man-made insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children who are 6 years of age and older with diabetes mellitus.
SUPER:
Prescription Toujeo® is a long-acting man-made insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children who are 6 years of age and older with diabetes mellitus.
Please see Full Important Safety Information and link to Full Prescribing Information for Toujeo® next to this video.
Vanessa: Once-daily Toujeo® is proven to provide blood sugar control, and significant A1C reductions for adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
SUPER:
From the makers of Lantus® (insulin glargine injection) 100 Units/mL
Toujeo® provides:
SUPER:
Toujeo® should be taken at the same time once a day.
SUPER:
*Terms and restrictions apply
See website for full offer terms and eligibility restrictions.
Pay as low as $0 and no more than $99* for a 30-day supply.
Please see Full Important Safety Information and link to Full Prescribing Information for Toujeo® next to this video.
SUPER:
Important Safety Information for Toujeo® (insulin glargine injection) 300 Units/mL
Narrator: Do not take Toujeo® if you have low blood sugar or if you are allergic to insulin or any of the ingredients in Toujeo®.
SUPER:
Do not take Toujeo® if you have low blood sugar or if you are allergic to insulin or any of the ingredients in Toujeo®.
Please see Full Important Safety Information and link to Full Prescribing Information for Toujeo® next to this video.
SUPER:
Once-daily Toujeo® should be taken once a day at the same time each day
Please see Full Important Safety Information and link to Full Prescribing Information for Toujeo® next to this video.
Vanessa: Toujeo® works by slowly releasing small amounts of insulin to provide continuous glucose-lowering activity that lasts beyond 24 hours.
SUPER:
Blood sugar-lowering activity continues around the clock
Once-daily Toujeo® should be taken once a day at the same time each day
Please see Full Important Safety Information and link to Full Prescribing Information for Toujeo® next to this video.
SUPER:
Blood sugar levels stayed within the ADA target zone (80-130 mg/dL) beyond all day and all night
Results from this controlled study of 30 patients may not apply in everyday use. Remember your blood sugar levels may vary depending on your diet, physical activity, medications, and other factors.
*American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2020;43 (suppl 1): S66-S76.
Please see Full Important Safety Information and link to Full Prescribing Information for Toujeo® next to this video.
What is Toujeo® (insulin glargine injection) 300 Units/mL?
Prescription Toujeo is a long-acting man-made insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children who are 6 years of age and older with diabetes mellitus.
Important Safety Information
Do not take Toujeo if you have low blood sugar or if you are allergic to insulin or any of the ingredients in Toujeo.
Do not share your pen(s) with other people, even if the needle has been changed. You may give other people a serious infection, or get a serious infection from them.
Before starting Toujeo, tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you have liver or kidney problems, if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or if you are breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed.
Change (rotate) your injection sites within the area you chose with each dose to reduce your risk of getting lipodystrophy (pitted or thickened skin) and localized cutaneous amyloidosis (skin with lumps) at the injection sites. Do not use the same spot for each injection or inject where the skin is pitted, thickened, lumpy, tender, bruised, scaly, hard, scarred or damaged.
Heart failure can occur if you are taking insulin together with pills called TZDs (thiazolidinediones), even if you have never had heart failure or other heart problems. If you have heart failure, it may get worse while you take TZDs with Toujeo. Your treatment with TZDs and Toujeo may need to be changed or stopped by your doctor if you have new or worsening heart failure. Tell your doctor if you have any new or worsening symptoms including:
Tell your doctor about all the medications you take, including OTC medicines, vitamins, and supplements, and herbal supplements.
Toujeo should be taken at the same time once a day. Test your blood sugar levels daily while using any insulin. Do not change your dose or type of insulin without talking to your doctor. Verify you have the correct insulin before each injection. Do NOT use a syringe to remove Toujeo from your pen. Your dose for Toujeo may be different from other insulins you have taken. Any change of insulin should be made cautiously and only under medical supervision.
Do NOT dilute or mix Toujeo with any other insulin or solution. It will not work as intended and you may lose blood sugar control, which could be serious. Use Toujeo only if the solution is clear and colorless with no particles visible.
While using Toujeo, do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Toujeo affects you. Don’t drink alcohol or use other medicines that contain alcohol.
The most common side effect of any insulin, including Toujeo, is low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which may be serious and life-threatening. Severe hypoglycemia may cause harm to your heart or brain. Symptoms of serious low blood sugar may include shaking, sweating, fast heartbeat, and blurred vision.
Toujeo may cause severe allergic reactions that can lead to death. Get medical help right away if you have:
Toujeo may have additional side effects including swelling, weight gain, low potassium, and injection site reactions which may include change in fat tissue, skin thickening, redness, swelling, and itching.
Toujeo® SoloStar® and Toujeo® Max SoloStar® are single-patient-use prefilled insulin pens. It is important to perform a safety test when using a new pen for the first time. Talk to your doctor about proper injection technique and follow instructions in the Instruction Leaflet that comes with the pen.
SUPER:
Please see full Prescribing Information for Toujeo® at link below
SUPER:
Please see Full Important Safety Information and link to Full Prescribing Information for Toujeo® next to this video.
SAUS.TJO.18.04.2722(1) | 01/20
But it's a Shot Video Transcript
ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Straight Talk About Diabetes, with me, your straighttalkin' host, Erron Jay!
ERRON: So I understand that you, uh, take insulin.
AMY: Mm-hmm. So for quite some time my diabetes was changing, but I didn't know.
ERRON: Okay.
AMY: So when I went back to see the doctor, and I go in and we have the conversation where, "You're going to have to take insulin."
ERRON: Gotcha.
AMY: I took it very negatively, and, and, again, you know, you've got to remember I'm still in a place of fear. Right? So now one of my worst fears is coming true, and that is, wow, I must be really bad if I have to take insulin. Okay?Because only the really bad ones take insulin. Right? I mean that was my misperception.
ERRON: Right.
AMY: But it was still my perception. So that kind of flared my, my, um, my denial again, because, because, again, the whole denial, you know, my denial was all based on fear.
ERRON: Yeah.
AMY: And I'm a thinker. So it was like, you know, this is really what's going to help, and then, of course, the lizard side of my brain takes over and is like, "But I have to—it's a shot!”
