How accurate are expired blood glucose strips?

lgvincent · #1 (**permalink**) 11-11-2003, 11:11 AM

I'm curious to know how accurate blood glucose strips that have passed the expiration date are. I just found three vials of One Touch strips that expired in January 2001. I tried one and it showed a reading of 69 mg/dL while an unexpired strip showed a reading of 72 mg/dL. While I know one test isn't enough to reach any decisions, it has made me curious enough to try a few more to see what happens. If I continue to get readings that are close to those of unexpired strips, will it be safe to conclude that they are accurate within reason?

rzrbks · #2 (**permalink**) 11-11-2003, 12:59 PM

Ok, Vincent, here's my reasoning for why they are still good.

A. They are made of plastic which we know will last a long time.
2. Hotdogs, not made of plastic, will last for years
C. So, if non-plastic hotdogs will last for years then there is no way that those strips should Not work.
:smartass:

:smartass:

Actually, there is an expiration date, but like all man-made devices with expiration dates, they post the absolute low end date so they (the Company) will be held less liable if anything goes wrong.

If the strips were sealed and not exposed to extreme conditions I would still use them. Just check the results against newer ones if your readings with the expired ones are not in the range you expect.

lgvincent · #3 (**permalink**) 11-11-2003, 05:48 PM

So far, the results are very similar to the unexpired strips so since I have so few it looks like it might be safe to use them. I could use just one or two a day and hopefully remain fairly safe.

rzrbks · #4 (**permalink**) 11-11-2003, 06:17 PM

Quote:

lgvincent

So far, the results are very similar to the unexpired strips so since I have so few it looks like it might be safe to use them. I could use just one or two a day and hopefully remain fairly safe.

That's the way I'd do it

Jon · #5 (**permalink**) 11-11-2003, 10:51 PM

Often, companies will only certify their products for a certain amount of time. This doesn't mean that they won't last longer, just that the company has not taken the time to test their product to see if they will last longer. Your test strips are probably fine if they were not opened. The expiration date is just for liability reasons. If you do get a bad reading after the exp, they don't want to be held responsible.

...You know, legal stuff!