Is over-the-counter glucose monitoring right for your wellness journey?

A continuous glucose monitor, or CGM, is a biowearable device that measures your glucose levels through a sensor inserted underneath your skin. 

CGMs have been an important part of diabetes care for over a decade, but recently these devices have become available for purchase over the counter (OTC). This means that people can buy them without needing a prescription.   

Having CGMs available OTC means that these devices become more accessible to people, without the need to go through a doctor. It also opens their use up to people who don’t have diabetes, for whom a growing body of research suggests there can be benefits to using a CGM.¹ 

In this article, we’ll take a look at what it means to be an OTC CGM, how they work, and who can buy one. 

What is an over-the-counter CGM? 

An over-the-counter CGM is one that you can buy without needing a prescription. 

While doctors have prescribed these devices to people with diabetes for many years, the availability of some over the counter means that more people have access to CGMs than ever before. It’s now easier for people with type 2 diabetes who don’t take insulin or people with prediabetes to track their glucose levels (instead of relying on finger-prick tests). 

And if you're someone who doesn’t have diabetes but is looking to improve your overall health and wellbeing, it’s a new way to learn more about your body. 

How does a CGM work? 

CGMs work by continuously measuring the glucose levels in your interstitial fluid, which is the thin layer of fluid surrounding your body’s cells. You may sometimes see them described as integrated CGMs or iCGMs. 

The measuring is done by a tiny sensor that you insert under your skin using an applicator. When it comes to OTC CGMs, you’ll apply the sensor to the back of your upper arm. 

The sensor connects to a transmitter that sends the glucose data wirelessly to a special receiver or an app on your smartphone. 

With this, you get to view real-time data showing how your glucose levels respond to things like food, movement, and other factors that impact glucose response such as stress and sleep. You can then use this insight to help make choices that support your overall health and wellness. 

Learn more about how CGMs work. 

Who can buy an OTC CGM? 

Over-the-counter CGMs are available for anyone to buy. But they’re not suitable for everyone to use. 

OTC CGMs are unsuitable if you are any of the following:  

• Younger than 18 years of age 

• Taking insulin 

• Someone who experiences problematic hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) 

Lingo is an OTC CGM that’s intended for people who are looking to improve their health and wellness, wanting to learn more about their metabolism, and are interested in creating healthy habits. 

Wearing a CGM can help you limit the number of glucose spikes you experience.^3,4 This is when you have more glucose in your bloodstream than your body can take in for energy. 

Research shows that there are a number of health benefits to adopting behaviours that help with glucose management. These include:   

• Supporting weight management: Using a CGM to adopt behaviours that limit glucose spikes could help people to manage their weight.³ 

• Making it easier to tell apart cravings from true hunger: Seeing your real-time glucose data could help you understand the difference between feelings of hunger and passing cravings.⁵ 

• Improving sleep: Improving glucose management can help support sleep⁶ (and in turn, good sleep can help to support glucose management).⁷ 

• Improving your mood: Using a CGM can help you understand your individual glucose responses to food and make it easier to follow a low-glycaemic diet, which may help improve your mood.⁸ 

While Lingo is not suitable for people with diabetes, there are other OTC CGMs that are suitable for people with diabetes who don’t take insulin, helping them manage their condition. And research suggests that in people with type 2 diabetes, CGM use results in lower glucose levels than traditional self-monitoring of blood glucose using finger-prick testing.⁹ 

Learn more about possible reasons for wearing a CGM if you don’t have diabetes.   

Where can I buy an OTC CGM? 

At present, OTC CGMs are available to purchase via the products’ own websites. 

For example, the Lingo product purchase page allows you to see the different purchase plans that are available. You can buy: 

• A 2-week plan with one biosensor 

• A 4-week plan with two biosensors 

• A 12-week subscription with an initial six biosensors, which automatically renews  

Lingo is also available to purchase on Amazon and the Boots website. 

A final note from Lingo 

Having Lingo and other CGMs available for purchase OTC means that these devices are now a more accessible tool that can help people see how their diet and lifestyle impact their glucose levels. And having access to this personal data can empower people to make choices that will support their health and wellbeing. 

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