ERRON: Right.
AMY: “It's going to hurt." Right? So, okay. I'm a nurse. Right?
ERRON: Right.
AMY: I can give shots to everyone. I can give shots to—yeah, not a problem. I can give shots without a problem. But giving it to yourself?
ERRON: That can be a big one.
AMY: That's a whole other story. So finally, finally, finally, I, I put the needle on, I prepped the pen. I kind of took a big, deep breath, and boom, I did it. It was kind of like [sings], I did it!
ERRON: Achievement unlocked.
AMY: Yes. The, the key to that whole thing—
ERRON: Mm-hmm.
AMY: —was, six months after I had started it, when I went back to the doctor,and she checked my A1C and she looked at my glucose logs, and we saw progress.
ERRON: Okay.
AMY: And it's like, wow! I can do this!
ERRON: So you just had to rip the Band-Aid off.
AMY: I did. I did, and it was—
ERRON: You just had to do it.
AMY: Yeah, and of course it wasn't a fast pull. Right?
ERRON: Right.
AMY: You know, it took me a while.
ERRON: It takes a little bit longer.
AMY: So it was like, eek, eek, eek, yeah. So then it was kind of like, okay, okay, I think I got this. Okay, I think I got this.
ANNOUNCER: Stick around for more of Straight Talk About Diabetes.
But it's a Shot Video Transcript
ANNOUNCER: These instructions do not replace the guidance of your doctor or the instructions for use that accompanies the Toujeo (insulin glargine injection) 300 Units/mL SoloStar or Toujeo Max SoloStar pens. People who have vision problems should not use the Toujeo SoloStar or Toujeo Max SoloStar pen without help from a person trained to use the respective pens.
MAX AMY: In this diabetes journey we’re on, have you ever wished you could go back in time and tell yourself the things that you know now, but you didn’t know then?
MAX AMY: Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, we can.
MAX AMY: Hey look at that, our first SoloStar pen! I remember that.
MAX AMY: It was a really big deal when I came home with my first pen – it feels like it was only yesterday.
PAST AMY: Oh hey, is that one the same as this one?
MAX AMY: Well your pen is the SoloStar. This one is the Max SoloStar. They’re very similar but there’re some really important differences – but I’ll get to those in a second.
MAX AMY: Did your doctor show you how to use it?
PAST AMY: Yeah, she showed me, but now that I’m home I still have some questions.
MAX AMY: Let me help you get the hang of this.
MAX AMY: There are six steps you need to know: Check the pen, attach the needle, test for safety, select the dosage, inject the insulin, and then remove the needle.
PAST AMY [repeating as if memorizing]: OK. Check the pen, attach the needle, test for safety, select the dosage, inject the insulin, and remove the needle.
MAX AMY: That’s it! You’re ahead of the game already! I knew there was a reason why I liked you.
MAX AMY: So before we do anything, we’re going to make sure the pen is at room temperature, that we have the correct pen, and that it’s working properly.
MAX AMY: Did you take the pen out of the refrigerator about an hour ago? 'Cause cold insulin can be painful…
PAST AMY: Really? Who knew?
MAX AMY: You.
PAST AMY: Good point. This one’s been out of the fridge about an hour.
MAX AMY: Now look at your pen. I mean, really look at it.
MAX AMY: Is that your pen?
PAST AMY: Yeah.
MAX AMY: Great. Take off the pen cap and check the insulin. It’s clear, not cloudy?
PAST AMY: Clear.
MAX AMY: Perfect! If the insulin’s cloudy, don’t use it, just take it back to your pharmacy.
MAX AMY: Is it past the use-by date?
PAST AMY: Nope.
MAX AMY: Great! Now it’s time to attach the needle.
MAX AMY: Remember, you’re going to need a fresh needle every time you use the pen.
MAX AMY: Don’t reuse and never share needles.
PAST AMY: Even with you?
MAX AMY: Yes, even with me.
PAST AMY: What kind of needles can I use?
MAX AMY: These kind.
MAX AMY: Before you attach the needle, sterilize the tip of the pen with an alcohol wipe.
MAX AMY: Then with the needle you’re going to peel off the protective seal and screw the needle onto the pen until it feels fixed.
MAX AMY: Then you’re going to remove the outer cap and put that somewhere safe. Then remove the inner needle cap and throw it in the trash.
PAST AMY: Keep the outer cap, toss the inner, got it.
MAX AMY: That’s step two done! With me so far?
PAST AMY: I’m with you.
MAX AMY: Yes, you are. So, before we do anything else, we need to make sure the pen’s working properly.
PAST AMY: What could go wrong?
MAX AMY: Well, sometimes the insulin won’t come out, so we usually check for that.
PAST AMY: OK.
MAX AMY: Testing the pen also resets the dosage knob which is also important.
PAST AMY: Great, so how do I do that?
MAX AMY: Turn the dosage dial to 3, then you’re going to hold it straight up and you’re going to press the injection button all the way in.
MAX AMY: If you see insulin coming out of the needle, then the pen is working and you’re good to go.
MAX AMY: However, if you don’t see insulin coming out, repeat that last step again.
MAX AMY: If you have a new pen, you may need to do this up to six times. Just to get that working. If it still doesn’t work, you need to replace the needle.
PAST AMY: Like in step two?
MAX AMY: Precisely. Oh and by the way, if you see bubbles in your insulin, don’t sweat it.
PAST AMY: Aren’t bubbles in injections bad?
MAX AMY: Nope, not here. You’ve been watching too much TV.
MAX AMY: Ready to inject some insulin?
PAST AMY: OK.
MAX AMY: First, we need to select the correct dosage. So we’re going to turn the dosage selector to your dose.
MAX AMY: Whatever you and your doctor discussed is what you turn the dial to.
PAST AMY: OK, I need 38 units, so I turn the dial to 38, correct?
MAX AMY: Correct.
MAX AMY: Now this is important: If you have the SoloStar pen, the increments on the dial are one click for one unit, but on the Max SoloStar pen, it’s one click for two units.
MAX AMY: So don’t dial your dose by counting the clicks, or you may dial the wrong dose.
