? Canadians! Where are you buying your supplies? $

Hey fellow Canadians. I'm getting ready to do another big purchase of supplies (test strips, lancets, B12, alcohol wipes, etc...) and I thought I'd see if any of you can beat these prices. I've been mainly ordering from diabetesexpress.ca since they have the cheapest test strips I can find, but I would love to know if anyone else has an ideas on how to save some $$$. I am open to switching meters.

I live on the west coast in Canada and I am not interested in traveling across the border for supplies. Also, I have been focusing on sites/stores that do delivery only, since I would prefer to not go shopping too much during covid. But if you shop in-store and your prices are better than mine, then I would love to know!

Here is what I have been getting (all prices in Canadian $).

-------------------diabetesexpress.ca------------------
Bravo Test Strips: $39.99/100 = $0.40/strip
Bayer Microlet Lancet 28G: $7.98/100 = $0.08/lancet

------------------------amazon.ca-----------------------
Ketone Strips: $9.97/125 = $0.08/strip

-------------------------local vet--------------------------
U-40 Syringes: $30.00/100 = $0.30/syringe
1L Sharps Container and Disposal: $12.25
ProZinc Insulin: $115.00/10mL

I am also interested in other supplies as well. I used to get alcohol wipes in a pack of 100 from DiabetesExpress, but it looks like they are no longer available. I will also be looking for some methyl-B12 supplements soon.

I've been snipping the needle ends off to save space in the sharp container (which is so small!), but I will be putting the used test strips and lancets in there so it is still filling up.

I look forward to your suggestions and links!

 

I'm not a Canadian but I see Marks Pharmacy used a LOT here. I dont have the link but someone here will

 

Check with your municipal Hazardous Waste / Landfill. I was told I could just use a large pop bottle or any plastic container.
https://www.adwdiabetes.com/search.aspx?keywords=sharps container

I bought Ulticare U100 syringes from the same site. All prices are US dollars. I did get hit with customs duty the last time I ordered. Maybe because I ordered 5 boxes of syringes instead of my usual 3 boxes. I don't know.
https://www.adwdiabetes.com/search.aspx?keywords=syringes

I never used Prozinc so don't know anything about its longevity and price. Lantus, which you do not need a prescription for in Canada, may be a cheaper option. A box of 5 cartridges would last you at least a year. Check around for the best available price. Some people say Costco or Safeway.

Alcohol wipes you can get at any pharmacy. You do not need to use them. They dry out the skin on the ear.

Methylcobalamin. Almost all of the ones available on the shelf in Canada contain sugar. Shipping costs for Zobaline are prohibitive. @Wendy&Neko suggests looking at this post for making the equivalent in Canada.
Here is the Vitacost link: https://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-vitamin-b-12-methylcobalamin-5000-mcg-100-capsules-6

Strips: you are probably using the cheapest there is in Canada. @Sam&Milo&Singha uses this subscription service.
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...canadian-glucose-monitor.235743/#post-2641469

Since you can only get the Bravo strips online, so make sure that you have plenty of strips on hand, including a full bottle in your hypo kit.

 

I get my disposal container for needles at Shoppers Drugmart, I don't need to purchase the container. I take it back there and they give me an empty container.

 

I tried that once with my local Shoppers. They told me the service was for humans only.

 

Oh, I went and asked for an extra container for our RV, no problem giving me an extra one.

 

some places here do that its just an exchange. I cant see how they would know if discarded "anything" diabetic, comes from an animal?

 

Safeway pharmacy and Save in Foods pharmacy gave me free sharps containers. The Save On pharmacist had a lot of kitty customers, knew a lot about it. Safeway was really good price for a lot of supplies like insulin, lancets, syringes. Superstore or Costco a close second.

Yesterday a member mentioned she is trying the Easy Touch meter. It’s available online from Walmart.ca at $19 for 50 strips. Still waiting for her to receive it and review it. A lot of people get test strips fro eBay for good savings.

 

I don't mention it's for my cat

 

I switched to OneDrop subscription for my meter and strips. I had to get used to it being calibrated differently from my Contour meter (reads significantly lower). I pay about $108 CAD/month (unlimited strips) and I order 300 strips 2x/month in case the world goes even further sideways and delivery becomes unpredictable. Once, at the beginning, I was almost out of strips and it took much longer to arrive than expected (my Contour meter is a back-up) but now I have a stash of strips. Since then deliver has been within a couple of days of ordering. Eventually I can switch to a lower cost monthly with only 100 strips per month.

I get Lantus without a prescription from my pharmacy. It costs about $75 for 10 ml bottle. I got it in July and there's still half left.

