Freestyle Lite meter

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AlyMcF

AlyMcF

Member Since 2014
I'm look at the $59 for 50 test strips cost for AlphaTrak 2 test strips and wonder if it would just be cheaper in the long run to switch to a different glucometer. I noticed the Freestyle Lite looks similar but the strips are a bit cheaper. I also like that you don't have to recode it each time you get new strips.

Does anyone have experience using this meter with cats?
 
Walmart's Relion Micro or Confirm glucometer strips cost about $35 for 100 strips. The Relion meter is under $15. You don't have to reprogram it.
 
AlyMcF said:
I'm look at the $59 for 50 test strips cost for AlphaTrak 2 test strips and wonder if it would just be cheaper in the long run to switch to a different glucometer. I noticed the Freestyle Lite looks similar but the strips are a bit cheaper. I also like that you don't have to recode it each time you get new strips.

Does anyone have experience using this meter with cats?
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I hardly ever use my Alphatrak meter (usually use the Relion) but I use Freestyle Lite strips with it, when I do use it. They are made by the same company-Abbott-but are a lot cheaper. I saw someone here was using them and asked her about it, now I use them, too. But check with your vet, first, to make sure he/she is okay with it! Try ebay if you're shopping for them, sometimes they have good deals on them. :)
 
I should also ask...both the Freestyle and Relion are human meters, correct? Isn't there some sort of conversion formula I need to turn the BG numbers from those monitors into something a little more feline-accurate?
 
AlyMcF said:
the Freestyle Lite looks similar but the strips are a bit cheaper. I also like that you don't have to recode it each time you get new strips.

Does anyone have experience using this meter with cats?
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Hi Alyssa, most human meters are just fine to use with cats but members here have reported some problems with the Freestyle Lite.
In a nutshell, the Freestyle Lite has been found to read the higher range of numbers incorrectly. It has a track record of reading high numbers as lower than they actually are. So, some members thought their cats' blood glucose levels weren't too bad, until they used another meter...... I've not heard of any problems with the Freestyle Lite at the lower blood glucose range.

FYI, there are a few members here who use Freestyle test strips with the Alphatrak meter (I think the meters are made by the same manufacturer..?) If you do a search of the forum you should find more info on this. Or it may be worth your starting another thread asking for info on Freestyle strips with Alphatrak meters.

Eliz
 
The AlphaTrak User Manual is attached. Downloaded from http://www.alphatrakmeter.com 09/09/2015.
See page 17 for the default ranges defined as low and high, and very low and very high.

ETA: @Jill & Alex (GA) There was a note in a published article from an alleged authority. Where they came up with the statistic, who knows. And the human meter numbers are the ones provided here in the protocols or the Merck Veterinary Manual.
 

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Glad I saw this. My diabetic mom using the Freestyle Lite and she has an abundance of the strips and I was thinking I would use her meter when I run out of Relion strips. I did do a sample from the same blood drop with Freestyle meter and my Relion meter and Freestyle meter was 30 points higher. I do not remember what the number was though. Guess I won't use her meter.......
 
BJM said:
The AlphaTrak User Manual is attached. Downloaded from http://www.alphatrakmeter.com 09/09/2015.
See page 17 for the default ranges defined as low and high, and very low and very high.

ETA: there was a note in a published article. Where they came up with the statistic, who knows.
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Huh...I didn't even know this Alphatraker program existed! I must thank my ex vet for making sure I had all the pertinent tools at my disposal (NOT!).
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
Glad I saw this. My diabetic mom using the Freestyle Lite and she has an abundance of the strips and I was thinking I would use her meter when I run out of Relion strips. I did do a sample from the same blood drop with Freestyle meter and my Relion meter and Freestyle meter was 30 points higher. I do not remember what the number was though. Guess I won't use her meter.......
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Alphatrak readings are always higher than Relion, so I would guess a Freestyle meter would also read higher. I bought the Freestyle test strips because they read very close to the Alphatrak strips, but they are much cheaper. But now I don't really use them at all, I only used them before for numbers for my vet. I much prefer the Relion. That's the first meter I used and I'm just more accustomed to it, I guess.
 
