Which company BG meter do you use and why? Please Help

Contour Next USB here, because that’s what the endo wanted me to use. Like @Jen the endo likes to peep at my numbers from afar. With respect to readings, I didn’t see much difference between it and the One Touch Ultra I was using before that. My typical BGs run 70 - 120. I haven’t tried comparing them in several years. Maybe I’ll get batteries for the One Touch Ultra and do side-by-side tests.

One thing I try to do is take a finger stick at the same moment my endo draws blood for my quarterly test series. Then I can compare my meter vs a calibrated (I hope!) lab. It’s usually different by +/- 10 points, in random directions. That is, the meter doesn’t seem to consistently read too low, or consistently read too high. I attribute this to deviations in the strips more than the meter, but there are just too few comparisons for me to draw a firm conclusion.

I can’t say that I’ve ever been stumbling around in a hypo with a measured BG in the 80s, so whatever error my meters have had, they haven’t been THAT bad. And as @anon85331563 wisely notes, a finger stick is a still photo taken from the movie of my BG. My A1c is a better guide to my overall control, and at 5.9 jibes well enough with the readings from my meter.
–buck

that sounds really cool. i have never downloaded ANYTHING myself. i just hand over my Dexcom CGM and they download it for me. we work according to trends and all the info crap that i write down about what food i have eaten, when, where, sleep, stress, temp basals, etc etc etc. (they use to download my meter and my pump)

but does this BG meter work alone, or does it have to be connected to your pump or cgm? i am a bit confused.

I use one touch meters (from my Ping, and soon to be the Mini meter for my new TSlim). My upstairs meter matches my downstairs meter, and the averages predict what my lab A1c is going to be so well that I always know in advance of the actual lab report. Pick something and stick to it, using it as a guide.

I’ve used several in the relatively short time since my Dx. Started out with the OneTouch Mini, which for me was quite accurate (at least it always aligned perfectly with my lab’s test results, when I took a test at the same time that I had blood drawn). I ran into problems getting strips when I ran out while traveling internationally, so I switched to AccuChek Nano. The AccuChek tends to give me numbers a bit higher than my lab, but not terribly so. Tried FreeStyle a couple tiles - an older one always gave me very low numbers, though the newer one that Insulet sent me worked better; however, my insurance does not cover them. I recently received notice from my insurance that starting Jan 1, only OneTouch meters will be covered - they recommend any of the Verio meters.
Meanwhile, I have been using the Livongo InTouch meter for the last month. I like their service. The meter is generally good, though at times a little quirky. I figure I may as well try is, since I’d have to change meters in January anyway. Will see…

Contour Next Link USB. Accuracy is good, but it’s killer feature for me is the “Oliver” it pulls and keeps asking for more blood if not enough on a strip so you don’t waste strips. Light by the strip inserter makes it easier at night, full colour black light screen is nice but more show than anything else, a small mountain of data on it comes in handy for adding carb info if you want to and plug into the PC later for printing off etc, and it talks directly to the pump so very easy. Size is also a major factor for me and the Contour is great due to being similar to a big USB flash drive thus saving valuable pocket space.

The Verio meters gave me the worst readings of all i have ever used. they gave me incredibly high readings which didn’t come close to matching my CGM. also, because of this, i would over bolus for meals, going low afterwards. i switched to the One Touch Ultra 2. so far, so good. and i like the back lighting feature and the averages for the week and the month. i must add, though, that i was using the One Touch Ultra before i switched, and i got consistently low readings and my BGs would end up going very high, b/c i would always be under bolusing. And, this was even worse for the One Touch Mini.

@Daisy_Mae, do you use different meters when callibrating your Dexcom? If so, I wonder if that’s part of your accuracy problem. When I called Dexcom once about my sensor being off, they specifically said to pick one meter and stick to it for callibrations.

I have used the One Touch meter for some time. I always found it easy to use, and one of the less expensive test strip meters on the market. I found it no better or worse accurate than the typical meter.

I switched meters because the contour was specified by the FDA as the meter for the 530 medtronic pump. I had to appeal to get it approved by my insurance but I did and they did and I got it approved.

rick

I do agree with that advice about using a type of meter and stick with it. I pretty much use one meter. In actuality i own 4 meters all the same type. put them inlC WEE I MIGH USE HEJ. I RETAIN4 F USE AE OE RIWM

Right now I use the One Touch Verio IQ. It came with my pump and my other meter was eating batteries like crazy. However, when the new year rolls around I will be using the Walmart special since my strips aren’t covered till I hit my deductible and I just won’t have the money.

