[lia]

I tried doing the forum search, but a1c is too short to be included in it, so the results were all about 'home.' Nothing about a1c.

I was just looking into them and Walmart has the Relion a1c home test kit for $9. Compared to $85 at the doctors, they are going to be losing my business.

Most of them take about a week to give you the results. You have to mail the test in, and they mail or email the results back. Bayer has one that is completely at home and it just takes a few minutes, but it is close to $30.

They are supposed to be as accurate as the ones sent to the lab from the blood sample people. Amazon is out of them right now, but the comments are still up for them, and one person got the exact same result from it that he did from the doctor's lab.

That's nice to be able to do. Things are looking up. Go science, go

 

[smorgan]

I've used the Wal-Mart one several times, the one you mail in. I have no reason to believe it is any less accurate than the ones my doctor sends to the lab.

 

[jwags]

I buy the Bayer A1c Now kits when they are on sale. They will usually be $19.99 on sale and you get 2 tests. You get results in 5 minutes and they are pretty accurate. Check out the sale flyers for Walgreens, CVS, Drugmart.

 

[lia]

on sale

Sounds good. That's the first I knew that they ever went on sale. I just phoned my CVS pharmacy and they didn't know what I was talking about, but I'll bring it up when I'm there next time. They were just asking about 'what kind of test strips?' then we got disconnected. (bad reception where I'm at) It's the only pharmacy near me these days. I'm a bit isolated compared to the big city life I'm used to.

 

[auto]

Has anyone besides me compared the ReliOn A1C test to other labs on the same day? My GP sends her blood to a laboratory that seems consistently higher than WalMart mail-in, and my endocrinologist uses an instant A1C meter that reads in between. For example, one same day test was ReliOn=5.3%, Endo=5.6%, and GP=7.0%. My GP agrees these different results are significant as they would lead to different treatments. She says there is no standardization among labs, but I find that hard to believe given the importance of accuracy.

I have started to do multiple A1C tests all on the same day to figure this out, but I am just wondering if you have any similar or different experience. Thanks.

 

[skb]

I buy the Bayer kit from ebay. Can cost between $20-26 for a 2 test kit. My Bayer kits have always given me lower results than the lab (by ~ 0.3).

 

[smorgan]

The only test I've had which stood out as questionable was one done in CVS Minute Clinic using one of those 10 second response testers. I think it was the Bayer one. It read 5.1 where all of the lab tests and the $9.95 home test from Wal-Mart before and after it were in the 5.4 - 5.6 range. The mail-in one has always been in complete agreement with nearest lab-done tests.

Personally, I think it's not only much cheaper but also better - or at least just as good. You just have to wait three days for the result.

 

[tombcx]

Hi there,
As a long term T2, I have been using the A1C Now, for more than 2 years now, on sale at Walmart
or Walsgreen for $29.00.
I can tell that their results have been consistent with my Lab blood works reading.

 

[CDB]

I buy the Bayer A1c Now kits when they are on sale. They will usually be $19.99 on sale and you get 2 tests. You get results in 5 minutes and they are pretty accurate. Check out the sale flyers for Walgreens, CVS, Drugmart.

This is the one I've used twice and both times it's been within .2 of the 'official' lab test I got from my endo.

 

[VeeJay]

The A1C Now that I compared on the same day with the same blood draw was .3 lower. That's not much. And one can just add .2 or .3 to the result if one wants to.

I think the home tests are great and if I didn't have insurance that paid for the lab tests, I'd certainly use the home tests.

I've read similar threads on this and other diabetes forums. The consensus seems to be that they are reasonably accurate and close enough to lab results. (How are we to really know if the lab tests are accurate?)

 

[David Burke]

I've posted this on other threads about the Bayer home kit. From everyone's experiences it seems this kit falls within a 10% error. Since we accept our meters, which have an error of 20%, then what's wrong with these kits?

They work great and are less than a copay for doctor visit and blood draw. Sounds great to me.

Sent from my iPhone

 

[auto]

I would like to thank everyone who answered my question about home kit accuracy. I will continue to measure on the same day as my blood draws at my GP, as I am pretty sure her laboratory is consistently high. Her other diabetic patients need to know this, since the variance is more than 1% and can make a difference in how someone is treated. If I find out the name of the laboratory I will post that.

 

[Mar2a]

I use the Relion A1c from Walmart. If you read the instructions carefully and get a good sample, it's excellent. I've had it hit the exact same number as the doctor's office at least twice, and I keep a spare one so that I can do it at home anytime I do a doctor's visit where they check my A1c.

Yes, it does take about a week, but you can have them email you the results, so once they do the test, you get an answer quickly. It's a nice PDF and you can save it on disk. Just remember to keep the stub with the sample number on it. (I usually also write it down somewhere.)

I've never tried the Bayer one.