What CGM Is the Best for You? 5 Expert Opinions #freestylelibre #dexcom #Eversense #medtronic
What CGM Is the Best for You? 5 Expert Opinions #freestylelibre #dexcom #Eversense #medtronic
When it comes to the world of Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGM) we’re (for the most part) fortunate to have different choices. But with choice can also come confusion about which one to choose. Because you want the best CGM for you, and in this video, you’ll learn about the pros and cons of the CGMs currently available in the US.
And don’t just take my word for it. In this video, you’ll also hear from 3 other CGM users as well as a prescriber. Please welcome, these 4 experts to the Diabetes Strong channel:
Dr. Ahn, MD – Instagram @AhnCall, Tiktok/YT @DiabetesDoc
Ginger – Instagram @gingervieira.t1d.fibro.celiac
Victor – YouTube @DiabetesUnlocked
Tom – YouTube @TypeOneTalks
0:00 Introduction
2:11 Freestyle Libre pros and cons
6:21 Dexcom pros and cons
10:01 Medtronic CGM pros and cons
12:11 Eversense pros and cons
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DISCLAIMER: I’m not a medical professional, never stop your current treatment without consulting with your doctor
Honest opinion. Dexcom G6. I’ve worn the G7 for about 6 months, 7 failed to pair. I have also found the readings to jump, up and down. Frustrating when your trying to determine what’s going on. I’ve worn the G6 for 6 years, only 2 have failed. I just recently when back to the G6.
After 14 days using the continuous glucose monitor when the sensor stops working do you need to buy another sensor, no one in their videos has addressed this
How can you give an accurate opinion of eversens if you have not tried it yet. Do it right , try it .
I gave up on CGMs and went back to the old trustee finger prick. The G7 is a joke, very inaccurate and failed all time, and even had ones that were missing the insertion needle! Being a hairy dude and having to shave the insertion sites sucks and couple that with inflammation and reaction to the adhesive were the final nail in the coffin for me.
Eversense is my choice ❤
I need to get away from Libre. Major pain.
WOW amazing video. Thank you for sharing these real world experiences with us. Please continuing gathering this commentary from others around the world. It does not go unnoticed.
I didn’t scroll through all of the comments so I don’t know if you found a Medtronic CGM user.
I started with the Enlite like you did about 10 years ago. Hated it mainly because it would make my 723 pump alarm at the most inopportune times (I.e., driving, sleeping). As it was really a “dumb” system with no autocorrect or auto suspend, I saw no value in it.
Fast forward to about 3 or so years ago, my 723 stopped working and they put me on the 770, and had me try the Guardian3 sensor. It was better because it would auto-suspend, but still required initial and frequent calibration. So couldn’t really reduce the finger pricking. Also the alarms seemed even worse; even when I put it on silent, I would still get beeping alarms in the middle of the night.
They put me on Guardian G4 and did the upgrade to the 780 pump about a year or so ago. That has been much better and much more effective at reducing my A1C. No initial cal and very few subsequent cals required. BUT THOSE G-D ALARMS!
It’s as if when they went to the 770/780, their lawyers got their dirty hands all over this thing. I’m sure they have the added alarms and reduced controls because of fear of liability. That’s what it feels like to me, anyway.
My endocrinologist wanted to switch me to Dexcom G7 and the Beta Bonics pump. However I’m not eligible for a new pump until April 2026, so I will also likely have to stick with the Guardian 4 sensors until then.
I could switch to G7 now, but if it won’t talk directly with the 780g, what’s the point? I’ll tough it out with Medtronic for a couple more years…and then switch and forget I ever heard of them.
Can anyone tell me if the other systems (other than FS2) are better regarding alarms and being able to turn them the eff off?
Good video!!
Would these be recommended for type 2
Surprised. No one mentioned main benefit of Libre 3 – per minute update (while Dexcome 5 min)
Baja Mexico 🇲🇽
hey I got a dexcom g7and well whats with this setup where i drop to the forties but a finger stick by ems shows 151 I calibrated and three hours later it did it again. I have type two diabetes, and yeah. trying to get a prodigy meter so I can have a talking meter so i can do my own finger sticks. the relion meter did not help me so much. I did the dexcom so I did not get blood everywhere. I recently got taken off of insulin and put on ozempic and hope they did not take me off my dexcom because well dexcom is so helpful and the dexcom app is so accessible with voiceover. perhapse you could do a blindness perspective on diabetes reviewing these products. like the prodigy meter. that would be helpful. accessibility of apps. things like that. considering most people with diabetes go blind or are blind. things can get interesting if you are blind and a lot of people don’t think of things like app accessibility. all sorts of things. ease of applying cgms the dexcom overlays are a pain. just my thought
I wish you would talk about comfort. How does it feel having a needle in your arm while you are sleeping and roll over on it etc etc.
