Continuous glucose meters (CGMs) aren’t just widgets for the wellness crowd. For many, CGMs are real-time feedback machines for the body, offering glucose trendlines that help people rethink how they eat. They allow diabetics to continue their daily life without stabbing their fingertips several times a day, in the most inconvenient places. This video by [Becky Stern] is all about comparing two of the most popular continuous glucose monitors (CGMs): the Abbott Libre 3 and the Dexcom G7.
Both the Libre 3 and the G7 come with spring-loaded applicators and stick to the upper arm. At first glance they seem similar, but the differences run deep. The Libre 3 is the minimalist of both: two plastic discs sandwiching the electronics. The G7, in contrast, features an over-molded shell that suggests a higher production cost, and perhaps, greater robustness. The G7 needs a button push to engage, which users describe as slightly clumsy compared to the Libre’s simpler poke-and-go design. The nuance: G7’s ten-day lifespan means more waste than the fourteen-day Libre, yet the former allows for longer submersion in water, if that’s your passion.
While these devices are primarily intended for people with diabetes, they’ve quietly been adopted by a growing tribe of biohackers and curious minds who are eager to explore their own metabolic quirks. In February, we featured a dissection of the Stelo CGM, cracking open its secrets layer by layer.
Man. With that awesome title, I really thought a BASIC reference was coming.
I have used the Libre 3 and the G6 (type 1 diabetic), and the amount of waste from both applicators is shocking. I would have thought it would be better to create a non-disposable applicator (with replaceable needles). Personally, I prefer the Libre 3, but each to their own.
That’s healthcare for you. You should see the amount of waste generated from even a simple surgery- about two crammed full giant sized garbage bags, all of it straight to the landfill. And that is best case.
I work developing medical wearables. Hospitals don’t want reusable items. They don’t have time and personnel to ensure that everything is sterile. The risk is just too high.
I have used both: The Libre is less accurate but the 14 days length of monitoring is so much less waste and hassle. The Dexcom lasts for 10 days but has significant failure rates for lots of people. I never had a Libre fail unless I accidentally scraped it off of my arm by running into a door frame. With the Dexcom I have had 3-4 failures just because the cannula did not insert properly and then sticks back out of the unit.
Either is very useful replacement for finger sticks.
EU here (I read that there are difference).
4 yr with Dexcom 6 and I never have problems (a part some disconnections in the last days)
I prefer it to the Libre, better ecosystem/app/app/site and easy to share data’s with my diabetic unit.
Yes. I confirm that every door (especially in summer) is trap , hahaha
But I found a safer insert in place (internal side of the arm)
Awesome video. Very interesting. I never opened one, but I was always curious. I use the Freestyle/2 (officially a FGM, but somewhere this year it started acting more like a CGM as it updates automatically every 30 seconds as long it is in range of my phone). I wondered if it uses NFC or Bluetooth. Scanning is via NFC, for sure. But the auto updating happens too when more than a meter between sensor and phone, so … that can’t be NFC, right?! So both?
Every 14 days applying a sensor (I don’t really feel the needle which inserts the filament) is so much better than have to prick my finger up to 8 times a day. I now have a much better insight in my glucose levels with hardly any hassle.
I heard you say it twice: US$200 for a sensor. In The Netherlands it’s (for a Freestyle/2) about €80 over the counter. A Freestyle/3 costs somewhat north of €100. A Dexcom 7 costs somewhere in between.
Luckily my insurance pays for everything (also the test strips, needles and reader for if the sensor doesn’t work). And if I have a bad sensor or if it falls of, I can contact Abbott and they replace the faulty (fallen of) one. Until now without questions, but they sometimes send you an envelope to return it so they can investigate what went wrong (I guess they get paid by my insurance, or otherwise it’s the price for being the first sensor to be approved and prescribed in The Netherlands?)
I’m a type 1 diabetes insulin pump user. I’ve used both of these products (presently the G-7). Each has its pros and cons from a practical point-of-view. But both are way-more convenient than finger-sticks: faster, less messy, less painful, fewer parts-and-pieces to keep up with, privacy, and easy to use as frequently as you want. The G-7 interacts with my pump, and the pump is programmed to react to highs and lows automatically. I do wish, however, either CGM could be inserted in additional parts of my body.
Can you share any info on the CT scanner used?