Meter Interferences
| Author: Judy Kohn, RN, BSN, CDE |
| Last Updated: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 |
Q: "I saw on a TV commercial that a particular glucose monitoring device was not affected by Tylenol®. I had never heard that Tylenol can affect glucose results. Also, is the FreeStyle® system affected by Tylenol?"
A: What is confusing is that there are two different issues:
- Your blood glucose can be affected by such things as illness, stress, or cortisone, among other things.
- Glucose Meters can be affected by some substances, mainly due to chemical reactions between the strips and the substances (such as Tylenol).
So in the case of Tylenol: No, it does not affect your blood glucose, but it can interfere with some glucose meter's ability to read the glucose result correctly.
Neither FreeStyle® systems nor Precision® systems are affected by Tylenol or other common interfering substances, such as oxygen, aspirin or vitamin C.
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Important Notice: The responses provided by the team of Diabetes Educators are based on their personal experiences and expertise as practicing diabetes healthcare professionals, and are not to be considered diabetes management advice from Abbott Laboratories. Remember that information provided by the team of Diabetes Educators is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any healthcare questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to healthcare issues.
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