Freestyle test strips confusion

Diabetes Technology Insulin Pumps
1

I am a bit confused about the new freestyle test strips. I have a brand new Freestyle lite meter. I am brand new to the Omnipod and PDM (it will arrive on Feb 16th). I was told by the insulet rep that I needed to get a prescription for Regular Freestyle test strips. I was going to go to the pharmacy and pick up some regular strips so I had them on hand when the PDM arrives. The pharmacy only carries the Freestyle lite strips.

I have been following the test strips discussion closely about using new butterfly strips vs the old strips but I am still confused. Here are my questions:

  1. Are the new butterfly lite strips the only new ones? or did they make new regular strips also?
  2. Can the new butterfly lite strips be used in the PDM?

I would like to only have to buy one kind of test stip to use between my PDM and my back up meter. Is there any way to get a free meter from Freestyle that uses regular strips also? They only Freestyle meters I have seen at the pharmacy are the lite ones. Not one that takes regular strips.

Please help clear up my confusion.

Thanks,
Renea

2

Renea,

There has been a lot of confusion and discussion here in the Omnipod forum about the whole test strip issue. To answer your questions:

  1. no, the new butterfly LITE strips are NOT the only new ones…they are making new regular strips too (although they look exactly the same as the new lite ones and have the same code, but are bottled and boxed in different colored items).
  2. There is a mixed bag of results regarding the use of the new butterfly lite strips in the PDM. I use them and have had positive results (along w/ several others). However, some have not. The FDA has not approved them for use in the PDM but just because the FDA suddenly may give a “stamp of approval” does not mean the variance issues that some people are currently having is suddenly going to go away…So I would only say “buyer beware”…use them at your best discretion.

There are several other posts about this (you can either use the search box in the omnipod discussion forum to find them, or use some of the links here that highlight a few of them):
Here’s one about the strips.
Here’s one about trying different codes .
Here’s one about the various finger pointings from the different companies (“It’s their job. No it’s their job…” Ugh!).
And lastly, here’s one of the original posts about the test strip variance issue.

Hope that helps some.

3

There are two new types of strips and you should definitely ONLY use the freestyle (NOT the freestyle lite) strips with the Omnipod. When your Omnipod starter kit arrives it will include a freestyle meter for back-up so you don’t have to worry about needing any of the freestyle lite strips after that!

4

I am new to the pod as well and the only strips they’ll give me are the Freestyle Lite ones. I have had no problem with these strips at all in the PDM. (knock on wood) They work just fine and match up with meters and strips of all different kinds. ( I must have 15 different meters!) Anyway my Pump educator said that these are the new ones and that’s that?!? So i don’t really know what the truth is but they have been working just fine for me! Good luck