No more alcohol wipes with Freestyle Libre 1 and 2

[rebrascora]

@danielmg That's what I was thinking. It may end up costing them because people run out of or don't buy wipes and the sensors come unstuck because the site prep has not been good enough. I can't see it as a cost cutting exercise because firstly the wipes will cost pennies and secondly Abbott don't come across as penny pinching. They rarely quibble about replacing sensors even when people knock them off, so it has to be a logistical problem. However I think they should be solving it, not putting the onus on the customer.

 

[Kaylz]

Soap and water preps the area just as well as the alcohol wipes do to be fair xx

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I’ve been seeng this discussed in the Facebook group. It seems to be a change rolling out over Europe.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Only a bronze medal for you, @Northerner !

Buy your own wipes

Just a Libre related heads up. Had an email from Abbott this morning saying they will no longer be including alcohol wipes in the sensor package, and you should buy your own in future. (A load of waffle about CE marks and buying from external sources messing up their own CE mark if a...

forum.diabetes.org.uk

Alcohol Swabs In Libre Sensor Kits

For anyone that actually uses them you may want to start your searching for your own As of this month Abbott will no longer be supplying them in the box xx

forum.diabetes.org.uk

I’ve combined them all into one thread to keep the conversation in one place 🙂

 

[cherub72]

I used to get a box of steret wipes for my insulin vials for my medtronic pump and emergency injections etc but when i changed gps the nurse removed them off my prescription saying i did not need them. even though you need them to wipe the insulin bottles before injecting. now im on the libra 2 sensors all the gps are saying is buy them from pharmacies but in the email i received it claims that certain ones do not work well with the sensor so how on earth are you supposed to know if they are the correct ones to use. why do professionals say to use products then they get removed from prescriptions.

 

[helli]

Like others, I apply my sensor straight out of the shower and often wondered if the alcohol wipe was overkill, especially as I often forget and have no problems with my sensor.

I am happy to have less rubbish to add to landfill whatever the reason for removing them.
If Abbott could make the applicators reusable or at least recyclable, I would be even happier.

 

[Kaylz]

@cherub72 the reliject ones that were supplied with the Libre are available online xx

 

[Sugarmouse]

Just a Libre related heads up. Had an email from Abbott this morning saying they will no longer be including alcohol wipes in the sensor package, and you should buy your own in future. (A load of waffle about CE marks and buying from external sources messing up their own CE mark if a manufacturer changes their product, but the cynic in me says, it will save them a few bob!)

It’s the first I’ve heard about it, so thank you for that.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I used to get a box of steret wipes for my insulin vials for my medtronic pump and emergency injections etc but when i changed gps the nurse removed them off my prescription saying i did not need them. even though you need them to wipe the insulin bottles before injecting. now im on the libra 2 sensors all the gps are saying is buy them from pharmacies but in the email i received it claims that certain ones do not work well with the sensor so how on earth are you supposed to know if they are the correct ones to use. why do professionals say to use products then they get removed from prescriptions.

I’m not sure that is universal advice. I’ve never been advised to wipe an insulin vial before use. And a DSN specifically advosed me *against* using alcohol wipes on injection sites, because she sait it could toughen the skin (or was it dry it? it was a long time ago!).

I note that Dexcom packaging suggests liberal use of an alcohol wipe, but I assumed that was more a kinda US thing, and I don’t tend really feel the need to do that myself, as long as I am generally showered and so on.

 

[Ljc]

I haven’t had an email from Abbott yet , if I do I will buy the ones we used at work

 

[Drummer]

There are massive supply problems at the moment - and stupid things like the same thing being available but folded differently so it doesn't fit into the specially designed packaging - folded square instead of oblong for instance.
My acquaintance with the knitting kits has not got dozens, if not hundreds of kits with one or more components missing. It is not going to end well, I fear.

 

[Ljc]

My understanding is, that, the wipes are/were provided more to remove natural oils or moisturiser from the skin so the sensor adhered better rather than to kill germs .
So imo a shower before applying one and not applying moisturiser to the area should be fine , personally I prefer to use an alcohol wipe as I tend to apply my sensor at bedtime that’s in early hrs of the morning for me and I don’t shower then .

 

[Helrobs]

Well hello. Just opened my new freestyle libra to find no wipes! Obs should look at my emails more closely . . . . Glad to have learnt why this is so from the forum & will keep in touch. I do think it's tight when you look at the cost of the unit if not available to a prescription user . . . . Still a great asset to diabetic control & won't lose the faith.

 

[trophywench]

Just given the spot a good wash and obviously dry it thoroughly, before applying the sensor. It ain't rocket science, is it?

 

[Hepato-pancreato]

Not libre but Accu-Chek has ceased supplying free batteries. No email, was informed when i went to order some. "We will supply you with a list of were to buy replacement batteries from." I was taken aback, thought it was an april fools joke. Do they think boots were the vouchers were for wouldn't sell them to me? I said no you don't need to bother thanks, i'll go to poundland and get apack of 24 for a quid.

 

[mikeyB]

Well, as most nurses don’t use alcohol wipes when taking blood these days I hardly think it’s anything worth bothering about. Nobody cleans their fingers with alcohol wipes before doing a BG test, and fingers often go where no bit of your arm goes. What’s the big fuss about ?

I suspect that Abbott have realised, or been told, that it’s nothing more than a ritual.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

I suspect that Abbott have realised, or been told, that it’s nothing more than a ritual.

Could be. I think their explanation is also plausible: they had supply issues and there was some issue with regulation that makes it easier just to drop the wipes than to replace them. (The two explanations aren't exclusive, of course.)

 

[helli]

Well, as most nurses don’t use alcohol wipes when taking blood these days I hardly think it’s anything worth bothering about. Nobody cleans their fingers with alcohol wipes before doing a BG test, and fingers often go where no bit of your arm goes.

I understand from a paramedic that alcohol wipes are not used for cleaning fingers before a blood test because the alcohol can affect the results.

 

[Robin]

I rather assumed that part of the reasoning was that it would get rid of any grease on the skin that might stop the sensor adhering well.

 

[trophywench]

I assumed the same as you Robin - but most people wash 100% of their body more than once a fortnight so it's hardly going to be a problem with Libre sensors every 2 weeks!