Blood Glucose Monitors (2025)

Is that the age of the monitor or the age of the user!!!!

If you are thinking the age of the monitor (I am sure that is what you were thinking) then the answer is no. I suppose the strips might go off if you kept them long enough, but monitor unit should last indefinitely provided you change the batteries when needed and you don't drop it down the loo or tread on it.

snowball12 said:

Evening, does anyone know if blood glucose monitors become less effective with age. I have an Accu Check monitor and it's five years old. What is the best monitor out there. I am struggling to afford testing strips and lancets. Dr said I can't have one on the NHS due to budgets!!!!!

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I have a SD codefree which is now about 8 years old and is still fine, now replaced by the GlucoNavii, it is important to make sure the strips are in date. I still have nearly a full box of lancets as I reuse them time and time again.
If the strips for the monitor you have are expensive then you would easily recoup the cost of a monitor than uses cheaper strips so worth shopping around for such a monitor. The GlucoNavii or TEE2 used to have the cheapest strips but all strips seem to have increased in price recently. Don't forget you don't need to pay VAT.

Leadinglights said:

I have a SD codefree which is now about 8 years old and is still fine, now replaced by the GlucoNavii, it is important to make sure the strips are in date. I still have nearly a full box of lancets as I reuse them time and time again.
If the strips for the monitor you have are expensive then you would easily recoup the cost of a monitor than uses cheaper strips so worth shopping around for such a monitor. The GlucoNavii or TEE2 used to have the cheapest strips but all strips seem to have increased in price recently. Don't forget you don't need to pay VAT.

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Thanks for this info, I will have a shop around. Yes I have noticed that my strips are much more expensive now

Interestingly, I think DSNs have suggested to me in the past that meters should be replaced every so often.

My current meter is 8 years old (it was provided with my previous insulin pump), and I still trust it to provide reliable results. but perhaps it is getting a little long in the tooth now.

The Mayo Clinic (a big US diabetes specialist centre) suggest replacing every 5 years or so, but I don’t know what research data (if any) lies behind that recommendation

John Gray said:

My DSN suggested that my blood glucose monitor be changed after two years of use.
She didn't offer any reason or research to support that, though!

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Was that a change on a like for like basis or to something different? Some ICBs have started an initiative to provide "different" to make savings and cheaper lancers, meters and strips are not always so good.