FS2 is better
Thank you 🙏
What is the current "supply chain" problem with the Dexcom G7? I was just told there is a 3 week wait for my re-order and that I am not alone…I have to give up CGM monitoring and go back to finger sticks….Asked about this issue, Dexcom has only talked about its "commitment to its customers." But, I wonder…I gather they are increasing their manufacturing in Malaysia (Maybe their plants there aren’t operating correctly). Are they being caught in the new tariff wars? (Do they get parts from China?) Will Dexcom have reliable supplies long-term?
I do not have diabetes, but I am curious, I want one
I was diagnosed in 1972 and have been a very healthy T1D now for over 53 years (I remember boiling/sterilising glass, reusable syringes and needles every morning as a 9 year old!). I’m still MDI and incredibly fit and healthy and have had no diabetic complications (not even a single hospital admission in that time)
Being from Australia, there are less options available, but the cost is hugely subsiding by the government.
I have been using Abbott 2 for about 2 years (didn’t like the look of the Dexcom G5 because of its size and my lifestyle) and I have found the Abbott to be adequate, but you have to be smart to interpret the results it shows (given the interstitial fluid timing, and the “compression lows”. However…
I have also found the Abbott very rarely lasts the advertised 14 days, and often fails after as little as 7 days. Jut a message stating “Sensor has stopped working. Replace sensor”. I have also found a very high correlation between experience a “Lo” reading (I manage my BGLs towards the lower end of the range and get the occasional “Lo”), and the sensor then gives highly inaccurate lower results f the next 24-ish hours, and then fails.
This situation is then further compounded because of Abbott’s incredibly poor customer service, and refusing to back up their warranty. I now have disputes with them for 7 failed sensors over the last 10 months and they are still denying an issue, or even acknowledge that a “Lo” issue exists (and I know I’m not eh the only one, as one of their representatives let it slip that they have heard of this issue with other callers).
I’m waiting for the G7 to be subsided by our government and then I will be jumping ship the moment that occurs.
I have the freestyle 3 and l love not scanning but once! I also tried the freestyle 1 and 2 but I did not like scanning every time to get a reading.
Can you share on your site the contraindication for patients that wear the Medtronics, Freestylelibre, and Dexcom CGMs when having not only an MR exam but now some CT’s, or other ionizing Radiation procedures. Patients may be asked to remove the devices now also for some radiation ionization exams lile CT’s X-rays, or mammos, as sensors can be affected by the electromagnetic fields and radiation, leading to potential inaccuracies in glucose monitoring. These are now in the patient safety information for the above devices, and Diagnostic imaging centers are required to follow the manufacturer’s safety procedures. This would be so helpful for patients to know before they schedule exams to try and schedule clode to the time to replace the CGM
Freestyle Libre 2 is going away and there will only be the 3 which continuous checks your blood sugar straight to iphone
i like the dexcom g7 i wear it on my sholder no problems yet except my spelling
I commented in this back when it first came out. Newly diagnosed with type 2. Some experience now. I like the Libre 3. There have been times when it did not agree with the finger sticks, but lately they have been very close. I like that it lasts 14 days. I know exactly when the change is going to happen. Plus, I have a hard time buying three sensors when I can get by with just two.
I am looking for comparison between the newest Dexcom one+ and the newer Libra 2+. But I have not been able to find any. It is always the old style G6 and Libra 2. It would be great if there was a comparison video for these newer models especially as the Dexcom one+ is not two seperate transmitter and sensor and is more like the G7 but without connections to pumps. It also seems to cost less per 30 days supply than the Libra 2+. I would value a comparison video of these. I am type 2 diabetes and hoping to use sensors to learn and even try to reverse it. But first I need to control it better.
$90 in Canada even with discount nope
The past couple years my A1C has been increasing, and my most recent test result of 5.8 indicates I’ve crossed into what is considered to be Prediabetes. My physician suggested an OTC CGM, so I can get some additional data on what is going in with my glucose metabolism. Can anyone recommend a make/model for a CGM for someone who is prediabetic, who wants to better understand his condition? Thanks.
you can totally disable the alarms from dexcom 😆😆
IMO. Don’t get the G7.
the eversense cost $2500 if your insurance covers half of it (for the 365 version) also its not covered by hmo its only available for ppo which is what they told me anyway. so that might be a deal breaker for some people
I personally don’t recommend the dexcom G7. The monitor itself works great but it’s SO SMALL and has such little covering that it rips off SO EASILY. I’ve had so many of mine get ripped out & I’ve had mine for barely over a year. Most of the time I can’t even get through a full session with the G7. I NEVER had this problem before with the G6 & I’ve used that one for like 6 years(?). & customer service doesn’t help you at all.