I don’t necessarily always go by my meter (let me explain). If I test and it says I’m 65, but I feel fine, I won’t treat the hypo until I’m reading lower or if Dexxapotomous has a down arrow (why raise my sugar when I’m not really low and I feel fine). Likewise, if I feel like I’m so low I’m going to pass out and my meter is telling my I’m 75, I’m going to have 3 - 6 carbs as a treatment for the hypo I’m sure I’m having. Moment to moment treatment needs to be based on more than just your meter’s reading, as we already know that they are not going to be 100% accurate.

the verio was the one that gave me the worst BG readings of them all. i liked all the features, but it continuously gave me false highs and i was giving myself too much incline bolus at each meal, and also doing corrections. when i finally compared it to my cgm, i knew it was off, but i didn’t realize it until i tested it against 2 other meters, both of which gave me very similar readings. then i knew for certain it wasn’t the right meter for me. i am, however, sad to lose all those great features.

I have had a Verio for a couple of years and use it almost daily as I can’t see the screen of the Contour Next when outside. I haven’t had issues with it reading falsely high. I try to use the Next for calibrations whenever possible, but if I have to use the Verio for a cal, it hasn’t caused a problem.

Here is a link to a published study in which the accuracy of 43 meters has been measured.

It dates back to 2012, so there are probably some newer models that are not in the study. If you want to cut to the nitty gritty and avoide all the verbiage, just scroll through to figure 2 on page 1073. For each meter the dot indicates the average reading, so the closer to the horizontal line the better. The bars are the 95% confidence intervals. Again, the important thing to understand is the shorter the bar, the lower the variability/error.

You can see that some manufacturers (e.g. Roche/Accuchek and Abbott) have lots of models that perform well and others do more poorly.

FWIW, recent meters (at least in the EU) now have to meet a more stringent accuracy standard (10% as opposed to 20% previously)

Joel

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Thank you so much. this was extremely helpful. i am going to try and get either the FreeStyle or the Freedom, if not that than the Accu-Checks seem pretty sound. i have not been satisfied w/ the accuracy of my meters. and from looking at the chart, i can see their failings from the trials. no wonder i have been over-dosing/under-dosing on my insulin!!

Daisy Mae

PS: which meter do you use yourself?

the Verio was the worst one yet for me, right up next to the One Touch Mini. the Verio gave me incredibly false highs, while the Mini gave me nothing but low lows. never in sync w/ my cgm, no matter what the calibrations. switched (b/c i got it for free from my endo) to the One Touch Ultra 2 and am pretty close to range. but, i see from a link from Joel ( jjm335) that there are 2 other companies that prove much better accuracy. i think i will try them out and then just pick one and stick with it. why make myself so crazy :smile:

btw, the other companies are Accu Check and FreeStyle.

I have used many different meters over the years. And I agree accuracy is the most important thing out there but I have come to realize if you use the same meter for all your testing, it will read correctly for where you are at. Which is why they recommend always using the same meter for all calibrations. Because you can test five different meters at the same time and you will probably get five different numbers. No not probably, you will. So I guess if I use the same meter all the time the numbers will be in line. I currently use the Bayer Contour and really love the not wasting strips if there isn’t enough blood on strip. What a money saver!

i totally agree w/ you on point. however, i have some meters which BG readings are so far off that i could never rely upon them. 3 meters reading in the 130s and then one meter that reads 180. obviously, if this only happens once, it is practically irrelevant, but when there is a constant pattern, you got to wonder what’s wrong with this meter.

Thank you sincerely for posting this study. i have been studying up on my own since i posted this site, and i have found that indeed this meter is the best bang for the buck. i see my endo tomorrow and hopefully he will have a sample one for me and give me a prescription for the test strips. i test about 10 times per day, give or take. (basically for meals or if i feel low or need to calibrate my cgm.)

Know that the Freestyle Lite has a built-in light. The Freedom does not.

I use the Freestyle Lite. However I don’t know if this model is still available. Abbot makes others that use the same Freestyle Lite test strips and that should give similar accuracy. Check on the Abbot website.

Here in the UK, because T1s are supposed to get unlimited free test strips. the companies often give the meters away for free at the clinics. That way they have a captive sale of their strips for the future.

Joel