MAX AMY: Either way, just turn the dial so your prescribed dose appears in this window. If there’s not enough insulin in the pen for your prescribed dose, you’ll only be able to dial to the amount that’s left in the pen, and then you’ll need to supplement with a new pen.
PAST AMY: How do I know whether I need the SoloStar or the Max SoloStar?
MAX AMY: As your diabetes changes, your dose may change too, so your doctor may recommend you use a Max SoloStar. Like me.
PAST AMY: That makes total sense.
MAX AMY: OK, we’re in the home stretch.
MAX AMY: Are you ready for your injection?
PAST AMY: Where can I inject?
MAX AMY: You can inject your dose here, here or here.
MAX AMY: Push the needle into your skin, but don’t touch the injection button yet.
MAX AMY: Put your thumb on the button, press all the way in and hold.
MAX AMY: Hold the button in. When you see “0” in the window, then count to five to make sure you get your full dose.
MAX AMY: After counting to five, release the button and remove the needle from your skin.
PAST AMY: OK, that was pretty easy.
PAST AMY: Well, I barely noticed it at all. How do they do that?
MAX AMY: Thin needles.
MAX AMY: We’re almost done. Now we just need to remove the needle and throw it away safely.
PAST AMY: This really is pretty straightforward.
MAX AMY: I know, right?
MAX AMY: To remove the needle, get the outer needle cap we set aside earlier and carefully place it back on the pen. You put that somewhere safe, right?
PAST AMY: Yep.
MAX AMY: OK.
MAX AMY: These things are sharp. Avoid puncturing the cap, 'cause it will go through.
MAX AMY: Grip and squeeze the widest part of the outer needle cap, then turn your pen several times with your other hand to remove the needle.
PAST AMY: But what if it doesn’t come off right away?
MAX AMY: Just keep trying, it’ll come off eventually.
MAX AMY: Once the needle’s been removed, then we dispose of it in a puncture resistant container.
PAST AMY: Can I just leave the needle on and use it again later?
MAX AMY: No, that’s not a great idea for several reasons: It can leak or get clogged if you leave it on, air could get into the insulin, and there’s the possibility of a bacterial infection.
PAST AMY: So, do I need to put the pen back in the refrigerator when I’m done?
MAX AMY: Nope, that’s the great thing about these pens – you’re good for up to eight weeks after your first use without refrigeration.
PAST AMY: Well that’s handy.
MAX AMY: It sure is.
MAX AMY: So, there you go. That’s all six steps of how to use the Toujeo SoloStar and Max SoloStar insulin pens.
MAX AMY: Just to recap, we learned how to check the pen, attach the needle, test for safety, select your dosage, inject the insulin, and then remove the needle.
PAST AMY: Hey, that was really straightforward. I know the doctor explained it to me, but it really helped to have you explain it again.
MAX AMY: No sweat.
PAST AMY: You know, now that I know, it’s pretty simple. If I wasn’t so nervous, I guess I could have taught myself to do it.
MAX AMY: Well, you know, you kinda did.
ANNOUNCER: An unopened Toujeo SoloStar or Toujeo Max SoloStar pen should be stored in the refrigerator with the pen cap on, at a temperature between 36 degrees Fahrenheit and 46 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius and 8 degrees Celsius) in the box it came in.
Do not freeze new pens.
Refrigerate pens until expiration date.
Discard pens after the expiration date.
An opened Toujeo SoloStar or Toujeo Max SoloStar pen should be stored at room temperature below 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius).
Do not refrigerate an opened pen.
Keep out of direct heat and light.
Do not store your pen with the needle attached.
Store your pen with the pen cap on.
Keep pens and needles out of the reach of children.
Discard 56 days after first use, even if the pen still contains insulin.
What is Toujeo® (insulin glargine injection) 300 Units/mL?
Prescription Toujeo is a long-acting man-made insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children who are 6 years of age and older with diabetes mellitus.
Important Safety Information
Do not take Toujeo if you have low blood sugar or if you are allergic to insulin or any of the ingredients in Toujeo.
Do not share your pen(s) with other people, even if the needle has been changed. You may give other people a serious infection, or get a serious infection from them.
Before starting Toujeo, tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you have liver or kidney problems, if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or if you are breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed.
Change (rotate) your injection sites within the area you chose with each dose to reduce your risk of getting lipodystrophy (pitted or thickened skin) and localized cutaneous amyloidosis (skin with lumps) at the injection sites. Do not use the same spot for each injection or inject where the skin is pitted, thickened, lumpy, tender, bruised, scaly, hard, scarred or damaged.
Heart failure can occur if you are taking insulin together with pills called TZDs (thiazolidinediones), even if you have never had heart failure or other heart problems. If you have heart failure, it may get worse while you take TZDs with Toujeo. Your treatment with TZDs and Toujeo may need to be changed or stopped by your doctor if you have new or worsening heart failure. Tell your doctor if you have any new or worsening symptoms including:
Tell your doctor about all the medications you take, including OTC medicines, vitamins, and supplements, and herbal supplements.
Toujeo should be taken at the same time once a day. Test your blood sugar levels daily while using any insulin. Do not change your dose or type of insulin without talking to your doctor. Verify you have the correct insulin before each injection. Do NOT use a syringe to remove Toujeo from your pen. Your dose for Toujeo may be different from other insulins you have taken. Any change of insulin should be made cautiously and only under medical supervision.
Do NOT dilute or mix Toujeo with any other insulin or solution. It will not work as intended and you may lose blood sugar control, which could be serious. Use Toujeo only if the solution is clear and colorless with no particles visible.
While using Toujeo, do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Toujeo affects you. Don’t drink alcohol or use other medicines that contain alcohol.
The most common side effect of any insulin, including Toujeo, is low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which may be serious and life-threatening. Severe hypoglycemia may cause harm to your heart or brain. Symptoms of serious low blood sugar may include shaking, sweating, fast heartbeat, and blurred vision.
Toujeo may cause severe allergic reactions that can lead to death. Get medical help right away if you have:
Toujeo may have additional side effects including swelling, weight gain, low potassium, and injection site reactions which may include change in fat tissue, skin thickening, redness, swelling, and itching.