I get bags of make-up remover pads and cut them in half. Then I use rubbing alcohol on half of each reduced pad. A much cheaper option than alcohol wipes...

I don't live close to a Shoppers and don't get out of my rural area lately so not sure what to do with my overflowing container of sharps. Perhaps my vet might be willing to dispose???? I haven't asked him yet.

I hope this is helpful!

 

Thank you everyone for the great advice!

I've had so much trouble finding info on this so I finally just emailed my municipal. Thank you for the suggestion.

It looks like the Lantus + U100 syringes are a cheaper option than ProZinc + U40 syringes in Canada. I was planning on looking into Lantus in the next couple months anyways... so good to know!

Just wanted to clarify that I don't use them on the ears! Just to wipe down the insulin bottle and the lancing device. However I'm guessing that cotton balls and a bottle of alcohol would be cheaper .

Thank you so much for this link!!! I will definitely be making that.

I do have a backup, but I will definitely rep diabetesexpress.ca and say that their shipping times have be incredible. Usually 2 days (maybe even 1).

It is good to know that there is an alternative to my Bravo meter, but I will stick with the Bravo meter for now since the cost of the Easy Touch meter doesn't make the small price difference of the strips worth it:

Bravo Test Strips: $39.99/100 = $0.3999/strip
Bravo Meter: Free

Easy Touch Glucose Test Strips: ($38.42 + $0.99)/100 = $0.3941/strip
Easy Touch Meter: $34.35

Also, I am eyeing those Easy Touch lancets which are half the price of the lancets I have been buying... maybe I will switch to Walmart for those!

I will need to do a deep dive on ebay and see what I can dig up. If anyone has any ebay links then I am all ears!

I forgot about this service! I actually checked it out when Dixie was first diagnosed, but I wasn't sure how much I would be testing so put it off. Looks like I took 180 tests in the last month, and that isn't including all the bad strips (not enough blood - the meter is fine!), so maybe that puts me at 250 tests a month? So this OneDrop subscription looks pretty tempting.

I've got some questions for you @Sam&Milo&Singha (if you don't mind!). I've been looking on the OneDrop site and watching YouTube reviews but I can't answer these questions:

1. Does the OneDrop meter work without the phone bluetooth connection? My iphone is old and often dead, so I would prefer that the meter works like a typical one where I can test and then store the measurements. I tend to enter data into the spreadsheet after 15 tests or so, so I would hope it has a way to view this on the device and not just on the phone.

2. It looks like they have a monthly subscription for unlimited test strips is $79.99 cost + $8.00 shipping = $117.07/month. Are you ordering the max amount of strips with this? So 300 strips x2 = 600 strips? In one month for $117.07? Because that would be the best deal yet! Also, do they track how many strips you have used? I wish the site was more direct in talking about how many strips we can order.

3. How have the expiry dates been on those test strips? Just wondering if I could get a couple months subscription and then cancel and sit on that for a while.

4. Has the meter been consistent? I've seen various comments online about how the meter can be quite inaccurate. I'm not sure how this translates to cats though... and I suppose I would need to try it out to see for myself.

 

The OneDrop works without a bluetooth connection I write down the numbers on my large whiteboard and transfer them into Milo's spreadsheet daily (or maybe a day and half later!). The app is handy but not necessary with Bluetooth connection.

I get the $79.99 unlimited strips subscription. The shipping is free and it comes out to approx $108 CAD/mo. I have ordered 600 strips each month since August and no one has questioned it. If they do, I will tell them about the one shipment that took waaayyyyyy too long and I need a supply here in case we have a situation again with COVID where delivery becomes unreliable. I pay for unlimited strips and I plan to use it! The expiration date is 1-2 years, I believe, long enough that this should not be a problem. Reordering strips through the app is very easy. This plan has DEFINITELY saved me $$$$ on strips. I also don't panic if I wreck a strip and I have no issue testing whenever my cat needs it, without having to compromise due to trying to save on strips. I do recommend this company. DO NOT MENTION this is for your cat (not that they asked) but I had a few phone calls at first when my shipment didn't arrive and when I was worried about meter accuracy. I had to be careful not to let on it wasn't for me, a human!

The meter has been consistent but it is calibrated much lower than the other one I had. It freaked me out at first and then I just got used to it and got on with it. My cat has dropped as low as 2.1 on this meter and, of course, I treated him immediately for hypoglycaemia but he wasn't completely out of it so I trust the meter not to be dangerously inaccurate. In fact, I suspect it was my other one that was calibrated too high. They did send me test solution and OneDrop was within normal limits.