My advice & experience if you’re searching for a CGM. G7 rips off way too easily. & when u call to tell them about it & ask for a replacement, they take WEEKS to ship you a replacement! so you’re out of sensors until then. No CGM for weeks. They won’t let you order more than like 3-4 at a time. so you’re literally OUT. I don’t like Dexcom anymore.
Have you found a way to import the Lingo Data into Apple Health? Is Thera a way to export the data CSV file and import into apple health? This sth software’s weakest point. Why use the apple app if it can’t be useful in tracking the Maxtix with all the other health data? It kind of he reason I got it?
Loved the spirit of this video! In our ofttimes overly competitive society I rarely encounter the openness to a variety of opinions so evident in this comparison of the pluses and minuses of various CGM systems. Cooperation invariably leads to better result than competition and it is like breathing oxygen to encounter it in such an important area as diabetes education. Thanks to Christel and the other folks appearing in this excellent video!
Please turn off your censorship in your comments. I’ve tried to comment the same thing like 5 times now & it won’t post 😒
Eversense 365 now supporting a new insulin pump.
For those interested in Eversense, here’s my several year experience:
I was a Eversense early adopter and E3 user also… here’s my take of about 3+ years of use
Due to insurance changes.. I am now a G7 user.
Myself… Type1 diabetic 45+ years. My last A1c was 5.5 (I usually hover closer to 6, but last 4 yrs I’m 5.3 to 6.1)
I use syringes (old school) and U100 huma/novalog + tresiba insulin in bottles.
Pros:
On body alerts. I MISS THIS SO MUCH! I’m often moving about, using my hands. Getting a series of beeps alerted me to high or low predicted events… and even more stern warnings once I actually high or low. I MISS THIS FEATURE SO MUCH!
Accurate: After the first day or so, accuracy is dead-on matching my finger sticks, unless my BSL is changing rapidly) So much better than my G7.
Ease of use: Once you get the hang of it, charging every 24-36+ hrs became second nature. Since I had so many transmitters, each came with a charging cradle, I had one in each car, at work, at home in a couple places. So if I kept forgetting to charge, I could easy do so in just a few minutes.
Adhesive: It’s been 2yrs since I last used my E3. The adhesives pads were not the newer silicone version, so I can’t say about the newer style. The older style I had clear and a white fabric type. The clear did not stick as agressively and had to be changed daily when charging, I rarely used them.
The white adhesive pad was VERY strong. For the first year I would change daily when charging the transmitter. My skin became quite irritated. I used SkinTac to help, but still was annoying. In the end I would NOT replace the white adhesive for several days… and when I peeled it off, it came off without irritation. Note: I typically shower daily and kept transmitter on. I pretty much never had issues with the transmitter falling off at night, showering, working out, or rough-housing with my two kids. For swimming(non-salt water), I put on a new adhesive pad and a overpatch.
App: The predective alert settings are better in the Eversense app (IMHO). The ability to pinch-zoom and scroll the BSL chart is a feature the G7 should implement… It’s been two years, I still miss that feature often.
Cons:
Insurance: With my insurance which changed a couple times, deductibles, unknown costs until I got the bill, and financial help programs from Eversense/Asensia that was quite frustrating at times…. It really sucked. Sometimes a 3-month sensor would be $50 out of pocket, the next one would be $500. Eversense/Asensia often had assistance programs to keep cost down… but often they were near useless as they only work once, or get discontinued, or they simply don’t respond to your emails anymore. As a result, I had to keep calling, trying different emails, keeping a call log to help avoid being put back to a dead-end I had already gone down.
Daily calibrations: The Eversense system used to require 2-daily calibrations. If you missed a calibration for too many hours (12+?) you would have to do 4 calibrations in a 24hr period to start over. The newer E3 6month model touted only needing a single daily calibration. This is partially true (see this video for excellent info). Now I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS, but I actually stopped doing finger sticks for my calibrations for the most part. Instead I would just enter the same value my Eversense app showed as a calibration. I would only do this if my BSL was constant, not changing much. Maybe every couple days I’d fingerstick… and find the BSL reading matched my meter just fine. (app showed 105, my meter showed 104)
Charging: Daily charging is a big negative for many. To me, it wasn’t. One thing of note is when new my original and E3 model would get almost 48hrs on a single full charge… but by time the transmitter was a few months old, the charge would last 30-36hrs at most. I also had several transmitters batteries fail.. charging would only get me a few hours at most. Eversense would overnight a new transmitter and I’d send old one back.
Sensor issues: Another major issue I encountered was the sensor shifting or going deeper. I had this happen multiple times, resulting is very difficult placement of the transmitter to get signal. On multiple occasions I had to go back to doctor to have sensor removed and a new one inserted. (These issues occured regardless of using a new arm & pocket or not). I also had just bad sensors or horrible readings like going from too-low to read to 300+ in 5 minutes over and over again.
