? question about test strips and lancets

Hello all,

I've just picked up the Target Up & Up brand glucometer and test strips (as recommended to me on my intro post). The glucometer was a decent price, but when we went to buy the Up & Up test strips they were $100! We asked the pharmacist about this other brand of test strips that were only $38 and she said that we could only use Up & Up brand ones with this glucometer. Has anyone had experience with this? Can we mix and match? I mean, if I pay a little more upfront for a more expensive glucometer in order to get cheaper test strips it would save me money in the long run. Why buy the cheaper glucometer with expensive strips?

Also, it came with 10 lancets so I'll probably use them up first, but is there any one type that you guys like that I should buy next? A recommendation of a certain size at least? I've scoured the forums this afternoon looking for recommendations but I can't seem to find a definitive answer.

Thank you so much for your time everyone! Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

The best meter I've seen is the Relion Confirm or Micro from Walmart...it takes the tiniest sample size of any of the meters and the strips are $35.88 for 100

If you're absolutely anti-WalMart, you can get the exact same meter from ADW but it's called the Glucocard 01....the maker (Arkray) is the manufacturer of the Relion meters and they're just re-branded for WalMart

They also offer the Arkray strips (which will ALSO work in the Relion brand) for a better price than WalMart (but if you need the strips in the middle of the night, it's nice to be able to get them at WalMart)

 

Did you get the Up & Up Premium monitor? If so, yeah those test strips are expensive. It's the regular Up & Up glucometer you want. Those test strips are around $36 for 100. I have no idea what the difference is between the premium and the regular, but the regular one will work just fine. Unfortunately I don't think you can return them as they are blood products, but maybe you can go that route when you need more strips.

 

As for lancets, it's best to use the 26-28 gauge when you're starting out. Now that I've got the hang of it, I've switched to the 30 gauge.

 

Thank you for your advice. Yes, I am pretty much anti Walmart so that link you posted is very helpful. Now I'm in a pickle though because I'd like to get the brand (type) that most of you keep recommending, but my vet requested I bring in a glucometer tomorrow during her "week on insulin" followup. I'm not 100% sure why but probly to go over it with me...

Sigh...Decisions decisions...

 

Oh figures! Those were none premium strips we were looking at that were cheaper but the pharmacist at target didn't seem to know what we were asking when we inquired about a cheaper monitor. She said there wasn't one. I'm gonna try returning it tomorrow anyway since I didn't open any of the parts. Now to decide if I want to go with this brand still or the one that was advised above...

 

Perfect! Just what I was looking for. Thank you

 

I use the ReliOn micro and it's been great.

 

Your vet may want to compare your meter to hers. If hers is a pet-specific meter, it will read 30-40% higher than a human meter.

 

I've read about that and saw that you guys here have a way for working with that discrepancy. Perhaps if I go in tomorrow with that knowledge and assure the vet that I will be able to account for that, it will be ok going to the visit without one.

 

The big problem with the "pet only" meters is the cost of the strips....they're usually around $1 each...and if you look at some of the spreadsheets in our signatures, you'll see that a lot of us test 6-8 times a day....so for a month, that's $200 or more a month...and that's just for the strips!!

Also, the only place you can get them is from your vet or sometimes online on Ebay or Amazon....but if you need them at 3am on a Sunday morning when you're cat is running too low, that doesn't help!!

The vast majority of us use human meters, despite having most of our vets say it's unreliable....but we seem to do pretty darn good!! It's all a matter of experience and knowing what the numbers mean.

 

Oh don't worry. I wasn't going to go with a pet only meter.

I'm leaning towards trying to get the non premium up and up brand. I think that might be easier for me to get those test strips then having to order them online (our target is close by).

Thanks for all the info! You've been super helpful!

 

It's also a good idea to have a "back up" meter, so I'd just keep the "expensive" one you got and put it somewhere safe. It's amazing how the batteries die or you drop them and break them at the worst possible time!!

Been there, done that....got the T-shirt...LOL

 

Please see my signature link Glucometer Notes for feline-specific glucose reference ranges using human and pet meters.