I must also say, I am loving the Lantus. It has been responsible for a miraculous change in my cat. I thought he wasn't going to survive (and I wasn't going to manage all of the pee outside of litter boxes due to how sick he was) before I made the switch. He turned around in less than a month. MAKE SURE you use U-100 needles. I didn't know this and the pharmacist didn't mention it so I gave my cat almost 2.5x the dose he should have had the first time using U-40 needles accidentally. Thank goodness there was no depot and he survived with no ill effects. It's great that Lantus is readily available at the pharmacy and no need for a prescription.The price is not bad either. A godsend....

I hope this answers all of your questions.

Good luck!

 

I just looked at my spreadsheet again and I am mistaken... The OneDrop meter is calibrated HIGHER (if I did my calculations right, by about 18%) than my old one. I remember now that my concern was that if he was reading 2.8 on the new meter, it would have been the equivalent of 1.8 or so on the old meter. This really freaked me out and made me not trust it at first. Then I followed the advice of others, made the switch and tried not to worry about meter variance. After I saw a low on the new meter and the cat did ok, I trusted it more.

 

@Sam&Milo&Singha Thank you for all the info! I have just put in my order for the OneDrop meter and the unlimited test strips. They even had a discount code for Halloween so I got %20 off . I have to pay $8 for shipping, so it is interesting that you have a free option.

I am definitely thinking about the Lantus! Only thing I worry about is getting the test/feed/shot timing down because I know that the Lantus is a lot more particular about that than the ProZinc. Dixie has a dental appointment at the end of the month, so I will look into changing up her insulin after that!

 

The $8 shipping is only on the original shipping of the order. After that, it's free.

 

Soooo an update on the One Drop meter. I ordered it and it took 13 days to ship to the west coast. It came with 100 test strips and was packaged very fancy. I felt like I was opening an iPod or something LOL.

Unfortunately, it isn't going to work for me at the moment.

The unlimited test strip subscription requires a smartphone new enough to run their app, because test strips are ordered within the app. I have an older iPhone that does not support iOS 13, so I couldn't install the app to order anything!

The device also needs to be synced with a smartphone so that it can set the time. Otherwise, it has no time so you need to track BG readings separately.

Also, for anyone interested in trying the One Drop meter, I think it would be more cost effective to start out with the 100-strip plan. It is $40.99 USD and it looks like its initial shipment (100 strips) is the same as the unlimited test strip plan at $79.99 USD. So basically, save your money if you are unsure that first month. Then you can upgrade to the unlimited test plan the next month if you like it.

Another thing is that the shipping was a lot slower than diabetesexpress, which was usually a couple of days to a week.

@Sam&Milo&Singha it is very interesting the your One Drop meter was calibrated higher. Mine is calibrated lower than my Bravo meter! Check out my spreadsheet from a week ago (I write (One Drop) immediately after a single One Drop test).

When the Bravo was 3.1, the One Drop was 2.6
When the Bravo was 2.9, the One Drop was 2.4
When the Bravo was 2.8, the One Drop was 2.3!

If someone's cat was at higher levels, then this wouldn't make a difference. But I am following the Modified Prozinc Method which means that Dixie earns a reduction whenever she hits 2.7. I think she would earn a lot more doses on the One Drop meter. It also looks like the One Drop meter results vary more from hour-to-hour than the Bravo meter.

Now, I am not discounting the meter or saying that its results are inaccurate. But personally, I prefer the Bravo meter because I have been using it for quite a while now and Dixie has never shown any hypo symptoms with it. Dixie's numbers are trending toward the dark greens and I am trying to tightly regulate her, so I think the Bravo meter works better in my case. I would also like to avoid too many lime-green BG freakout moments .

When I get a new phone, I may reconsider the One Drop subscription in the future because the unlimited test strips do sound nice! But right now I don't want to jinx her numbers.

(P.S. @Sam&Milo&Singha it looks like my Dixie's spreadsheet is getting close to your Milo's! I will keep an eye on yours ).

 

I found the Bravo meter read much higher than my Freestyle Lite. I stayed with the FreeStyle Lite because I did not want to take any chances with low numbers. I kept the Bravo meter in my hypo kit as a back-up meter.

 

I'm of the same mind as Red: I'd be more wary of the readings on the Bravo giving me a false sense of security.


Mogs
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Hmm very interesting. I originally thought that I needed an expensive glucometer to ensure the quality of it, so I picked up the Nova Max Plus. But then I later got the Bravo meter and its results were generally the same as the Nova Max Plus meter (sometimes lower, sometimes higher), so I felt comfortable switching over to the Bravo meter.

The Bravo meter has just been working really well for me. I even stocked up on $200 of strips for the winter. Now I am unsure if that is the best way to go with how low Dixie's numbers are. She hasn't shown any hypo symptoms yet...

What to do...