Sensor insertion: Every time a sensor is inserted, a small 1/3 to 1/2" incision is made on your arm. This can leave visible scars, some are still visible to this day as a dark line or bump/indentation in my skin.
Sensor placement: Recommended by Eversense is to use a different arm each time, so you’ll end up with two arms with bandages. My doctor(s) often would re-use the same arm a couple times. Either by re-using the "pocket" or angling the pocket at a 45 degree from previous, or 180 degree. This would allow a single insiscion to be made and pull out old sensor and put new one in. Regarding insurance, when switching arms for the new sensor, so you may end up with two "proceedures" depending on your insurance. I got hit with a very expensive bill as these two "surgeries" were considiered "elective" and my insurance at the time only covered one "elective proceedure" per year at %50.
Sensor removal: On multiple occasions, mostly with the E3 6month version, removal of the sensor was difficult due to scarring around the sensor. I remember the doctors really pulling hard to get the sensor out. Or other times, the sensor slipped out of the pocket and he had to go digging/cutting to find it, get to it. End result was a lot of blood and longer recovering time
Light – The sensor uses light to as the mechansim to determine your BSL. If you’re going to be outdoors in direct sunlight, you’ll need a decently heavy shirt to cover the transmitter. This video showed heat also an issue, I never ran into that personally… even when hiking in 95F desert exposed trails for hours. If I knew I’d be in bright sunlight, I would either wear a heavier/dark t-shirt or put a dark overpatch on. On one outting I forgot to bring one, so I did a loose wrap with a bandanna and issue was resolved.
T1D since 1976. On multiple injections.
I use the Eversense. This is due to my age of being 60 years old, on blood thinners, and I don’t feel lows.
It’s a decision of safety first. Also, most of my Dexcom CGMs since 2007, have cause a lot of under skin irritation and bleeding. It does take daily calibrations.
But in my case, so did the Dexcom G6 and G7. These would stick at higher levels and not be accurate in my long term tissue with swelling and scar tissue.
Eversense is very different from most CGM’s. It’s the one that works best for me.
It has a two week multiple calibration period as the tissue and sensor become accosutomed with each other in the healing process.
It tells you when to calibrate. It feels more like a real biomedical piece of biomedical equipment.
One thing I have learned is if you calibrate any CGM, make sure you do so when your blood sugar is stable and not when it is quickly rising or falling.
I don’t use a pump anymore so that’s not an issue for me for pumps that work with other CGMs.
CGM technology has given me a lot of freedoms and great A1C’s.
Expect your insulin and CGM therapies to vary as you get older.
super useful
Can you check out if the Dexcom sensors can go in the water because I know for a fact that the freestyle libre cannot
Busy watching this as a first time cgm user. I’ve been evaluating my diabetes for a few consecutive days in the hospital and am figuring out that mine is not as accurate as I thought it would be as the nurses are doing finger prick tests for their data. I’m using a brand called AiDex. I’m living in China and the Dexcom stuff is available but about double the price
I didn’t get a choice, as my insurance wouldn’t pay for the Dexcom. They cover the Libre, so that’s what I got.
👍
I’d have to say I’ve been using the Freestyle Libra 3 Plus for a few about 4 days now. I think it’s great.
Can you check out if the Dexcom sensors can go in the water because I know for a fact that the freestyle libre cannot
Eversense is the best and new CGM on the market. And no it’s not for 180 day, it’s for 365 days a whole year
I found literally no different between the libre 3 and Dexcom 7 in terms of readings. I did find the Dexcom fully inaccurate the first 8-12 hours which I suspect is why the libre wants you to blood test to verify. Also I don’t know how people are saying the Dexcom has all the bells and whistles?
The app is trash just like the libre .
What about stelo or lingo? Will you rate those
Love the G7. I don’t understand the complaints here about alarms. You can set your own limits.
Thank you so much for the video. Subscribed. I have one question if we were to implant the Eversense in the body , do they pose any issues during the security clearance at airports?. Thanks in advance.
What about ican cgm , the sinocare one
I am a 5 years T2 diabetic that recently had to transition from NovoRapid to the bio similar Trurapi (Insurance coverage changes). Since the change, despite adjusting dose from 14/13/14 to 10/10/10 of rapid insulin at breakfast/lunch/dinner I have daily hypoglycemia episodes so I need a reliable CGM to report/predict their onset.
The comments about the Libre and the Dexcom completely missed the part that for people having frequent hypoglycemia episodes the Libre is quite inaccurate (SugarMD goes into details about it in their comparison of the two). Wish this video went a bit more in dept. You also did not mention that Abbot’s own data shows that only 80% of their sensors manage to live up to the advertised 14 days. Nor do you mention that the adhesive on the Dexcom G7 is insufficient and causes the sensor to be knocked much easier, so an overlay is pretty much a must…