Toujeo® SoloStar® and Toujeo® Max SoloStar® are single-patient-use prefilled insulin pens. It is important to perform a safety test when using a new pen for the first time. Talk to your doctor about proper injection technique and follow instructions in the Instruction Leaflet that comes with the pen.
© 2020 sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC.
All rights reserved.
SAUS.TJO.17.12.9487(2) | 01/20
The Food Police and the "E" Word Video Transcript
ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Straight Talk About Diabetes, with me, your straight-talkin' host, Erron Jay!
ERRON: In your life, do you have a food police?
AMY: I do not like the food police.
ERRON: You don’t like the food police?
AMY: It makes me angry. It’s just kind of the, the judgment.
ERRON: It comes off as judgment? Okay.
AMY: It does. And for me it takes away my confidence that yes, indeed, I made a healthy choice. So I have learned kind of a little…I have come up with a couple little smart remarks that I will make to people. Believe me, the more technical that you make it, the more they want you to shut up and go away and get off the elevator, so I try to make it very, “Well, this is 27 carbohydrates and this is gonna match with this.” It works.
ERRON: Oh, so you just throw it back at them.
AMY: Oh, mm-hmm.
ERRON: Yeah? Okay. Let me ask you this, let me ask you this. So, my vice is cake.
AMY: Oh, my friend…
ERRON: Still is. What’s yours?
AMY: Um, I can say truly that cake also is my jam.
ERRON: Yeah?
AMY: Oh yeah. Mine is especially yellow cake with chocolate icing.
ERRON: Ooh.
AMY: It’s just like, “Oh, cake…” So, one of the things that’s really helped me is, um, my glucose meter. I use it like my GPS.
ERRON: Okay.
AMY: So if I am really jonesing for a piece of cake, the best thing that I can do is check my blood sugar. And if it’s not, you know, where I want it to be, then I can’t choose that right now.
ERRON: Right.
AMY: But I’ll talk to myself and say, “Okay now, if I can make good, healthy choices for dinner and I have a nice, healthy breakfast tomorrow, maybe I can have my cake tomorrow!”
ERRON: Right.
Amy: So I have learned how to make better choices.
ERRON: Okay.
AMY: I can actually say no, Erron.
ERRON: So if I brought in a yellow cake—
AMY: I could say no.
ERRON: —with some chocolate icing—
AMY: I could say no.
ERRON: —from your favorite bakery—
AMY: I could say no.
ERRON: —right now?
AMY: I could say no.
ERRON: With a nice, frosty glass of milk?
AMY: I know. La, la, la, I could say no.
ERRON: All right. Bring the cake—I’m just playing. So, tell me about exercise, what’s your regimen? What do you do?
AMY: For me it’s the E word. I just am not a big fan. But I have a friend of mine that we’re kind of in the same boat.
ERRON: Somebody you work with, a coworker?
AMY: We used to work together and we became best friends, and now we don’t work at the same place anymore, but through the magic of text messaging…
ERRON: “Hey BFF, what you doing?”
AMY:Exactly! There were a couple of times when, um, I was able to get a little bit of a break and so did she, and we were both taking a walk at the same time, but we were two cities away from each other. You know, my kids are home a little bit more, um, they are doing a lot more to say, “Mom, let’s get out and take this walk” or “Let’s go here and let’s do this.”
ERRON: Right.
AMY: So that way, they’re kind of helping me to get out and do stuff like that, ‘cause I have to be accountable to somebody or it’s not going to happen.
ERRON: Oh, I get that.
AMY: That kind of stuff really helps.
ANNOUNCER: Stick around for more of Straight Talk About Diabetes.
Help for the Holidays Video Transcript
ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Straight Talk About Diabetes, the talk show made FOR people with diabetes—BY people with diabetes.
ERRON: So, Christmas time. You've got the cakes, the pies, the cookies.
AMY: Yeah.
ERRON: So you see your favorite cookie.
AMY: Mm-hmm.
ERRON: You know, is, is there any stress around surrounded with not necessarily being able to enjoy that cookie like that you really want to, or, or—
AMY: Absolutely.
ERRON: —a number of those cookies?
AMY: Absolutely. Um, it can be really stressful, and of course the food police really comes out at holiday time.
ERRON: Oh yeah, they do.
AMY: Oh, don't they? They come out of the woodwork. Right? "Are you supposed to be eating that?" [Sighs] That alone is stressful. That alone is stressful. And also I, I do kind of lose a little bit of my confidence around the holidays, and I think it's because, you know, your normal routine is kind of thrown out the window.
But I, I try to get, kind of get back to it, kind of think about it ahead of time,knowing that, you know, okay, we're going to go here, and this is kind of what the spread is going to look like. And I'm expecting that these kind of foods are going to be there, and there are going to be some yummy trigger foods. You know, my,my little peanut butter blossoms are going to be there. So it's kind of leading up to that, I try to really stick to things, really try to focus on, you know, making healthy choices, maybe even make healthier choices than maybe I normally would, just so that that way when I get there and I am kind of faced with that spread, it's kind of like, okay, I, I can handle this.
ERRON: Yeah.
AMY: And you learn some tricks. You know, there a couple things that I learned about going to holiday parties.
ERRON: Mm-hmm.
AMY: The first thing I learned is always—
ERRON: Tell me, because I need to know.
AMY: —always have a cup with water or your beverage of choice, you know,your low-calorie beverage of choice in there has really been helpful for me, because then you don't have the host coming up to you all the time trying to refill your drink.
ERRON: Oh, that's sneaky. Okay. Give me another one.
AMY: The other thing, too, is, um, small plates.
ERRON: Okay.
AMY: Because if you, if you, if you kind of fill up a small plate, that's still not nearly as much food as what's on a big plate.
ERRON: Right.
AMY: And, you know, and I always try to make sure that when I go to a holiday party—like the last time I went there were all these crazy, you know, super-highcalorie crazy party food. And I brought something that I had made that I knew what was in it. So I knew it was kind of safe, for lack of a better word.
ERRON: Right.
AMY: So I made sure that I had, you know, I had a small plate. I had, you know,my veggies and my hummus, which is my favorite thing.
ERRON: Mm-hmm.
