Hi, notice you mentioned the Freestyle Lite in your article.
Here in Australia we don't have the Ontouch meters, which is a bit frustrating for those of us on Minimed pumps as it meanst we need to plug our numbers in.
I personally use the Freestyle and find it quite convenient... I've written a review in my blog in case you want to have a look.
Greetings from Melbourne, Australia
Henry.-
Author of D and The Guy
I think it's not so much that the Australian government doesn't let them in and... I think the issue is OneTouch had decided not to enter the market here (and not go through the approval process) and therefore, even if you get a meter, you can't get strips for it...
It's a shame.... let's see if we ever get it.
Cheers,
Henry
Author of D and The Guy
http://www.dandtheguy.com
Hi Ann,
Great price comparison! I just wanted to add a little info about a newer brand of test strips.
WaveSense brand test strips are also very cost effective. You can get the Presto meter at Walmart and strips cost ~$0.46/each. At Kroger stores WaveSense brand test strips cost ~$0.37/each. The test strips are very affordable, but also perform really well. There are published white papers for review.
Full disclosure: I work for AgaMatrix, the company that makes WaveSense brand glucose meters.
Joseph!
Happy to have your comment! I only learned of WaveSense about 2 weeks ago. The reason I stumbled onto it was the iphone app. I have an iphone and have been looking for a better app. Too many have been too cumbersome and not integrated well.
Would be very interested in talking with you about a blog on Wave Sense. Could you email me at this site and I'll contact you!
Thanks for the great info!
I want to thank Ann for the information she submitted. I have been struggling in getting test strips for 2 meters, since I use one for Travel (One Touch Ultra Mini) and (Accu-Check Aviva) for home. My Insurance will only cover the cost for one meter and I have to pay out of pocket for the other. I will take your advice and go onto Amaxon. com
Hi Martha,
Thank you for commenting! I used to have two different meters too and I ended up replacing my "other" meter to have matching brand. My doctor prescribed for maximum number of strips allowed and it covers me well for a month.
Any specific reason you use two different brands? I assume size of the mini for travel. I use mine for my purse.
"It is important to throw out your meter after about a year to maintain consistency."
Could you please tell me the source for this sentence in your article? I use five Ultra meters, of different ages, in different locations in my house. They have all been lab tested many times and are consistent. I test LOTS and they are all part of my lifeline. I have never considered dumping any of them--unless they officially break.
To both Barbara and itfitz 
I have gotten that advice from my endo and my CDE, who are unrelated to each other.
When I met with my CDE the first time I carried in a meter, I don't even know how old! My cde said accuracy is not dependable and he set 3 meters down in front of me and using the same blood tests two of his against mine. Mine was so off the charts different, lower then his two! (so of course loved my meter! lol) He asked if I calibrated and I looked down and sort of scuffed the floor, "no" and he said let's start fresh! (uhhh good choice!) At that time he said with technology improvements replace sooner rather than later. He made the point, the meter isn't the cost it's the strips so update!
While this was a long time ago, last year I was working with my beloved one Touch smartlink and it would have a 90 point difference between the little mini I bought and my endo echoed the same thing, if the swing is to wide, just replace it. My mini matched hers, so I started using it less and looking around at other options.
Barbara, I think if all your meters are of different ages and are within a 30% range you don't have to change anything! You take the necessary steps to really work the meters well, but in my little survey among some d friends, hardly anyone even calibrated their meters!
But my point is that many of us get caught up with feeling like the meter is the expense, when the reality is the strips are the cost. And accuracy is unpredictable with meters as so stated by the FDA recently! So why not change them out more often, especially if technology seems to always be new and improved!
Thank you both for commenting!
I also have 4 or 5 1 touch meters. Usually test the same sample on each when I have lab work done. Sometimes one is off but not always the same one. My treatment plan is stable right now and if one was very far off I would be suspicious and recheck.
BTW I recently picked up one of the tiny SideKick meters at walmart. Meter, 50 strips, test solution for $20. No lancing device but I had a spare short one. Great for taking out
Throwing away a perfectly good meters would gall me even if they ae cheap!
I don't buy the idea that a meter must be replace every year. There's a reason health care costs so much, and it's because we don't demand that it's cheaper. There is no reason an electronic device cannot be made to last a long time and be reliable. I was actually shocked at the specs on my freestyle lite--accuracy of +/-8. When you're testing for 100, that's almost 10%! Unacceptable!
