Test strips on repeat prescription

[Sue Morton]

Hi everyone. There is a thing called parellel importation this is where people buy drugs etc that are cheaper in other countries and they import them into the UK then sell them. This happens a lot as I have just retired from working in a large pharmaceutical company. The only protection these companies have is if they still have patent protection but if that patent has expired then there is nothing they can do. Due to terms and conditions in different countries drugs that we are sold here are cheaper in other countries. Even pharmacies get drugs through these generic companies and we are given them on our prescriptions. I have always wondered if they charge the NHS the full UK price for drugs they get through these companies. Or more likely the companies that sell these drugs to our pharmacies are making a wopping profit on the drugs/testing strips that they are importing then selling to the pharmacies.

I went into a WEB site put on here called UCheck and they were at first selling the contour at £16.99 now £17.99 plus postage = £20.98. But got an out of stock so for the first time I went on eBay and found some for £16.99 and no postage. I just ordered the one as this was my first time on eBay and didn't want to spend a lot of money on something I might not receive.

I haven't had strips for sometime and am really worried what my BS is so hope they arrive soon.

I think the NHS are now punishing every type 2 because of all the young ones getting diagnosed as type 2 because they are eating all the junk food etc are bringing this on themselves through their eating habits whether allowed by their parents or not as more youngters are being diagnosed then ever before. This is now costing the NHS a lot of money. But I think its wrong for those that take their condition serious and don't want the health problems your going to get if you don't learn to control your diabetics.

I after my next (only had one so far) aHbc1 (whatever it is) test hoping that it will have gone down will go to see the doc and ask for them on prescription but I don't hold out much hope as they say that type 2 don't have to test which is totally different to what the policy is of the NHS who say all new diabetics (including type 2) should be given a testing machine etc.

I was diagnosed in March this year and I don't think the NHS, GPs and nurses realise what a shock it is and the changes that you have to make and how hard it is. Just giving you a booklet and tell you just eat a little of this you can have 1 square of chocolate (1 square just not worth having) - I have as others on this forum have pointed out that you react to different foods and that even food that you were able to eat all of a sudden your body reacts to it and you get a high BS so we have to keep an eye on even the food that we thought we could eat as our bodies change and react all of a sudden to a certain food that we could eat or the manufacture suddenly changes its receipe and you don't know this and your BS is up and without the strips to keep an eye on your BS how are you to know until you start feeling ill and end up off sick having to see the doctor and so on.

Sorry started to get on my band wagon especially after reading of some of the hardships people on this forum get in trying to sort their diabetis out and get no help from their GPs or DNurse and its just seems mad that some get a lot of care yet others are treated like they are something you tread on.

Just wish evryone the best
Sue :x

 

[Talos]

If they really don't want these prescribed strips to appear on Ebay they should be dispensed in containers marked " Not for Re-sale" or something similar to differentiate them from legitimate imports, anybody then trying to sell them could be taken to task. :idea:

 

[badmedisin]

Have a read of this from Johnson and Johnson and see what you think. (They make the Onetouch ultra range). I am sure other companies have the same philosophy.

http://lifescan.com/company/about/credo/

You may need a sick bag after you have read this. They are one of the top priced distributors of test strips.

Grr. Johnson & Johnson. They even sued the Red Cross. They are not good people.

If you have type 1 and your scrip has been reduced, don't accept any excuses of 'not allowed to give you more strips.' this is not an nhs thing, it's practice policy. Have a meeting the practice manager or the gp and get them to sort it out. Mine was reduced to 1 box of strips so I put in a repeat scrip every week until I got bored of it. Had a meeting with the gp and got it changed back to 3 boxes. Be annoying until they sort it out!