AMY: Um, especially at parties, and then I would have some of, you know, the little casserole that I had brought, that I knew was fairly safe. So that way, again,when the host kind of comes around to check on you, "Hey, how ya' doing?” “Have you tried this?" You're like, "Oh, oh, everything is just delicious. Everything is just great."/p>
ERRON: Right.
AMY: And that way you don't feel like, you don't feel nearly as much pressure,because they're not giving it to you.
ERRON: Right.
AMY: And you feel like, oh, you know, I can handle this.
ANNOUNCER: Stick around for more of Straight Talk About Diabetes.
Meet Erron Jay Video Transcript
ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Straight Talk About Diabetes, the talk show made FOR people with diabetes—BY people with diabetes.
ERRON: Hello, hello, hello, everyone. I'm Erron Jay, and I'll be your host for this series of one-on-one conversations with people just like you and me who duke it out daily with the dia-burden of diabetes, just me and a friend telling our truths about what we dia-do and dia-don't. I've been living with type 2 diabetes for 15 years. Like so many of us, when I got diagnosed I thought the party was over.
I remember looking up a few of the symptoms I noticed online: thirst, fatigue,frequent urination, and it said for me I could have either had diabetes, a urinary tract infection, or something else. And, you know, you've never seen a grown man pray so hard for a urinary tract infection in your life. But sure enough, after talking with my doctor it was clear; I had diabetes.
Current statistics say that one in ten Americans have diabetes. The problem is,for a disease this common, it doesn't seem like people are talking enough about what it's actually like to live with it. So we're here to change that.
We're going to cover all the angles, like food. In my case, I had to say goodbye to my regular cake sessions. If I'm being real with you all, cake meant more to me than my own dog—and I love my dog. Cake has always been my jam. Cake with jam is also my jam.
But now if I want a single slice, my doctor says I need to up my exercise and check my blood glucose, and it means no cake for me tomorrow. I've slapped my own wrist in public. Ha, no cake for you, Erron. Did strangers look at me like I had lost my mind? Maybe. Did not eating the cake help stop my blood sugar from spiking? Darn right it did.
You see, it's all about finding balance. We're here to share our experiences, tips,tricks, and life hacks so we can all feel less alone and hopefully make better decisions along the way. So, let's get started.
Our first guest is a diabetes diva from Dayton, Ohio. Here's Amy. Amy!
AMY: Hello my friend.
ERRON: How are you?
AMY: I am good.
ERRON: Good to see you. Hey, you have a seat.
ANNOUNCER: Stick around for more of Straight Talk About Diabetes.
Queen of Denial Video Transcript
ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Straight Talk About Diabetes, with me, your straight talkin’ host, Erron Jay!
ERRON: Our first guest is a diabetes diva from Dayton, Ohio. Here's Amy. Amy!
AMY: Hello, my friend.
ERRON: How are you?
AMY: I am good.
ERRON: Good to see you. Hey, you have a seat. Amy, Amy, Amy, now, um, tell us a little bit about yourself.
AMY: Well, I am married. I have three kids.
ERRON: Okay.
AMY: And, um, I work as a nurse at a hospital.
ERRON: Okay. So three kids. Let me ask you something—
AMY: Mm-hmm.
ERRON: ...and a husband—
AMY: And a husband.
ERRON: ...so four kids.
AMY: Yeah. You got that right. Yeah.
ERRON: How long have you been living with diabetes?
AMY: So it'll be almost 20 years this year.
ERRON: Oh, wow, two decades.
AMY: Yeah. Now I'm not saying I've been the perfect patient with diabetes for that whole time, because that is not true.
ERRON: That's okay. That's okay. Nobody's perfect. Right?
AMY: Absolutely not.
ERRON: All right. I mean that's why we're here. We're here to get real.
Amy: And you know what they say about nurses being such great patients.
ERRON: Yeah, like Nurse Ratched.
AMY: True. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no. I'm nice.
ERRON: Oh, that's what you say now.
AMY: Well, true.
ERRON: For all our friends that are out there, that are watching us talk about this and getting real with it, how important is that support system for you to keep you, you know, moving along?
AMY: Well, in addition to the four lovely people that live in my house, um, there are also my dad, my sister and her family, and they have actually been the most supportive in helping me to get from out of control to under control. And now that I've been working a little bit harder, and they've been seeing the results of what I'm trying to do, and they're understanding what it is, you know, why I need to take a break to do this, why it's time for me to just take a break and check my blood sugar, and do make a choice based on the result of that blood sugar. Now that they understand that, it's extremely supportive. So they have been really wonderful.
ERRON: So before this were, um—
AMY: They were not.
ERRON: Did they—well, did they see you like—were you—did they think you were using it as a crutch? Is that what it was?
AMY: Oh no, no. My friend, Erron, I was the queen of denial.
ERRON: Oh.
AMY: I had the biggest crown and the most jewels that there were possible.
ERRON: Your highness.
AMY: Oh, absolutely. So I really wasn't doing what I needed to do to take care of myself. And so because I wasn't doing that, because I wasn't focusing on it, because I was pretending it wasn't there, then they didn't think it even existed. So they didn't even know what to do.
ERRON: So what were you in denial about?
AMY: Oh, Erron, it was everything. It was, um, first of all that there was something wrong with me, second of all, that there were things that I needed to do to take care of myself. I went to the doctor's office. The doctor would say, um, "You need to lose weight. You need to eat healthy," and then I would go home and do nothing. You know, I really made no changes to my diet. I was not doing anything, anything in the real—in the realm of exercise. And checking my blood sugar? Ha, ha. No. Um, they had prescribed one pill for me. I mean it shouldn't have been hard. Right? I mean it was one pill one day, you know, once a day. How hard can that be? I would continually forget to take it. And then I would go back and I would have to go see the doctor, and it would get worse and worse each time until finally it was, why are you not doing this?
ERRON: Your doctor had to get real with diabetes.
AMY: Oh. She, she finally got really, um—I wouldn't say it was angry, ‘cause she, ‘cause she wasn't, you know, like [makes growling sound], but she really let me have it. She really did get real with me and said, "Listen. You have this problem."
ERRON: Now was it negative or that's how you perceived it?
AMY: I'm sure I probably did think I was being spanked.
ERRON: Because she sounds like she's pretty awesome.
