Lancets question?

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MiCo

MiCo

Member Since 2016
Quick question-does the expiration date on a box of lancets matter?

I just ordered and received 3 boxes of lancets online (from ADW Diabetes) and I noticed they are already expired. Does the expiration date matter? Would you use or try to return them?

Also, do you change the lancet each time? I have been... and will probably continue to.
 
I would not think that it mattered at all if a box of lancets had an expiration date. What can go bad with them? Also, ADW Diabetes is very reputable and would not sell them if there would be a problem with them. If you asked them, I think you could return them if you did not want to use them due to the expiration date.

I use a new lancet with each stick. I buy mine at Walmart and they are very inexpensive.
 
I agree - there's no way a lancet will expire. I use one lancet for 2 or 3 pokes and clean it with alcohol after each one.
 
If it's just the lancets, they're just little pieces of sharp steel to poke holes with....don't know why they'd expire

While it's probably OK to use them more than once, you don't want to use them more than a few times at most........these new ultra sharp lancets and needles are really flimsy so they degrade quickly
syringe after 6 uses.jpg
 
OK, thanks All! I don't want to raise any alarms. I'm working on building my "Cliff Kit" of supplies, and my orders of extra strips and lancets arrived. I actually placed one order with Amazon (to arrive faster) and one order with ADW (cheaper) and noticed the expiration dates printed on the lancet boxes when unpacking and organizing in my little storage bin. I was thinking I would use the lancets anyways, because it's not worth the hassle of returning, and I can't see why they would expire if unopened.
 
My guess would be a regulation that requires them to have an expiration date. I wouldn't worry about it, bottled water has an expiration date too.
 
The concern is with sterility. As with the 28 day expiry on insulin, the manufacturer may have tested the sterility of the lancets for a specified period of time so they cannot say they are safe for use beyond their test period. We all know that insulin does not magically go bad at MN of the 28th day and likewise the lancets don't either. An unopened box of lanctes would pose no danger whatsoever but I might think twice about using lancets from an open box that had long since expired.
 
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