 

[dragongirl]

I went for a load of blood tests today (liver, kidney, ferretin, lipid panel, hba1c and coeliac - weight loss, hair loss being queried she said) and I asked for at least one box of strips each month just to help out. She kept saying I didn't need to test so much and could "let up a bit" if this latest hba1c is also okay. She does understand my diet choice and is sympathetic but still says leave out the fasting test as it takes ages to go up as the disease progresses, and that once or twice a week should be enough. I just can't bear to fight it yet know I must do a bit more than that, especially when eating something different and trying to avoid spikes which would be missed. I no longer test every day. I test selectively. But the advice still destabilises me - which is why I haven't been for hba1c for 6 mths I think. I can hold my own when not there! Anyway I have one box on repeat prescription, which is progress. Should I miss the morning test as a well controlled type 2? Any advice?
DG

 

[donnellysdogs]

I have seen a new idear about blood glucose testing, although its in the early stages which would save the NHS a fortune.

It involves putting a chip under the skin which takes readings you then put a meter against your skin where the chip is and it gets the reading, no pricking your finger and no strips.

MMMMMMMMMMMM sounds a better idear.

Graham 007 :twisted: :twisted:

My DSN offered me this gadget last week, but they only have 1 at the hospital and it was booked out. I am sure she told me it would cost me £299 to buy.

 

[donnellysdogs]

Maybe a bit of a daft question but here goes.....

Has there ever been a petition posted on the no10 downing street website regarding the qty of bloodstrips being issued to diabetics?

I just do not understand why so many of us with diabetes are let down so badly by the GP's and yet I have never seen any campaigns or anything to get us the qty of bloodstrips we ALL need.

I remember Gary Mabbutt (England & Spurs Footballer) campaigning verystrongly with al ot of other support 25 years ago for diabetics to get free injections, because the drug addicts got them free before us, and yet I have never seen any campaign to get diabetics the bloodstrips that we all need....

 

[SandieB]

I was diagnosed T2 2 months ago, told to lose weight and given a meter by my surgery, not given very much advice about what to eat though. They gave me a prescription for 50 test strips which after some research on the net about testing, and trying to find out what I can and can't eat that will raise my BG, I used them up quite in about 5-6 weeks. I put in my request for some more and was told that as I'm not on insulin that I can only have 2 packs per year!! That works out to testing once about every 3-4 days! I was told I would need to make an appointment with the nurse to discuss it.

Now I do have to make an appointment with my GP to follow up on my original meeting, so I just bought some off the internet, but I can't understand how, if you are trying to control with diet, how you can only test every 3 or 4 days. You need to know how what you are eating is affecting you especially at the beginning when you are trying to get your head around it.

 

[angelak]

When I asked for more test strips I was phoned by the doctor and asked what was I doing with them!!! When I said I was monitoring how different foods were changing my blood glucose I was told that it wasn't necessary and Health Board advice was T2 should not be testing that I would get an HB1ac test if anything was wrong though how I would know that if I don't monitor my blood sugar is beyond me. I was diagnosed in March but the only symptom I had was exhaustion and nothing has changed. I bought them at the chemist at a cost of £26.99 and the pharmacist was unhappy that I had had to buy them and suggested I write to the Health board to complain. Will let you know if I get a reply.

Angela

 

[DavidR]

If you are unhappy with the quantity of strips being prescibed for you then the 1st thing to do is get hold of a copy of your local Primary Care Trust's (PCT's) SBGM Prescribing Guidelines (West Essex PCT's guidelines are linked below, your PCT's may be different) or a letter from the PCT's Medicines Management Team stating their policy.
If your GP or DN isn't complying with these guidelines then discuss it with them; if you still have no joy then try the PCT's Medicines Management Team -- they are the ones ultimately holding the purse strings.
If your GP or DN is complying with the guidelines but you still need more strips then you should ensure that they always supply you with enough strips for all those situations described in the guidelines when you should test more often e.g. prior to driving, feeling unwell, are destabilised by other factors or if control is poor.

http://www.westessexpct.nhs.uk/pubs/pdf ... essbgm.pdf

 

[Helga]

Can you just buy them in a pharmacy in britain? How expensive are the test strips. I live in Canada and just get as many as I want but I have to pay for them as my husband retired about a month before I started to need them. I pay about 80.--Can.$ for 100 strips. When we get to be over 65 and on little income we can get them free I think. We would have had them free while he was working and having good insurance.