AMY: Well, you're right, she is awesome, but don't tell her that.
ERRON: Okay.
AMY: Okay.
ERRON: On the hush.
AMY: Shh, shh, shh, shh. But I was starting to have symptoms. I was starting to have some complications. The biggest one was fatigue. I was so tired all the time. I would find myself, I would sit down in a chair and I would go to sleep.
ERRON: Right.
AMY: So it took, it really took my dad, who kind of came to me and said, "You know what? I'm really worried about you." And, of course, I'm like, "What are you talking about?"
ERRON: Right. "I'm good."
AMY: You know, "I am fine." But, um, but then we had a really great conversation, and it had happened, you know, after we had lost my mom, and basically it was, you know, "I'm worried about you."
ERRON: Okay.
AMY: So I think a lot of the reason why I went into denial was because I was so overwhelmed at all the things I had to do.
ERRON: Mm-hmm.
AMY: And the biggest thing was that I had to make changes to my lifestyle, and that's scary.
ERRON: Gotcha.
AMY: But again, having that conversation with him was, I think, one of the things that really helped me to kind of open the door, you know, like I said, open the door to allow people in to help me, and for me, again, to take some of those first steps toward getting myself under control.
ANNOUNCER: Stick around for more of Straight Talk About Diabetes.
Baby Steps Video Transcript
ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Straight Talk About Diabetes, the talk show made FOR people with diabetes—BY people with diabetes.
ERRON: Was there something that just snapped Amy out of her denial, and you were like, "I am going to live this type of lifestyle. I'm going to make these changes," and how do you feel now because you made that decision?
AMY: It was about four and a half years ago, and I was taking baby steps. I had started with taking my medicine and checking my blood sugar. That was my priority, with one pill that was once a day.
ERRON: Okay.
AMY: And then I started to kind of add in some of the other things. So I started to, um,walk a little bit more.
ERRON: Okay.
AMY: But the really key part was when I went back to the doctor, and she checked my A1C, and she lost her mind.
ERRON: (Chuckling)
AMY: She took me to the other partners in the practice and said, "You are not going to believe this." I got hugs, I got high fives, I got fist bumps from the other three doctors in the practice. I'm a different person now, because I figured out I could take care of myself.
ERRON: Like you said, if you don't take care of yourself, who's going to do it?
AMY: Right?
ERRON: Yeah. If you had—to keep it real.
AMY: Yeah?
ERRON: I mean real—
AMY: Oh, really real?
ERRON: I mean all the way real.
AMY: All right.
ERRON: I mean for real, for real.
AMY: Okay.
ERRON: That's what, that's when you know it's serious, when you say it twice in a row.
BOTH: For real, for real.
ERRON: Yeah. What would you tell somebody getting their, their diagnosis right now?And they're feeling like the world is collapsing around them. What would you tell them?
AMY: We need to break it down.
ERRON: Okay.
AMY: You know, when you go to the doctor.
ERRON: Mm-hmm.
AMY: Especially that first time you're diagnosed.
ERRON: All right.
AMY: Um, "You need to lose weight. You need to eat healthy."
ERRON: Your "welcome to diabetes bullet points."
AMY: Yup, and you kind of leave the office and you're like, what just happened? It's taking baby steps. Because, again, I think a lot of the reason why I went into denial was because I was so overwhelmed at all the things I had to do. So the first thing that I focused on was checking my blood sugar and taking my medicine. Let's get a quick win.
ERRON: Gotcha.
AMY: So you just take those little, tiny moments, put them together, and that's what's going to really help, help you be successful.
ANNOUNCER: Stick around for more of Straight Talk About Diabetes.
The Food Police and the "E" Word Video Transcript
ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Straight Talk About Diabetes, with me, your straight-talkin' host, Erron Jay!
ERRON: In your life, do you have a food police?
AMY: I do not like the food police.
ERRON: You don’t like the food police?
AMY: It makes me angry. It’s just kind of the, the judgment.
ERRON: It comes off as judgment? Okay.
AMY: It does. And for me it takes away my confidence that yes, indeed, I made a healthy choice. So I have learned kind of a little…I have come up with a couple little smart remarks that I will make to people. Believe me, the more technical that you make it, the more they want you to shut up and go away and get off the elevator, so I try to make it very, “Well, this is 27 carbohydrates and this is gonna match with this.” It works.
ERRON: Oh, so you just throw it back at them.
AMY: Oh, mm-hmm.
ERRON: Yeah? Okay. Let me ask you this, let me ask you this. So, my vice is cake.
AMY: Oh, my friend…
ERRON: Still is. What’s yours?
AMY: Um, I can say truly that cake also is my jam.
ERRON: Yeah?
AMY: Oh yeah. Mine is especially yellow cake with chocolate icing.
ERRON: Ooh.
AMY: It’s just like, “Oh, cake…” So, one of the things that’s really helped me is, um, my glucose meter. I use it like my GPS.
ERRON: Okay.
AMY: So if I am really jonesing for a piece of cake, the best thing that I can do is check my blood sugar. And if it’s not, you know, where I want it to be, then I can’t choose that right now.
ERRON: Right.
AMY: But I’ll talk to myself and say, “Okay now, if I can make good, healthy choices for dinner and I have a nice, healthy breakfast tomorrow, maybe I can have my cake tomorrow!”
ERRON: Right.
Amy: So I have learned how to make better choices.
ERRON: Okay.
AMY: I can actually say no, Erron.
ERRON: So if I brought in a yellow cake—
AMY: I could say no.
ERRON: —with some chocolate icing—
AMY: I could say no.
ERRON: —from your favorite bakery—
AMY: I could say no.
ERRON: —right now?
AMY: I could say no.
ERRON: With a nice, frosty glass of milk?
AMY: I know. La, la, la, I could say no.
ERRON: All right. Bring the cake—I’m just playing. So, tell me about exercise, what’s your regimen? What do you do?
AMY: For me it’s the E word. I just am not a big fan. But I have a friend of mine that we’re kind of in the same boat.
ERRON: Somebody you work with, a coworker?
AMY: We used to work together and we became best friends, and now we don’t work at the same place anymore, but through the magic of text messaging…
ERRON: “Hey BFF, what you doing?”
