Tips For Dealing With Excess Diabetic Test Strips
For most diabetic individuals, the recommendation is to test their blood sugar a few times a day. However, many doctors write test strip prescriptions for excess amounts simply to ensure that there are enough in case of problems. Between prescriptions with extra strips and the ability to purchase test strips over-the-counter, many diabetics find themselves with an abundance of extra test strips at some stage. These excess strips often just sit in a cabinet because people don't know what else to do with them. Here are a few ideas to help you deal with an excess inventory of diabetes test strips.
Donate Them
Brand-new, unopened boxes of test strips can be donated easily. There are many organizations that can benefit from these donations, including local veteran's groups, battered women's shelters, food banks, and more. You can check with your local community action groups to find out which organizations in your area could most benefit from your abundance of test strips.
Another great donation option is through your local community aid groups. If you have a local group, even on social media, that has been organized for community aid, there are often listings there for families in need who are struggling with the costs of medical care and supplies. You could bless a family in your community with your excess test strips to help offset their ongoing medical costs.
Return Them
In some situations, pharmacies will allow for returns of unopened, unused test strips. You will likely need to have your receipt, and you will only have a certain amount of time to return them after you've purchased them. However, if you bought them yourself, you can typically return them for either a refund or store credit. For test strips paid for by your insurance company, the pharmacy can credit back your insurance company. Not all pharmacies accept returns of these consumables, though, so check with your pharmacy before you decide to bring your test strips in for a return.
Sell Them
Many companies buy unused and unopened test strips to either sell at a discount or to donate to those who need them. You can find companies like these online, and sometimes even locally. The amount you will receive for each box will depend on the brand as well as the quantity, but you can usually see the price up-front so that you know how much you will get for the strips if you decide to sell them.
Online companies buy test strips will even give you a pre-paid shipping label in most cases, allowing you to ship the test strips to them at no cost to you. Then, once they receive the strips, they process your payment. Sometimes, you can receive that payment as an electronic transfer, but other times it will come in a paper check in the mail. Contact companies that pay cash for test strips to learn more about your options.
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