But with all the pharmaceutical "pushers" out there using doctors as their "pimps", products that benefit the heathcare companies financially are all there is in the market. I know an accurate meter can be made that will last. But that wouldn't benefit the test makers because then people could start making third party strips and the strip cost would plummet. Can't have that happen now, can we. Grrr....
I failed a 3hr gtt about a month ago, so now I'm part of the diabetic club. (I was ready for it someday as diabetes runs two generations deep on both sides of my family.) My doctor's office gave me a brand new Freestyle Lite--"oh, the reps drop these off all the time for us to give out." And no wonder--it pays for itself the first time I have to buy a pack of 50 strips. Solid business practice, but it doesn't ultimately help people when you can produce a meter similar that can last longer and allow other companies to produce the strips. It's like having no generic substitutes for medications--people can be hurt (and possibly even die) from not having medications or testing strips. How can business stand to make money off hurting people? Answer: It shouldn't, and we shouldn't allow it.
Thank you so much for this information. I don't have insurance and it is so very expensive I get strips from some friends that give me a bottle and then my other friend gives me a bottle from their supplies so I try very hard to make these last so I would like to be able to buy my. And now my doctor gave me a prescription for Insulin my levels are just staying to high about 340 every day and that is just too expensive for me. So I'm looking for some kind of help for this so if you know of anything
Wow! insulin is a little more difficult! Be sure to ask your doctor for vials or orals.( I don't know whether you are type 1 or type 2) They usually have handouts they get from the reps. That's the first place to start, also ask your doc about finding help to pay for the insulin.
There are some mailorder pharmacies that will ship and it's sometimes less expensive. If I come across anything I'll leave a note!
I use the FreeStyle Lite meter. My co-pay for 400 strips was $50.00. I was speaking with a customer service rep. at Abbott regarding another issue. She she asked me if I had the FreeStyle Promise Membership Card. I was not aware of it. I now pay $15.00 for the same amount of strips. This card is also good for FreeStyle Lite, FreeStyle or Precision Xtra test strips. All you have to do is take your doctor's prescription along with the card to your pharmacy. You can obtain membership by calling 1-866-246-2683, and it's free. Basically, it is an insurance card for test strips. Hope this helps. Call!!
Kat
I've had type 2 for 12 years. The last two have been on insulin Lantus (96 units) & Humalog (22 units). I have insurance and mail order the insulin from insurance vendor at $250@ 6 weeks sort of. Insurance only will pay for bayer meters and strips, which still cost me $250 a quarter. I only have $50 a month for food for myself. Any costs for anything come out of the food budget. Doc gave me a card for the Freestyle but local pharmacey couldn't tell me the savings. After a 4 day stint in the hospital 2 weeks ago my BG has changed to where I'm constantly going as low as 32. My wife said paying for test strips cheaper then my hospital stay, but then says to me "we got cut things!" "Cut what?" So this gives me hope that perhaps the strip cost will go down. I quit checking for 3.5 months cause of cost. Thanks for the hope!
This is only good for those with Insurance. Here are exact words from the Freestyle site:
"Get instant co-pay savings on test strips. 8 out of 10 members with private insurance will pay only 15.00 a month.
The co-pay savings offer is not valid for persons eligible for
reimbursement for blood glucose test strips, in whole or in part,
under Medicare, Medicaid, or similar Federal or State programs."
I don't understand throwing away the meter each year. My insurance doesn't give me a new one each year so I am confused. I can replace the battery as often as needed so what else goes wrong with them? Other than the fact that mine like to keep gaining time. I also have the Ultras, 2 of them, different models. Both test the same and both keep gaining time.
Best Wishes,
Joan
Hi Joan,
I actually left a comment regarding why a few comment s above, but to summarize, consistency of meters is, at best, inconsistent! If your meter is within 30% range of each other then you don't have to worry, so much.
But for something that is so important, why risk the wobble in a meter? The meter is not the cost, the strips are! Refreshing your technology is a good thing and more often is really the point whether it be one year or 3. I replace my cheap mini every year and if you have a meter that syncs to a pump, I just routinely checked it against my mini for consistency. As long as you are calibrating and the numbers are within range you can watch the clock, be a little goofy! Mine have been off too, a small meaningless glitch, I hope! I'll take the clock snafu over a bg reading snafu! lol!
Thanks for commenting!
Hi Ann, Thank you for the information. I am not on insulin and hope to never be, but testing is important enough to worry about it. I trust my AL1C tests more than the reading on the meters anyway. The readings are just too inconsistant with my daily living being consistant so .... You just never know for sure.
Regards,
Joan
What is a pump vacation and why do you take it?
Why do you need a new meter once a year?
