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no joy getting test strips and lancets out of the doc

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S

Silmarillion

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
hi there,
my local GP wont give me test strips and lancets on prescription as he cant see the value of self monitoring in diabetes. its an expensive buisness buying strips and lancets!i do have my own machine which i bought myself. ive just been recently diagnosed 5 weeks ago and my diabetes has been pretty unstable. i feel like im banging my head off a brick wall.

any suggestions?
 
Remind me what medication you are on Heather? Which meter do you use? The cheapest option we have come across here is the SD Codefree Meter with test strips at around £7 for 50. It really does make me angry that some GPs are so short-sighted and cannot see the benefits of using test strips to learn how different elements of your diet are affecting you. Anyone who is motivated to do so, and shows that they are benefiting from testing should be prescribed test strips as a matter of course. Have you been doing any testing before and after meals, and if so has it helped you to reconsider some elements of your diet?
 
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You no what I here this c**p all the time on here!!!....not beneficial? 😡

It is so narrow minded and dam right stupid!!!.....it is in there interest to supply you if you are willing (which you are) to test so you no what foods etc effect your blood sugars the most?

I am sure if this doctor had t2 he or she would want to test so they could control there diabetes to the best of there capabilities?

It comes down to money!....but if you get complications later in life it will actually cost the NHS more money!....but no they think short term and this will be there downfall!! :(
 
Hi Heather,

as jalapino says, it comes down to money, and you're right, we're banging our heads against a brick wall. What I find really galling is when the pharmacist says to me "why don't you get them on prescription?" Sadly totally out of touch with what's going on.
I wish I knew the answer!
 
I had this from my doctor and the DN. I just persisted and asked politely every time I saw either of them. I pointed out that I needed to get the information to control my condition and that as I had refused all the other medication including statins they were actually saving money already. Eventually I prised 50 strips bimonthly out of them, no lancets but I learnt on here that you don't need a new one every time. So now I buy some strips myself and all the lancets. Not a great outcome but better than nothing. My suggestion is polite nagging. 🙂 Also ignore being called obsessive etc and politely point out that you have this disorder and not them and that you want to be active in your control so that you will not need to see them so often in the future, worth a try 🙂
 
When I asked the GP the other day re getting some strips again.....he said that people on metaformin don't have episodes of hypoglycaemia.....even though it states that hypoglycaemia is a possibility on most websites and even on the pamphlet that comes in the drug box. He seems to be putting across that tight glycemic control is not possible with type 2 diabetes.....but then I guess the type 2 diabetics in his practice are not really in apposition to question this as none of them are prescribed stuff to test their blood sugar! Most of the other nurse I work with are horrified by the way that he won't give me the means to keep an eye on my blood sugars.....I'll just have to keep buying them on amazon....

It's ironic, I used to work with a doc who was a type 2 and he used to monitor his diabetes on a regular basis.
I'm on metaformin and glicazide. I use a optimum xceed blood sugar machine.the test strips are pretty expensive. The cheapest ones I've found are £18 for 50. I have a soft touch finger pricier, diabetes uk have cheap lancets for this at £4.50 for 100.
 
Heather Hughes said:
.....he said that people on metaformin don't have episodes of hypoglycaemia.....even though it states that hypoglycaemia is a possibility on most websites and even on the pamphlet that comes in the drug box. He seems to be putting across that tight glycemic control is not possible with type 2 diabetes.....but then I guess the type 2 diabetics in his practice are not really in apposition to question this as none of them are prescribed stuff to test their blood sugar!
.
I'm on metformin and gliclazide.
Click to expand...

I certainly had hypoglycemic episodes when I was just on metformin, not many, and it would only be after activities like a few hours gardening (including mowing the lawn, shovelling sh......).

Tight glycemic control is possible with type 2, your GP needs his knowledge updating. Mine did deteriorate as time went on (diagnosed type II '97), until last year when I cut carbs to about 80gms per day, allowing me to throw away the gliclazide and Januvia, and statins. My GP has told me at my last two reviews that my control is better than it has ever been. It is my personal opinion that cutting carbs is essential for good control.

If you're taking gliclazide you would definitely need to use your meter if you thought you were having a hypo, just to confirm the numbers.

All the best
 
OK, this is the key - if you are on gliclizide then you MUST be prescribed test strips. Hypos on metformin alone are very rare, but gliclizide can definitely cause them. Your GP should know this, and if he doesn't then he is being negligent in his duty. Do you drive? It is a legal requirement that you test your blood sugar before driving to ensure you are safe to do so (and during the journey, if it is a long one). You also need to be able to test if you feel symptoms of a low blood sugar. Your GP is wrong if he is disputing this and I would enlighten him - if he still insists you don't need them then seek a second opinion.

