Q Using Insulinx strips w/ AlphaTrak meter

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Teresa & Cricket

Teresa & Cricket

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Hi everyone,
I purchased some Insulinx strips to use w/ my Alphatrak meter because I saw several folks on here say they used them.
Just got them in the mail today and tried today for pm pre-shot, same blood draw on both and got a big difference: 355 Alphatrak and 447 Insulinx

Using code 7 on meter, which was same as before.
Do I need to change the code?
Any advice on this?

I only have 2 Alphatrak strips left right now.
 
Teresa & Cricket said:
Hi everyone,
I purchased some Insulinx strips to use w/ my Alphatrak meter because I saw several folks on here say they used them.
Just got them in the mail today and tried today for pm pre-shot, same blood draw on both and got a big difference: 355 Alphatrak and 447 Insulinx

Using code 7 on meter, which was same as before.
Do I need to change the code?
Any advice on this?

I only have 2 Alphatrak strips left right now.
Click to expand...
I usually have the insulinx code on 38 and have had accurate readings.
D238B6D7-B4CA-4CC1-983A-0137C7D80B00.png
 
Sometimes the size of the blood drop does affect readings on AT. I used it for 9 months so I know that for sure. I would test another drop and compare results.

I used Insulix strips at the end and they worked great. I spent so much money on alphatrak strips for like 8 months (i used ~ 200 strips per month) and I really regret it. I’m still paying off Frosty’s medical bills and recovering financially. :(
 
Wow everyone, thank you so much for the feedback on the insulinx.
I will switch to 38 and see how it goes.
The AT strip prices are out of control. It is infuriating because it is obviously the same company as Freestyle, so you know they don't need to be that expensive, but they assume ppl will automatically pay more since they are the only animal-specific meter out there!

@Ana & Frosty (GA) That makes sense about the droplet size. Sometimes my reads were just, and when I tried the AT/Inx comparison, it was indeed the teeniest bit of blood.
Also, I'm sorry to hear about your sweet Frosty, he looks like he was a big lover!
 
Teresa & Cricket said:
The AT strip prices are out of control. It is infuriating because it is obviously the same company as Freestyle, so you know they don't need to be that expensive, but they assume ppl will automatically pay more since they are the only animal-specific meter out there!
Click to expand...

While I agree the AT2 strips are a ridiculous price, and they are the same strips used for the Insulinx/Freestyle meters, there is a reason for the price difference. The AT2 strips have been batch tested to determine which code on the AT2 meter will give the most accurate results (closest to pet lab values). So even though they are the same strips, there is an extra "manufacturing" step involved plus the alternate packaging included in the pricing as well as obviously markup for a specialty product. There are other pet meters out there with less expensive strips. I have tested one and found it read slightly low at high numbers and a bit high at low numbers when compared with the AT2 but was still reasonably in range.

We are aware of 7 different cat codes on the AT2 meter. There may be more. So while many folks are getting fairly close results using code 38, that may not always be the case with a different batch of Insulinx/Freestyle strips. I would highly recommend keeping some AT2 strips on hand for comparison testing when starting a new vial of Insulinx/Freestyle strips because it seems the alternate strips often read a bit high (in some cases significantly) and you don't want the meter reading high when dealing with a low BG situation.

In Canada, there are no Insulinx specific strips. The Freestyle Lite strips are marketed for the Freestyle and Insulinx meters. I have to wonder if the Insulinx strips being purchased on Ebay, Amazon etc. in the US are from the last production line for those strips which would explain why code 38 seems to be the magic number for reasonably accurate readings right now.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
While I agree the AT2 strips are a ridiculous price, and they are the same strips used for the Insulinx/Freestyle meters, there is a reason for the price difference. The AT2 strips have been batch tested to determine which code on the AT2 meter will give the most accurate results (closest to pet lab values). So even though they are the same strips, there is an extra "manufacturing" step involved plus the alternate packaging included in the pricing as well as obviously markup for a specialty product. There are other pet meters out there with less expensive strips. I have tested one and found it read slightly low at high numbers and a bit high at low numbers when compared with the AT2 but was still reasonably in range.

We are aware of 7 different cat codes on the AT2 meter. There may be more. So while many folks are getting fairly close results using code 38, that may not always be the case with a different batch of Insulinx/Freestyle strips. I would highly recommend keeping some AT2 strips on hand for comparison testing when starting a new vial of Insulinx/Freestyle strips because it seems the alternate strips often read a bit high (in some cases significantly) and you don't want the meter reading high when dealing with a low BG situation.

In Canada, there are no Insulinx specific strips. The Freestyle Lite strips are marketed for the Freestyle and Insulinx meters. I have to wonder if the Insulinx strips being purchased on Ebay, Amazon etc. in the US are from the last production line for those strips which would explain why code 38 seems to be the magic number for reasonably accurate readings right now.
Click to expand...
This is why I always have regular alpha strips.... to make sure the code is still giving an accurate number.
 
Teresa & Cricket said:
Hi everyone,
I purchased some Insulinx strips to use w/ my Alphatrak meter because I saw several folks on here say they used them.
Just got them in the mail today and tried today for pm pre-shot, same blood draw on both and got a big difference: 355 Alphatrak and 447 Insulinx

Using code 7 on meter, which was same as before.
Do I need to change the code?
Any advice on this?

I only have 2 Alphatrak strips left right now.
Click to expand...
I just put a post out about the same thing. Sorry you are seeing the difference in numbers.
 
I re-checked with a bigger drop of blood and using code 38, my results were 338 AT and 340 Insulinx, so I now feel good about that!
I now only have one AT strip left, so the Insulinx will have to do for a while- or untile I get another income stream going.

Thanks for all the advice, folks!
 
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