AMY:Exactly! There were a couple of times when, um, I was able to get a little bit of a break and so did she, and we were both taking a walk at the same time, but we were two cities away from each other. You know, my kids are home a little bit more, um, they are doing a lot more to say, “Mom, let’s get out and take this walk” or “Let’s go here and let’s do this.”
ERRON: Right.
AMY: So that way, they’re kind of helping me to get out and do stuff like that, ‘cause I have to be accountable to somebody or it’s not going to happen.
ERRON: Oh, I get that.
AMY: That kind of stuff really helps.
ANNOUNCER: Stick around for more of Straight Talk About Diabetes.
Help for the Holidays Video Transcript
ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Straight Talk About Diabetes, the talk show made FOR people with diabetes—BY people with diabetes.
ERRON: So, Christmas time. You've got the cakes, the pies, the cookies.
AMY: Yeah.
ERRON: So you see your favorite cookie.
AMY: Mm-hmm.
ERRON: You know, is, is there any stress around surrounded with not necessarily being able to enjoy that cookie like that you really want to, or, or—
AMY: Absolutely.
ERRON: —a number of those cookies?
AMY: Absolutely. Um, it can be really stressful, and of course the food police really comes out at holiday time.
ERRON: Oh yeah, they do.
AMY: Oh, don't they? They come out of the woodwork. Right? "Are you supposed to be eating that?" [Sighs] That alone is stressful. That alone is stressful. And also I, I do kind of lose a little bit of my confidence around the holidays, and I think it's because, you know, your normal routine is kind of thrown out the window.
But I, I try to get, kind of get back to it, kind of think about it ahead of time,knowing that, you know, okay, we're going to go here, and this is kind of what the spread is going to look like. And I'm expecting that these kind of foods are going to be there, and there are going to be some yummy trigger foods. You know, my,my little peanut butter blossoms are going to be there. So it's kind of leading up to that, I try to really stick to things, really try to focus on, you know, making healthy choices, maybe even make healthier choices than maybe I normally would, just so that that way when I get there and I am kind of faced with that spread, it's kind of like, okay, I, I can handle this.
ERRON: Yeah.
AMY: And you learn some tricks. You know, there a couple things that I learned about going to holiday parties.
ERRON: Mm-hmm.
AMY: The first thing I learned is always—
ERRON: Tell me, because I need to know.
AMY: —always have a cup with water or your beverage of choice, you know,your low-calorie beverage of choice in there has really been helpful for me, because then you don't have the host coming up to you all the time trying to refill your drink.
ERRON: Oh, that's sneaky. Okay. Give me another one.
AMY: The other thing, too, is, um, small plates.
ERRON: Okay.
AMY: Because if you, if you, if you kind of fill up a small plate, that's still not nearly as much food as what's on a big plate.
ERRON: Right.
AMY: And, you know, and I always try to make sure that when I go to a holiday party—like the last time I went there were all these crazy, you know, super-highcalorie crazy party food. And I brought something that I had made that I knew what was in it. So I knew it was kind of safe, for lack of a better word.
ERRON: Right.
AMY: So I made sure that I had, you know, I had a small plate. I had, you know,my veggies and my hummus, which is my favorite thing.
ERRON: Mm-hmm.
AMY: Um, especially at parties, and then I would have some of, you know, the little casserole that I had brought, that I knew was fairly safe. So that way, again,when the host kind of comes around to check on you, "Hey, how ya' doing?” “Have you tried this?" You're like, "Oh, oh, everything is just delicious. Everything is just great."/p>
ERRON: Right.
AMY: And that way you don't feel like, you don't feel nearly as much pressure,because they're not giving it to you.
ERRON: Right.
AMY: And you feel like, oh, you know, I can handle this.
ANNOUNCER: Stick around for more of Straight Talk About Diabetes.
But it's a Shot Video Transcript
ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Straight Talk About Diabetes, with me, your straighttalkin' host, Erron Jay!
ERRON: So I understand that you, uh, take insulin.
AMY: Mm-hmm. So for quite some time my diabetes was changing, but I didn't know.
ERRON: Okay.
AMY: So when I went back to see the doctor, and I go in and we have the conversation where, "You're going to have to take insulin."
ERRON: Gotcha.
AMY: I took it very negatively, and, and, again, you know, you've got to remember I'm still in a place of fear. Right? So now one of my worst fears is coming true, and that is, wow, I must be really bad if I have to take insulin. Okay?Because only the really bad ones take insulin. Right? I mean that was my misperception.
ERRON: Right.
AMY: But it was still my perception. So that kind of flared my, my, um, my denial again, because, because, again, the whole denial, you know, my denial was all based on fear.
ERRON: Yeah.
AMY: And I'm a thinker. So it was like, you know, this is really what's going to help, and then, of course, the lizard side of my brain takes over and is like, "But I have to—it's a shot!”
ERRON: Right.
AMY: “It's going to hurt." Right? So, okay. I'm a nurse. Right?
ERRON: Right.
AMY: I can give shots to everyone. I can give shots to—yeah, not a problem. I can give shots without a problem. But giving it to yourself?
ERRON: That can be a big one.
AMY: That's a whole other story. So finally, finally, finally, I, I put the needle on, I prepped the pen. I kind of took a big, deep breath, and boom, I did it. It was kind of like [sings], I did it!
ERRON: Achievement unlocked.
AMY: Yes. The, the key to that whole thing—
ERRON: Mm-hmm.
AMY: —was, six months after I had started it, when I went back to the doctor,and she checked my A1C and she looked at my glucose logs, and we saw progress.
ERRON: Okay.
AMY: And it's like, wow! I can do this!
ERRON: So you just had to rip the Band-Aid off.
AMY: I did. I did, and it was—
ERRON: You just had to do it.
AMY: Yeah, and of course it wasn't a fast pull. Right?
ERRON: Right.
AMY: You know, it took me a while.
ERRON: It takes a little bit longer.
AMY: So it was like, eek, eek, eek, yeah. So then it was kind of like, okay, okay, I think I got this. Okay, I think I got this.
ANNOUNCER: Stick around for more of Straight Talk About Diabetes.
Toujeo Time Video Transcript
ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Straight Talk About Diabetes, the talk show made FOR people with diabetes—BY people with diabetes.
