What to Know Before You Buy Testing Strips

Diabetic testing strips are used by diabetics for home testing. Although these are easily available online these days, there are some things you really should know prior to deciding a specific glucose monitor to invest in.

First, you must consider the cost because these are not one time investment. You need to buy these regularly to be able to use the glucose monitors. Visiting various websites online will help you get the best testing strips at affordable prices. Comparing the services and products offered at different websites will help you a great deal in this respect.

You need to check the expiration date before buying the glucose test strips. Understand that the meter readings can be made useless if the test strips are out of date. Hence, you need to always check the dates as soon as you receive them in the mail. Return them if they have crossed the expiration date. Expiration dates are printed clearly on every vial and disc. Strictly avoid using these if they are old.

Don’t buy in bulk if you are not recommended to check frequently by the doctor. This may prove to be a waste of money for you. Coding is important.

Most diabetic meters need to be coded for every new batch or vial. Here, you need to remember the code and feed it correctly to get accurate results.

In case, you don’t want to face these hassles, it is better to look for the "no coding" label when shopping for a new glucose meter. The idea is to get a monitor that does not require being coded.

Protect your glucose test strips from moisture, humidity and heat. These elements can make the strips unusable.