Hi Irene,
Here's my pump vacation blog. I had been wearing a pump for 3 years and it was really not a great experience. Insulin delivery is so individual, as you can see in the comments left on the blog!
As for the new meter, I left some comments above that you can glean more info from!
Thanks for commenting!
There was no mention of the Contour meter or Contour test strips. The Regional superstore in northern Indiana sells them for $1.00 a piece, $50.00 for a box of 50. Would like to find a cheaper price. Or can I use other brands of test strips with the Contour meter?
Faith!
I had not thought about the contour in a long time! I used one many years ago. I don't know why it was not included in the CR report. I'll go back and make sure I didn't skip it.
Also, I have some good news for you! Amazon sells contour strips and for much less then 50 ct for $50! Looky here!
Let me know, if I hooked the right fish!
Just checked Amazon and ordered the 100 ct for under $40,saved $60. Cannot thank you enough. My doctor won't order more than for 5 times a day so the pharmacy won't fill more often, which doesn't help if BS drops and I have to recheck 15 minutes later or when I have to check before and after exercising. I didn't realize Amazon sold diabetic supplies, I thought it had to be a drug store. Again, thanks.
YESSSSSSSSS! Happy Friday indeed!
Also I would strongly push the doc. to reconsider his/her position. Many docs give the recommendation for 6 times a day and you may want to call and ask your insurance if they have a max on test strips, them make your case! A little homework may save you $$!
...And why should you be dictated to by someone who probably doesn't even have the disease! grrrr, can ya tell? 
Great article! Thanks for taking the time to do this study.I do have Medicare, but don't see the point in making it pay too much for Pxs of any sort. Intersting seeing the reference to Amazon for the Contour test strips. Sure does outdo the local pricing on the strips. Think I wil try the Walmart that you say Consumer Reports says is a Best Buy. Also thanks for the info about replacing the meter after a year. As you say, it is the strips that the companies make money on, that's why you can get the meters free or cheap.
I love my Breeze 2 meter ( had a Breeze from the start) and the fact that 1. it need no coding, & 2. the strips come in a disc of 10 so I'm not handling a strip every time I test. I find it very accurate ( my A1C always agrees with the numbers I get from my meter) and it's big enough that I can see the numbers easily & fits the palm of my hand. I have no idea what the strips cost though as I have insurance ( thankfully).
Hugs,
Gracie
I think that I have five meters. I keep one at home and one at work and they are both Relion. I buy the 100ct box and divide them up, making sure that I have the code strip. Of the four brands that I have, I have decided that if I know what my low reading is and what my normal readings are, validated by a good A1c test, I'll keep buying Relion. It's the free market way to drive the cost down from other vendors.
I bought a Reli-On meter from Walmart because I could not afford my One Touch Ultra Mini strips.
I have to say, I love the product. The meter itself is very reliable. I verified it's accuracy with my One Touch meter to begin with. And, I can buy a box of 100 test strips for only $39.99 at Walmart.
I also have a Reli-On blood pressure meter, and I love that as well!
I recomend these products to anyone needed to monitor blood pressure or blood sugars.
-Heather
I had been using Freestyle Lite until the price of the test strips went over $100.00 for 40 day supply. We did alot of research and decided Walmart was the cheapest we could find. When we started looking at the store we noticed that the Relyon meter and test strips for 40 days was almost half the price of the Freestyle. We checked to see how much blood was needed compared to the Freestye meter and it was close in size. Alternative sites checked out fine. We brought the Relyon, took it home, happy at how much $ we had saved. Went to use the lancet device and it was crap so used my Freestyle one. Followed the directions to use the meter, had to use the lancet 4 times before it was enough blood to start the meter. I can't afford to go back to the freestyle meter so have wound up skipping testing my blood sugar levels because of how hard it is to use the new meter.
Violet!! wow wow, WOW! What a mess! Since Freestyle was working for you, have looked (these link directly to the page) amazon and ebay prices for freestyle strips? Many times they have the access to help! Also here is a link to Abbott diabetes offers and promotions. Also ask your endocrinologist for help getting a free meter!
In regard to the Reli-On issue, have you taken up your grievance with Walmart and see if the will give you a new Freestyle? At least ask for another reli-on to compare and see if there is something defective with your strips, meter or lancet you currently own!
Your health is that important, don't let potentially defective technology mess with it!
I was listening to the radio one day and a man was being interviewed. What he was talking about was how much it cost to make a test strip, less than a nickel! So even on the least expensive a lot of money is being made. I feel taken advantage of. I have always had good insurance that covers diabetes supplies with moderate copays.