So we've tested the Freestyle Lite monitor against an AccuCheck monitor and against actually sending blood out to the lab about 3-4 times. The actual Freestyle Lite monitor seems to be a lot less accurate from our tests. On different occasions, it reads higher or lower. Our vet was not pleased. That being said, it takes a lot less blood. You can have ours if you want it. Let me know if you want me to send it to you.
 
I was just reading about the ReliOn and other meters on Amazon...it seems like every meter has complaints about accuracy.

I tested my other cat, Max, and got a reading of 82. This was on a day when Sketch was reading in the 300-400s. So I guess my theory that that the AlphaTrak monitor was reading falsely high is not true.
 
BJM said:
ETA: @Jill & Alex (GA) There was a note in a published article from an alleged authority. Where they came up with the statistic, who knows. And the human meter numbers are the ones provided here in the protocols or the Merck Veterinary Manual.
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@BJM - Stop it! If you have a source for your AT ranges, why have you not posted the source of your information when you've been asked rather than remaining silent when the conversation has been revolving around you (in more than one thread, btw)? To date, the only source you've cited was shot down by one of the authors of the very publication named by you. It was obvious you had misinterpreted the author's remarks.

If you have something to say after the fact, please reply in an appropriate thread instead of hijacking that of another. Heck, pick any one of them posted recently.

@AlyMcF - My apologies Alyssa. Your thread is not the appropriate place for BJM to make a stand.
 
BJM said:
The AlphaTrak User Manual is attached. Downloaded from http://www.alphatrakmeter.com 09/09/2015.
See page 17 for the default ranges defined as low and high, and very low and very high.

ETA: @Jill & Alex (GA) There was a note in a published article from an alleged authority. Where they came up with the statistic, who knows. And the human meter numbers are the ones provided here in the protocols or the Merck Veterinary Manual.
Click to expand...

I'm quoting the above since it has been edited three times since you originally posted it, and I'd like to "preserve" its current wording.


@BJM - seriously, you need to give it up. Jill, I and you know exactly where your source came from. And we all also know that your "source information" was misinterpreted, then misrepresented, by you. When you were asked to correct said "information", it took great measures to get you to do that. You continue to avoid answering direct questions and repeated requests (as stated by Jill) to post the "source".

A perfect example of how your "glucometer notes" that were removed from your signature confused and/or misled a new member can be seen here:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/remission-meters.144023/

We both know where the "71 - 217" BG number range came from, although in that thread as well you continue to dodge the issue. With the information that you have been handing out to people - while apparently now blaming an "alleged authority" for the mistakes you made in using her information - we can now expect new members to be perfectly content with BG readings above 200, mistakenly believing that 200 is just fine, peachy and "normal".

Instead of dodging the issue, why don't you own up to it? I think I speak for all of the mods when I say that you've pushed us all to the limit. Continue doing so, and you're likely to find yourself on the outside looking in, no matter how big your "fan club" is. As far as I'm concerned, you've already crossed that threshold.

I also would like to apologize to @AlyMcF for needing to use your thread to address this.
 
I haven't read all the back and forth discussions here over the meter issues. What has been helpful for me and so many members here is having simple guides we can refer to for our meter readings.

If I were a new member here, the dialogues going back and forth on this thread would scare me away. We all do our best to help one another and need support because caring for our diabetic cats is challenging enough.
 
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Folks, we need support, but we also need facts. There's been some discussion regarding some of the information being passed around, and the goal is the best information possible.

No one disagrees that a light touch and a caring message goes very, very far when feelings are raw. And, I commend BJM for being an asset to those in need. The goal is to help the cats. We discuss. We debate. We argue. We try to establish the best thing for the cat! (And, every cat is different, right! .. ;) ) It's how we've always done it. But let's cool this down.

BJM, it's my understanding that the author of the study you cite specifically has said you misinterpreted their findings. Hey, no big deal, let's figure out what's right, and then we can use that. Let's come to a point that ends with inclusion and with better info.

Thanks everyone
 
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