Sarah Howard
Sarah Howard (nee Tackett) has dedicated her career to supporting the T1D community ever since she was diagnosed with T1D while in college in May 2013. Since then, she has worked for various diabetes organizations, focusing on research, advocacy, and community-building efforts for people with T1D and their loved ones. Sarah is currently the Senior Manager of Marketing at T1D Exchange.
Sarah and her husband live in NYC with their cat Gracie. In her spare time, she enjoys doing comedy, taking dance classes, visiting art museums, and exploring different neighborhoods in NYC.
I’ve always gotten ketone strips through a prescription. I didn’t know they were sold over the counter.
Opposite here – I’ve always purchased OTC. Didn’t know you could get them through a prescription. Hmm-I’ll have to check if it’s covered by insurance.
never had ketone strips.
Bought OTC but have never used. Don’t go really high often and if I do I bring down quickly
What is ketoes strips
If your blood sugar sky rockets up, you test for ketones in your urine.
A ketone test can warn you of a serious diabetes complication called diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA. An elevated level of this substance in your blood can mean you have very high blood sugar. Too many ketones can trigger DKA, which is a medical emergency.
They expire before I ever needed them and are expensive with insurance so I haven’t purchased them in decades. T1D for 49 years and never had DKA.
I’ve never had them recommended by Endo. Never used. I treat highs and lows quickly. What would you do differently? Never hospitalized.
Blood ketone strips through prescription, urine ketostix over the counter
My doctor, the head of endocrinology at a major teaching hospital has never prescribed or recommended ketone strips.
I had an illness about a decade ago that I bought some strips to test for ketones. They weren’t expensive then and I ended up only using 2 strips from the bottle that contained, if I remember rignt 25 strips.
Since I didn’t have ketones at the time, whatever it was I spent for those strips was nothing to me but wasted money, but I bought them OTC, then at next appointment, my doctor said if I’d have contacted him, he had a full shelf of ketone strips not being used so he’d have been happy to just give me a bottle of ketone test strips, or write the prescription.
My doctor said the ketone test strips rarely get used, but were covered by the insurance I had at the time.
We use a blood ketone meter. The strips are covered by insurance.
I don’t remember if I bought them OTC or with a prescription. It’s been a while, and I don’t know if they are still useable.
Normally I wouldn’t have them, but was on Jardiance for about a year. My endo recently sent in a new prescription but I don’t really need them anymore.
OTC purchase, last supply was over 20 years ago and never used them back then. Quite frankly, I don’t see a needful use for them now at this stage in my life. T1D for over 61 years.
Acquired-purchased during the “Civil War” (c. 1863) as I recall?! 8~D
I wish they’d package ketone strips in packs of 10.