But everyone is not like that. It seems someone could make strips withoug a million percent markup.
Hi Vickie,
Since I didn't hear the show, I don't know all of the topic on cost, but did they cover how the profit is dispersed? One thing we have to remember is that test strips may cost a nickel to make, but there are other costs involved in manufacturing anything. The nickel may be the strips itself, but it also needs to pay for the R&D that goes into making and improving our lives. Marketing so that we know the product is out there to use it, research that progresses the effectiveness and many other small but significant pieces.
My father used to bitterly complain about the cost of diabetes in the 70s! But some of his closest friends were key researchers working on projects and those costs for things that had not reached the market yet.
I look at the investment made by companies for future devices such as the Artificial Pancreas. There is a huge investment (millions of $$) being made by pharma for products that are in development and they have no guarantee that it will hit the market. That investment benefits us and I want to make sure we keep getting more opportunities for better technology and research that looks closer our developing a cure!
Thank you for your research, we too have searched high and low for internet/pharmacy and yes amazon has great prices but they won't mail to Hawaii. That was so frustrating. I've been buying from Healthwarehouse.com. They got pretty good prices for test strips and they deliver.
Thanks again for all your research.
Aloha
Leimomi
(Maui)
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Great research -- thanks for the reminder/heads up to replace the meter every year. Quality results + affordability are both v. important.
Hi Beth,
I make a standard practice to toss my most of my meters after a year, but with the one that is linked to my pump, I have not. I actually have had that one for 2 years and will begin to consider my options on that one. I'm in a dilemma, as I'm not sure if I'm going back on my pump. But I always have 3, one at home, which is my link, one in my purse and one in my car. None read exactly the same, but when there is a large enough disparity, I start pitching.
I don't think you need to rush to replace exactly every year, but I find that we so often don't think about it, a reminder somewhere on your calendar is a good idea! For me, anuually is easy. Two years, I may not even remember! lol!
I've had type 2 for 12 years. I quit checking for the last 3.5 months cause of cost. The last two years have been on insulin Lantus (96 units) & Humalog (22 units). I have insurance and mail order the insulin from insurance vendor at $250@ 6 weeks sort of. Insurance only will pay for Bayer meters and strips, which still cost me $250 a quarter. I only have $50 a month for food for myself, the rest of my family of 4 get $75. Any costs for anything come out of the food budget. Doc gave me a card for the Freestyle but local pharmacey couldn't tell me the savings. After a 4 day stint in the hospital 2 weeks ago my BG has changed to where I'm constantly going as low as 32. My wife said paying for test strips cheaper then my hospital stay ($11,200), but then says to me "we got cut things!" "Cut what?" So this gives me hope that perhaps the strip cost will go down. Thanks for the hope & advice on tossing the meter once a year!
What a horrendous situation for you! Take your time looking at costs and like I said the meter isn't the expense, it's the strips. Look for free meter deals. We often have them listed in the ads here and other sites carry them as well. Then also do a price comparison of the cost for your bayer meter against something else. In my opinion you should never have to buy a meter if you can't afford one! I wrote about the Wavesense meters, which you may want to check out.
If you go to the Wavesense website, when I spoke to them about the blog they directed me a site they work with that works with your insurance and then cuts your out of pocket cost. You may want to speak to them and then make a call to your insurance carrier about the issue of the cost of Bayer products and see if you can switch. Just a thought! Being armed withe information gives you the power to take control! Keep us posted!
I used to be on Lantus, and it nearly KILLED me...literally. Just like you, I ran in the low 30's frequently. Especially between 3:00 and 6:00pm. (I took only 40 units...at 6:00am). On the way home from work one day, passed out behind the wheel. Rear-Ended a car...totalled my vehicle...could of killed me or someone else. I was lucky.
I do not see how you are surviving 96 Units a day. If you do take that much, do you split it up? I know it is supposed to be a once-a-day thing, but after my accident, I split it into two shots...half at 6:00am, the other half at 6:00pm. That stopped my "Crashing" Blood Sugar between 3 and 6 Pm.
If you have beena diabetic for 12 years you allready know your test srtip price will not go down, just up. Dont be an idiot.
That's not a very nice comment. You can use the Walmart meter and test strips and pay only $9 per 50 strips! That's worth it in my opinion. Especially if your doctor only prescribes say 4 strips per day and you need 8 per day. I just bought the Prime meter and 50 strips to test them against my other meter. So we'll see how accurate it is compared to that meter. I can't afford test trips at the cost they want to sell them to me at. So I'm switching and couldn't be happier!