Picture of Mary Ellen Phipps, MPH, RDN, LD

Mary Ellen Phipps, MPH, RDN, LD

Mary Ellen Phipps, MPH, RDN, LD, the founder of Milk & Honey Nutrition, is a diabetes dietitian (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist) renowned for combining her knowledge of diabetes and culinary expertise into easy-to-follow recipes and articles!

Overview

A Dietitian’s Guide to Walmart Diabetes Supplies, Skincare, and Clothes

Article Overview

walmart diabetes supplies

Walmart diabetes supplies cover a huge variety of categories and offer affordable solutions for people looking to manage diabetes. 

In this article we’ll provide a complete guide for anyone shopping at Walmart that’s living with diabetes, including many of my personal favorites as a dietitian living with diabetes myself. Walmart diabetes supplies can be found in the pharmacy, clothing department, electronics, skincare, and more. 

*This article contains affiliate links as part of our participation in the Walmart Creator program. If you choose to purchase something through one of the links in this article, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.*

Shopping with diabetes at Walmart

Walmart offers so much more than groceries and medication when it comes to diabetes. We’ll cover medications below, as well as several other in-store categories where you can find some amazing deals on helpful products for diabetes. 

Walmart diabetes supplies can be found in: 

  1. Pharmacy supplies
  2. Blood sugar meters
  3. Diabetes test strips
  4. Diabetic needles
  5. Low blood sugar supplies
  6. Medications
  7. Supplements
  8. Electronics
  9. Skincare and foot care
  10. Clothing and accessories
  11. Shoes

Walmart diabetes supplies through the Walmart app

Before heading over to Walmart, I highly recommend downloading the Walmart app if you don’t already have it. The Walmart app has so many features that make getting everything we need when living with diabetes much simpler:

  • Home delivery for groceries and other supplies
  • Quick ordering for in store pickups
  • Build and organize shopping lists
  • Product finder by aisle

And you can search specifically for Walmart diabetes supplies and filter by brand, cost, and more. 

The Walmart + membership is also an amazing deal that gets you free grocery delivery and free shipping on online orders.

1. Walmart diabetes supplies in the pharmacy

The Walmart health and pharmacy section offers many name brand resources, but they also offer their own brand, ReliOn for many different types of Walmart diabetes supplies that are likely more affordable depending on your situation. 

  1. Blood sugar meters
  2. Blood sugar test strips
  3. Lancets
  4. Syringes (prescription needed)
  5. Low blood sugar supplies

The ReliOn brand at Walmart often gets a bad rap. People assume because it’s less ex[pensive that they’re lower quality. But, this just isn’t true. ReliOn products are held to the same industry standards as their brand name counterparts and provide an affordable option for diabetes products and supplies.

2. Blood sugar meters at Walmart

Walmart offers many name brand blood sugar meters which may or may not be covered by your health insurance. If you are looking for an alternative low cost (but equally effective and reliable) meter, the ReliOn brand has many different options. These can be a great option for people at any point in your diabetes journey. 

ReliOn Blood Glucose Platinum Monitoring System

This system includes a meter, carrying case, lancing device, lancets, and 50 test strips. This system would be great for someone who needs to test one or more times per day. 

relion platinum blood glucose meter walmart diabetes supplies

ReliOn Blood Glucose Classic Monitor

This product is just the blood glucose meter and would be great for someone who wants an extra meter to keep at home, school, or work, in case your primary meter is lost or stops working. This is the meter I keep as a backup. It’s easy to use and the strips are inexpensive.

relion classic blood glucose monitor walmart diabetes supplies

ReliOn Blood Glucose Compact Monitoring System

This system is similar to the platinum and includes the meter, carrying case, lancing device, lancets, and test strips… but with a much smaller meter and lower profile. This meter would be great for carrying around in a purse or on-the-go bag.

relion classic blood glucose monitor walmart diabetes supplies

ReliOn Blood Glucose Blu Monitor

This meter is similar to the platinum and compact systems but also offers bluetooth pairing with the ReliOn diabetes app. The app makes it easy to track blood sugars, eliminating the need for a paper logbook. You can even share your results with your doctor via the app.  This meter does not come with a lancing device or test strips though. Those need to be purchased separately.

relion blu blood glucose monitor bluetooth

ReliOn Blood Glucose Voice Monitor

This meter offers voice prompts for visually impaired people. It does not include a lancing device or test strips though. 

relion blood glucose voice monitor walmart diabetes supplies

ReliOn A1c Self-Test System

If you’re looking to get a rough idea of how your HgbA1c is running, this meter can be helpful at home. It should never replace having your A1c tested via blood draw though. 

relion a1c monitor walmart diabetes supplies

KetoSens Blood Ketone Monitor Kit

Anyone using insulin to treat their diabetes should have a ketone meter in their diabetes supply kit. Testing for ketones is especially important when blood sugars are running high and/or when you are sick. Urine ketone test strips have a place in diabetes care but at home blood ketone meters provide much more accurate results. 

ketosens digital blood ketone monitor

3. Diabetes test strips at Walmart

There are several different blood glucose test strip options at Walmart that may help you save money compared to name brands. 