 

[thomasboleyn]

At one point I was also having to ring the doctors pretty much every 2 weeks to ask for my repeat for the testing strips. My GP then told me that I was testing "far too often" (4/5 times a day - which I don't think is too often). I next time I saw the Professor I see at the clinic I go to after that he wrote to her and had it changed. I wasn't aware until I read this thread that there was an issue with them costing the NHS so much! I now get 4 boxes (8 tubs) whenever I get my repeat 8)

 

[Angeldust]

I think it's a disgrace and sorry to hear some of you are having these troubles.
These things are ridiculously expensive.
I was lucky to finally get an amazing dr and he gave me 6 months worth to take out to Canada.
Just hope I don't run out because I've been testing more than usual.

 

[DavidR]

Can you just buy them in a pharmacy in britain? How expensive are the test strips.

Some time ago when I last had to buy some (I was away from home and illness was causing me to use more strips than planned) the pharmacy I phoned quoted £50. The NHS drug tarif (the amount the pharmacist gets reimbursed for dispensing NHS items) varies between £9.85 and £16.30 depending on the strip type. Your GP and PCT would, obviously, like you to use a meter that has the cheapest strips :shock: as they both have prescribing budgets to meet.

Go to http://www.ppa.org.uk/edt/August_2010/mindex.htm for the Drug Tarif, select Part IXR in the left-hand menu for test strip prices.

 

[Angeldust]

£50+

 

[cugila]

Despite the different strips I have used over the years I have never paid £50 for any ? The most I have paid was about £20 at a Pharmacy, VAT free. Which strips did you get the quote for David and how many ?

Ken

 

[Angeldust]

Mine were freestyle lite and mini. I think here they're over $70. A year ago I had an emergency in London, went to a boots pharmacy with my run out prescription box, gave them my gp number asked them to call to get a prescription and they turned round and said I'd have to pay £55.

 

[DavidR]

Despite the different strips I have used over the years I have never paid £50 for any ? The most I have paid was about £20 at a Pharmacy, VAT free. Which strips did you get the quote for David and how many ?

Too long ago for me to remember which brand but it would have been a tub of 50 strips. I think the pharmacy was trying to take advantage of the situation :evil:

The moral of the story is don't run out of strips in Brighton on a Sunday morning. I now always pack enough to last twice as long as I'm going to be away, and then take two lots of that (one set carried by my wife). Even when we just go to Tesco

 

[Special_K]

Hi All

Having just changed meters I am in a situation where I have about 3 unopened boxes of test strips I will no longer use. If I return these to the pharmacy will they be re-distributed or detroyed?

Reading all the comments I feel quite guilty. I'm in the process of getting a pump and currently test about 8 times a day so as to understand what my blood sugar levels are doing. This means I go through quite a few test strips. I all goes well with my next repeat prescription.

 

[cugila]

Thanks for that David......my memory is cr*p too !! :lol:

I posted the nett price list of the available test strips we have in the UK recently in another thread which gave all the prices the NHS has to pay for them. None of them were anywhere near those sort of prices ? As you say they wre probably on the make. My Pharmacist pal also expressed surprise at why they should have been so expensive. He reckons the max price of any should be around £25 for 50 strips.

Thanks again.
Ken

 

[cugila]

Hi All

Having just changed meters I am in a situation where I have about 3 unopened boxes of test strips I will no longer use. If I return these to the pharmacy will they be re-distributed or detroyed?

They should be destroyed as the Pharmacy has no way of knowing under what conditions they have been kept therefore they have to err on the side of caution. Sad I know !

Ken