• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
  • We seem to be having technical difficulties with new user accounts. If you are trying to register please check your Spam or Junk folder for your confirmation email. If you still haven't received a confirmation email, please reach out to our support inbox: support.forum@diabetes.org.uk

Testing Sticks

Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
R

rubymurry

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Has anyone purchased testing sticks from ebay? If so, are they genuine, and above all accurate?
 
Hi rubymurry

I see you are a type 1, and as such should not have to purchase strips at all, you should be entitled to them and any other medical supplies free on the NHS, even if not related to your diabetes, for example I get birth control pills free.

I would also advise against buying any medical supplies from ebay, you can't tell if they have been tampered with in any way. It is best to get any medical supplies from a chemist and not scrimp and save on them.
 
Talk about sex discrimination Lizzie, I don't even get birth control pills prescribed.

I'll book an immediate consultation with my GP.
 
Not bought off ebay, but had a dodgy batch of sticks and the company changed them and my meter free of charge, and by return of post,
I has got these on prescription.
 
Thanks to you all for your advice. I do get testing sticks from my GP, but the problem is that I have an insulin pump, and test my blood sugars very frequently. Sometimes, although I am prescribed 100 sticks per month, i.e. two boxes, I need extra. Well, I couldn't expect my GP to okay more than I receive at the moment, so if I do need additional sticks I'll buy at my pharmacy! Hopefully in the future, I'll not even need to test as much as I do now. It will be great I know!!
 
rubymurry said:
Thanks to you all for your advice. I do get testing sticks from my GP, but the problem is that I have an insulin pump, and test my blood sugars very frequently. Sometimes, although I am prescribed 100 sticks per month, i.e. two boxes, I need extra. Well, I couldn't expect my GP to okay more than I receive at the moment, so if I do need additional sticks I'll buy at my pharmacy! Hopefully in the future, I'll not even need to test as much as I do now. It will be great I know!!
Click to expand...

I use 7 a day. Didn't even have to actually see my GP, told receptionist, we did some quick 'sums' and 300 were prescribed.
You shouldn't have to buy your own sticks
 
kojack said:
I use 7 a day. Didn't even have to actually see my GP, told receptionist, we did some quick 'sums' and 300 were prescribed.
You shouldn't have to buy your own sticks
Click to expand...

Agreed, and your GP shouldn't object if you have a valid short-term explanation for the extra requirement.
 
Here we go again..I'm so fed up of this c**p of not being able to get strips on prescription. I'm sure the next time I see my GP I'll have an header! :(
 
Birth control pillls (oral contraceptive pills) are about the only type of medication for which no-one pays prescription costs.
 
Sticks

I use 400 sticks a month and simply pick these up every fortnight from my local pharmacy.
 
Thanks for all of the input re testing sticks. I am now going to try and get extra from my G.P. Unless you use them as much as I do, it's probably hard to understand just how important this is to the individual. So watch out receptionist, here I come!!
 
semaj said:
I use 400 sticks a month and simply pick these up every fortnight from my local pharmacy.
Click to expand...

OMG Semaj! That's on average 13-14 a day! That is a lot of tests even by a T1 standards - do you have massively fluctuating levels? Why do you do so many tests - Like Kojack I do 6-7 which gives me more than a good idea of what is going on. Your fingers must be as tough as I don't know what - how do you ind time to do anything else?!
 
If you are on insulin, or any of the sulfonyureas such as Gliclazide, you should by law test your BG before driving and every two hours during a long drive, if you do not have enough test strips to do this you are breaking the law. Your Doctor should (but may not) be aware of this... see http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/joomla/driving-and-diabetes - click through to the DVLA advice near the bottom.
 
I use quite alot, sometimes it is necesssary to test every two hours, but other times not so often. It depends on how I am doing diabetes wise at any given time. I hope that eventually it will not be necessary to test as often, so therefore give my fingers a rest!! However, if I need to, I will continue to test often, because I feel that to have blood sugars between 5-7 is important. Hopefully I'll manage to keep my blood sugar at those levels, and not have to test as often.
 
Ruby, if you need more sticks you should get them, for free. There should be no argument about it.

On the day I was diagnosed I was told ALL prescriptions would be free from then onwards. This means that on top of all Diabetes meds, I will get 5 kinds of heart/statin meds (had a mild heart attack 3 yrs ago); 3 kinds of asthma/allergy meds; anti-depressants; stomach acidity meds; and anything else that crops up, like antibiotics. ALL FREE. I already have a pre-payment cert, which has saved me a fortune, and which I will be able to cash in when I get my Free cert.

I think your Doc is wayyy out of order if he is trying to block your need to test more frequently than normal
 
if you need more sticks, dont you just hand in anthor repeat perscription? my strips are only 50 per box so i usually need to hand in another few perscriptions just for strips. no one has ever refused or questioned me... just from reading posts on here i also cant believe anyone pays for their strips!! 😱
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Back
Top