I'm still not convinced that you are Type2 and it may be the addition of gliclizide (along with your very strict and restricted diet) that is keeping your levels under control. Gliclizide prompts your pancreas to produce more insulin, hence the danger of hypos. Metformin simply reduces the impact carbs in your diet, and I believe normally has no more than a 10% improvement in levels. The path of a typical Type1.5/LADA is the one you are following: metformin alone, small improvement; metformin and gliclizide, large initial improvement; eventually (often within 12 months) the gliclizide no longer works and you need insulin. Many of our members have followed a similar path. Since your GP appears ignorant of the fact you need to test on gliclizide I would be doubtful of his knowledge regarding the more unusual ways that diabetes can manifest itself.

Regarding the test meter you have bought - it would be cheaper for you to get the SD Codefree Meter as you would then save around £11 per box of test strips for it, so you would pay for the meter with your first box. But definitely go back to the GP and don't leave without getting a valid reason why he won't prescribe strips (there isn't one!) 🙂

Regarding lancets, it is a running joke amongst diabetics that we change our lancets once in a blue moon, or on St Swithin's Day, whichever comes sooner! 😉
 
Northerner said:
.../The path of a typical Type1.5/LADA is the one you are following: metformin alone, small improvement; metformin and gliclizide, large initial improvement; eventually (often within 12 months) the gliclizide no longer works and you need insulin.
Click to expand...

This is the pattern my D followed Heather. I had the self same battle with my GP and instead of prescribing strips, she took me off the Gliclazide. My HbA shot up and she got a slap on the wrist from the practice board after I wrote a formal complaint. I went on Insulin and got re-diagnosed as LADA. Now, I get my main D care through the local clinic instead of the surgery and rarely have any issues over strips or any other diabetic stuff I need. If Dr Idiot questions anything, I simply refer her to the Clinic and she shuts up.

I'm sure there's something in the NICE Guidelines about testing and Gliclazide/Sitagliptin. It may be worth checking and using that as ammo for your doctor.
 
Thanks Alison, I'll look into the nice regulations. I've had the conversation about testing for LADA with my doc on a number of occasions now. He takes more notice of the wall. He says I fit the profile of a type 2 and there's nothing that will change his mind.
 
Heather Hughes said:
Thanks Alison, I'll look into the nice regulations. I've had the conversation about testing for LADA with my doc on a number of occasions now. He takes more notice of the wall. He says I fit the profile of a type 2 and there's nothing that will change his mind.
Click to expand...

Well, even if you are Type 2, he should be following the NICE guidelines:

http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG87/chapter/1-Guidance#self-monitoring-of-plasma-glucose

See, in particular, section 1.4.2

If he is still being stubborn I would suggest a letter to the Practice Manager asking why the GP is choosing to ignore NICE guidelines.

This is so unnecessary, blinkered and stupid, it make me very angry :( It's a bit like saying people with a broken leg don't need crutches because they can just sit at home and do nothing :(
 
I fit the profile too Heather, and how! Obese and 52 at diagnosis (it will be my fifth diaversary tomorrow). But... There are indicators that showed it might not be that simple for me. In spite of a family history of obesity, high blood pressure, cholesterol, cancer and strokes there's not a single diabetic except me. I have low blood pressure and chronic anaemia along with Rheumatoid Arthritis and now, possibly, Coeliac as well.

But the most telling was that the medications mostly didn't work, or not for long. It was only when I went to the clinic and they put me on insulin that the tests were ordered and came back showing LADA instead of T2 which really flummoxed Dr Idiot. Now I'm on insulin and Victoza, a combination which works for me... mostly. The consultant is talking of putting me on a full insulin regime (as opposed to three set doses per day) because the set dose business isn't really working all that well any more and my BGs are starting to see saw again.

If I were you, I would ask for a second opinion in addition to writing that letter. You are entitled to see another doctor, either for a second opinion, or indeed permanently. If not at that practice then perhaps it may be worth changing to another one if you can.
 
Hi Heather.

As Northerner says...educate them ! I also struggled initially to get the strips etc. prescribed...because 'type 2's don't need to test'..... As I came to find out - via this forum - the benefits of testing are HUGE ! I've argued my case, with my doctor, the diabetic nurse and even the dispensary - and won ! Can't overstate how important it is....so keep plugging away - take in guidelines, etc. - and show them you have taken it upon yourself to look in to the matter and to aid your understanding / managing of the condition, need to test.

It really is worth the effort, as testing should prove to be so beneficial to you !

Good luck.
HelenHanfe
 
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