Test strips on repeat prescription

cugila said:

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

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Yeah unfortunately it is sad but totally understand the stance they have to take with regards to the condition of them. The tabloids would have a field day if this were to happen and there were an incident.

You could just put them on Ebay. Private buyers would probably welcome the chance to buy cheaply, or you could offer them to a member here who uses the particular brand. Just start a new Topic, 'Test Strips for Free' P & P only asking for a pm for anybody interested ? Members have done that before....no problem.

Ken

Or you can donate them to IDDT who will send them to someone with diabetes in a developing country - see http://www.iddtinternational.org.uk/india/index.htm for items wanted and contact details
Chemists here won't even give you back out of date strips (or too much short date insulin, as recently happened to me) if you hand them to them to show them a problem.

I've always been a bit perplexed by this one.......the IDDT will send unopened boxes of Insulin etc to a Third World country without knowing how it has been stored. We here in the UK won't allow anybody here to re-use the Drugs as we have no way of knowing if it has been stored properly and if the stuff is still effective ? Frozen Insulin is usually thought to be useless, similarly if it is too hot, useless or at the very least not as effective.

If that's the case why do they send it out ? ......is it just that anything....is better than nothing ?
Just a thought ! :? Anybody know the answer ?

Ken

Looking at DavidR's link, there are some blood glucose test strips that are below £10. :shock:

I would think that many of us diabetics who use insulin and really need to test regularly, will be happy to use a different blood glucose meter just so that we can get enough strips prescribed. There is an obvious difference between £14 and £10 and so I would suggest that if any more insulin dependant diabetics get told that their PCT is up to its eyes in debt and that the test strips cost the NHS too much money, that they look at David's link and prescribe test strips for an alternative meter.

It also should be said that if wouldn't hurt The National Lottery to be made to cough up to help the NHS and also the insulin manufacturers responsible for bolus/basal should be stung for the cost of DAFNE courses. :idea: :idea:

Hi ,

I am Type 2 diabetes and my doctor has told me to stop testing , said it is not necessary. I feel it is necessary as my diabetes is not under control as yet, recently diagnosed as Type 2 , so I guess I will have to buy my Test strips from now on.

Sounds as if I have been lucky!! Found out I was diabetic about 3 or 4 years ago and immediately changed my diet to low carb/low GI. I could not have managed without the strips to test which foods I can and can't eat. For instance because of testing I know that I can't take Maltitol whic his in a lot of non sugar products!! I started off with 50 on repeat prescription and then when I was going away I asked for double and got it. To my surprise from then on my repeat prescription came with 2 tubs!! Needless to say it was great as I didn't have to get a prescription so often and therefore it cost me less. I knew what would happen when I decided to change meters - yes it went back to 1 tub - which is fine for me now as I get free prescriptions being over 60 and I now only really test first thing in the morning and if I have had something new to eat or my bs in the morning was unusually high. I have to say it is only by using the test strips and learning what I can eat I have managed to stay off medications and I am thrilled to say that my HB1Ac a couple of weeks ago was only 5.5. (previously 6.6) Now does this mean I will now be denied testing strips? We shall see. I very rarely see a doctor for anything as I am a homeopath and stay out of their way mainly because they want me on blood pressure medication because I get white coat syndrome when they take it!!!! If it is under 140/80 and it always is when I take it , then that is good enough for me. Often it is 116/64 inn the evenings so I really don't wish to be medicated for that!!! Am keeping a record for them at the moment for when I have got to have it taken by a nurse!!

donnellysdogs said:

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?

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Yes there was one recently, I think the government stuck by their guns and nothing has changed.
Can't remember who started the petition, maybe someone on this forum.

What I don't understand is if they don't want us to test after food, when DO they want us to test? :? If for example I tested once a day, or even once a week, how do I analyse those results? Oh look bg up, wonder why-no clue, oh look bg down, wonder why-no clue! etc. At the moment, as a diet control only diabetic, I NEED to test. Grrrrr :evil:

Hi all when I first found out I was diabeteic last November, my GP allowed me to have test strips.
I was not offered a testing monitor so had to buy my own at £14.99. Three months of getting tests strips, all of a sudden I was told I was not allowed any more as the government was no longer giving disbetetic T2 blood strips as they were not needed and I believe this. But friends of mine who are T2 there GP allows them test strip. Why is there this lack of consistantcy?
Some say one thing and others clinic say another. Does anyone out there have the answer please tell me. I have had to buy of the internet on internet chemist at £20 ago but they normally cost £26.And I am on a pension and I really can't afford this. I am I in my rights to apeal against this and how do I do this?
I am offered a blood test every three month Hbalc test, this must cost the NHS more to do this then give me strips.
Also does anyone know what monitor to buy that have reasonble costing test strips? Because if I have to keep buying them I might as well save myself some moey.

It would seem that where I live it's a matter of postcodes if you get the strips you need. My doctor allows me 50 strips a year. One a week even though my sugars are constantly between 10 and 20 when I can test. My work mate is consistantly 6.4 and gets them whenever he needs them...he lives 3 miles away and is at a different surgery. Ridiculous or what?

Hi all,

I sympathise with all who can't strips when they need them. At my old doctors i could get however many i needed whenever i needed them. Now i've moved to uni and i can get 50 a month, as a type 1 i don't think that is a suitable amount to allow good control. The last time i went in they weren't going to give me any because they were adamant they had given me that months prescription already :evil:

I'm tempted to complain to the SU about it but i don't know what kind of effect that will have.

xx

What kind of effect would it have if you had a serious hypo situation because of lack of being able to test!

You need to complain to more than just the SU! If you are on insulin you should have far more than 50 a month (well I think everyone with diabetes should be allowed to have more strips but nvm), do you go to a diabetic clinic where you can get a prescription? Have you tried speaking to other doctors and nurses at the practice? It might be that specific GP having funny ideas rather than a problem with the whole practice. Personally if they tried to only give me 50 strips a month I'd be writing to local MP and PCT etc.

Good news been to the docs and a different nurse has upped my prescription so crisis averted hehe

Well done BA. If at first you don't succeed .......... :wink:

I must have been really lucky with my diabetic care! I was given a monitor, strips and lancets by our practice nurse, on my next appointment with my GP the following week he put the strips and lancets on my repeat prescription. I was testing 4-5 times per day from September to November. I had my 2nd HBA1c done in early November, results were a million miles better than my first one - my GP advised that I didn't need to test as often (having problem with sort fingertips!) if I didn't want to, but if I wanted to keep up the regime, then that was ok.

I've had no problem in getting either strips or lancets on prescription (to date!) and continue to test at least twice per day.

I was under the impression that being diabetic and entitled to free prescriptions covered not just the medication, but all the peripherals required (bg monitors, strips, lancets, etc.) as well - apparently not! :?

Monitors/meters are not on prescription any more........

Hi Rainey

You shouldn't be using your fingertips to test, you should use the side of your fingertip beside the nail. As someone who types all day at work, I couldn't have my fingertips sore all day.

I just had mine dropped from the repeat prescription. The only explanation was a 'note' on the repeat prescription form and a standrad leaflet. It seems crazy that I need to see my own GP to get them reinstated, but they can just drop them without seeing me or even the courtesy of prior notice.

I actually 'bludgeoned' a locum GP into a prescriptuion for now, but will have to argue for them with my GP when they run out.