ERRON: Now in terms of medication, you're on Toujeo®.
AMY: Insulin glargine injection, 300 units per milliliter.
ERRON: For those who may not be familiar, Toujeo is from the makers of Lantus®. Prescription Toujeo is a long-acting man-made insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children who are 6 years of age and older with diabetes mellitus. It takes longer to start working in the bloodstream, but it lasts all day long.
AMY: Right.
ERRON: Also, Toujeo contains three times as much insulin in one milliliter as standard insulin, 100 units per milliliter.
[Phone buzzes] Hold on, I got to get this.
[Looks at phone] Hmm.
[Addresses camera] So there are limitations of use for Toujeo that everyone should know. Toujeo is not for use to treat diabetic ketoacidosis. It is not known if Toujeo is safe and effective in children under 6 years of age. So, Amy, how are you doing since you started on Toujeo?
AMY: My blood sugar levels are normal throughout the day when I measure, and my last A1C was in my target range.
ERRON: Ooh, that's great. I should note that Toujeo is not for everyone, and individual results may vary.
[Phone buzzes] But wait. There's more. This time it's Important Safety Information about Toujeo. Do not take Toujeo if you have low blood sugar or if you are allergic to insulin or any of the ingredients in Toujeo.
AMY: Yeah, that's important.
ERRON: Also, do not reuse needles or share insulin pens, even if the needle has been changed. What would you tell somebody who is just getting the news that insulin is the next step for them?
AMY: That don't be afraid. This isn't about, you know, that your disease is so far gone that this is the only thing that's going to help you, that we're able to use that as a tool.
ERRON: That's—I think that's great advice.
AMY: So, yeah.
ERRON: I mean because you hear "insulin" or you hear "medication" period, and you're like—
AMY: Yeah. Yeah, it's like, oh, it's over.
ERRON: I'm only taking this medication because I am so bad.
AMY: Right. Right.
ERRON: But not the case.
AMY: No.
ERRON: I am taking this medication because you need it—
AMY: Right.
[Phone buzzes]
ERRON: Mom! No, no, no, no. No, no, mom. Ma! Ma! I'm doing an interview right now. I love you too, pooh bear. Okay, bye.
Sorry. My mother says, "Hello, Amy."
AMY: Hello, mom.
ERRON: Yeah. What are some of the names you've heard maybe diabetes be called other than diabetes?
AMY: Oh, the sugar is my favorite.
ERRON: The sugar.
AMY: The sugar.
ERRON: Oh, you got the sugar, baby!
AMY: Oh, well why are you doing that? I don't have the sugar.
ERRON: My sugar's in check.
AMY: My sugar's fine. And I check it and it's 327.
ERRON: Right. Right, because you ate three pieces of cake.
AMY: Mm-hmm.
ERRON: With jam in it.
AMY: Mm-hmm.
ERRON: Amy, thank you so much for joining me, keeping it real with me.
AMY: It has been my pleasure. It has been my pleasure.
ERRON: And, um, you're welcome back.
AMY: I hope we can get real again sometime soon.
ERRON: You're welcome back any time. Mi casa su casa.
AMY: Oh, thank you.
ERRON: Amy, let's move. Yeah, get that exercise in, girl. Yeah, you better boogie. Get it. Get it. Get it. This show has been brought to you by Toujeo. To learn more visit Toujeo.com.
What is Toujeo® (insulin glargine injection) 300 Units/mL?
Prescription Toujeo is a long-acting man-made insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children who are 6 years of age and older with diabetes mellitus.
Important Safety Information
Do not take Toujeo if you have low blood sugar or if you are allergic to insulin or any of the ingredients in Toujeo.
Do not share your pen(s) with other people, even if the needle has been changed. You may give other people a serious infection, or get a serious infection from them.
Before starting Toujeo, tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you have liver or kidney problems, if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or if you are breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed.
Change (rotate) your injection sites within the area you chose with each dose to reduce your risk of getting lipodystrophy (pitted or thickened skin) and localized cutaneous amyloidosis (skin with lumps) at the injection sites. Do not use the same spot for each injection or inject where the skin is pitted, thickened, lumpy, tender, bruised, scaly, hard, scarred or damaged
Heart failure can occur if you are taking insulin together with pills called TZDs (thiazolidinediones), even if you have never had heart failure or other heart problems. If you have heart failure, it may get worse while you take TZDs with Toujeo. Your treatment with TZDs and Toujeo may need to be changed or stopped by your doctor if you have new or worsening heart failure. Tell your doctor if you have any new or worsening symptoms including:
Tell your doctor about all the medications you take, including OTC medicines, vitamins, and supplements, and herbal supplements.
Toujeo should be taken at the same time once a day. Test your blood sugar levels daily while using any insulin. Do not change your dose or type of insulin without talking to your doctor. Verify you have the correct insulin before each injection. Do NOT use a syringe to remove Toujeo from your pen. Your dose for Toujeo may be different from other insulins you have taken. Any change of insulin should be made cautiously and only under medical supervision.
Do NOT dilute or mix Toujeo with any other insulin or solution. It will not work as intended and you may lose blood sugar control, which could be serious. Use Toujeo only if the solution is clear and colorless with no particles visible.
While using Toujeo, do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Toujeo affects you. Don’t drink alcohol or use other medicines that contain alcohol.
The most common side effect of any insulin, including Toujeo, is low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which may be serious and life-threatening. Severe hypoglycemia may cause harm to your heart or brain. Symptoms of serious low blood sugar may include shaking, sweating, fast heartbeat, and blurred vision.
Toujeo may cause severe allergic reactions that can lead to death. Get medical help right away if you have:
Toujeo may have additional side effects including swelling, weight gain, low potassium, and injection site reactions which may include change in fat tissue, skin thickening, redness, swelling, and itching.
Toujeo® SoloStar® and Toujeo® Max SoloStar® are single-patient-use prefilled insulin pens. It is important to perform a safety test when using a new pen for the first time. Talk to your doctor about proper injection technique and follow instructions in the Instruction Leaflet that comes with the pen.
SAUS.TJO.17.05.2588g(2) | 01/20
© 2020 sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC
