In shock ..............

[lance]

over the price of 6 XS strips yesterday. Two of us are using them now and there's no reduction for the larger quantity.

Strips=$55.01
HST=$7.15
For a total of $62.16:eek2:

Holy moly--incredible.

How are other users faring?

 

[Bina]

Since I also live in Ontario and use the same strips:

I ask my pharmacy to order me 24 strips (one years worth), specifying that the expiry date
needs to be one year ahead, and my price is $182. or $7.60 for each strip.
Ordering a single 6 pack at a time is quite expensive....but my insurance covers 80% either way.

 

[Freddie]

Yep, I pay about the same amount as Bina - sure would like to know how you got G.W. to pay for your strips Bina, cause they won't pay for mine.

 

[Bina]

Freddie, I don't have GW anymore....hee hee. I have SunLife and they are GREAT.

 

[Freddie]

You are the lucky one, kid.

 

[lance]

Hi Bina

My pharmacy charges the same rate for each strip as they charge for 24. I looked into it when spouse became a warfarin user. That's why I have gotten 6 at a time.

Pharmacies must be increasing the mark-ups because of lost income from generic drugs.

When I started testing 6 strips were $36 - $40.

 

[yotphix]

I don't know what the rules are on this forum for posting commercial links but if you do a google search with these terms "coaguchek xs test strips price" you'll get more than one result for 48 strips at $199 or less. At least I did, and that is how I got my last set. The expiry was well in the future, March of next year. I bought them in March of this year so that was about perfect with weekly testing. That is probably more testing then I need to do but I like the peace of mind of knowing that I am firmly in range all of the time. With the two of you using them you would obviously burn through 48 in less than a year testing every second week.
I live in Ontario but work on a boat so I am in different places. I happened to be in the US when I ordered the strips and don't know if you could get them shipped to Canada.
Paul

edit: I just noticed your info stating you are testing weekly. All the more reason to buy them this way. If you can't get them to ship to Canada perhaps you know someone in the US who can receive and forward them?

 

[lance]

Paul,
Thanks for the suggestion.
I'm not really happy ordering anything through the internet. I think a prescription is needed in the US. They would probably ship to Canada.
All medical devices and supplies are tax exempt. I don't know if this would apply to US medical items.
Cheers
Sandra

 

[Protimenow]

I've bought mine over the Internet, and I've also used medical suppliers who have websites that you can order from. My main concern was the handling of the strips before they were sold, and while they were in transit. If your strips don't require refrigeration (the InRatio and the CoaguChek XS), the handling issue is probably not as important -- and if you work on a boat, you probably MUST be using a meter that uses strips that don't require refrigeration, if you're planning to do testing on the boat.

I saved money on my first order of ProTime strips - from a certified medical supplier - by having an M.D. order them and reimbursing him for his costs. It probably wouldn't hurt to ask a friendly doctor if he or she could place the order for you. You could save a fair chunk of money -- and the doctor should be comfortable, knowing that you'll be able to test well into the future.

 

[yotphix]

I do use strips that don't require refrigeration although it wouldn't be a problem on this boat. We have 5 fridges and 3 freezers. It's true that I don't know how the strips were handled before they get to me but not really any more true than when I buy them at the pharmacy for more than double the cost. Were they shipped direct from Roche or was there a regional distributor? How were they shipped to the pharmacy? Who handled them there? I suppose at a brick and mortar shop you have ready recourse if there is a problem but I suspect that the online retailers would follow the pattern for that segment of being quite amenable to resolving customer complaints without much discussion. It's working so far anyway. I don't worry too much since there is a lab a short bicycle ride away where I can book a PT test online for less than 20 bucks then just show up for the draw. (I've been in Southern California a fair bit recently - in Canada it would be free but we would have to stop at the Doc's first to get the test ordered) Haven't used it yet but that's my backup plan.