ReliOn Platinum Blood Glucose Test Strips

The ReliOn Platinum Blood Glucose Test Strips should be used with the ReliOn platinum meter.

relion platinum blood glucose strips walmart diabetes supplies

ReliOn Premier Blood Glucose Test Strips

ReliOn Premier Blood Glucose Test Strips can be used with the ReliOn Classic, Voice, Blu, and Compact meters.

relion premier blood glucose strips walmart diabetes supplies

Equate Blood Glucose Test Strips

Equate Blood Glucose Test Strips can be used with name brand OneTouch meters and only cost about 1/3 of the name brand price. If you currently use a One Touch meter, the Equate brand strips may be able to help you save some money.

equate blood glucose test strips walmart diabetes supplies

ReliOn Ketone Urine Test Strips

If you prefer to test ketones via urine test strips instead of a meter, the ReliOn Ketone Urine Test Strips offer a low cost solution. I recommend having both a blood ketone meter (with strips) and urine test strips on hand.

walmart diabetes supplies relion  urine ketone test strips

4. Diabetic needles at Walmart: Syringes and lancets

Ask anyone living with diabetes how often they change the lancet in their lancing device and you may be met with a long awkward pause. It’s a running joke that most of us rarely change them at all. 🙂 But regardless, you *should* be changing your lancet after each time you use it and Walmart has a number of more affordable options when compared to name brands. 

ReliOn Lancing Device

The ReliOn lancing device is small and sleek and can be used with any meter. 

relion lancing device walmart diabetes supplies

ReliOn Ultra-thin and Thin Lancets

The lancets for the ReliOn lancing device come in Ultra-Thin and Thin options and are significantly cheaper than other name brand options. 

relion ultra thin lancets walmart diabetes supplies

ReliOn Single Use Lancing Devices

If you’re on-the-go or traveling and need a quick way to test your blood sugar, I love these ReliOn Single Use Lancing Devices. Use once, and dispose of them in a sharps container. 

relion single use lancets walmart diabetes supplies

ReliOn Sharps Container

If you want an official sharps container, try the ReliOn Sharps Container. (Note: You can also make your own sharps container at home with an empty detergent bottle.)

relion sharps container

5. Low blood sugar supplies at Walmart

There are many different ways to treat low blood sugars, and you can read more about that here. Personally, I prefer to treat my lows with fruit snacks or honey. But, if you prefer a dextrose option, ReliOn has several different forms. 

ReliOn Glucose Shots 

These glucose shots have 15g of sugar per 2fl oz bottle. I’ve not tried these personally, so please leave a comment below if you have. I’d love to know what the flavors are like! Liquid low blood sugar treatments are especially helpful if your blood sugar is so low that it becomes difficult to chew.

relion glucose shots walmart diabetes supplies

ReliOn Glucose Tablets

Walmart ReliOn Glucose Tablets have 4g sugar/tablet. (If you grew up with diabetes in the 1980s or 90s you for sure remember the taste of these glucose tablets! I know I do!)

relion glucose tablets for low blood sugar

ReliOn Glucose Gummies

ReliOn Glucose Gummies are very similar to a fruit snack or other gummy candy. Each gummy has 3g sugar.

relion glucose gummies walmart diabetes supplies

6. Medications for Walmart diabetes supplies

Walmart pharmacy offers several different low cost generic diabetes medications. The following generic meds, when covered by your insurance, are available for $4 (30 day supply) or $10 (90 day supply):

  • Glimepride
  • Glipizide
  • Glipizide ER
  • Metformin
  • Metformin ER
  • Glyburide/Metformin combo

OTC insulin at Walmart

Walmart offers their own privately branded synthetic human insulin under their ReliOn brand. ReliOn insulin is produced by Novo Nordisk and is available over the counter without a prescription. It comes in the following formulations:

  • R (Regular)
  • N (Novolin or NPH)
  • NPH/R (70/30)
relion otc insulin at walmart
relion regular otc insulin at walmart

ReliOn R and N cost about $25/vial for most people. Always consult your doctor before purchasing insulins though. These particular insulins have been around for quite some time and there may be more appropriate insulins for you to consider.

Generic Novolog insulin at Walmart

As of 2021, Walmart also offers an analog insulin that can save people with diabetes up to 75% compared to name brand analog insulin. 

Analog insulins are newer insulins typically referred to as “fast acting” or “rapid acting” insulins and are typically sold under the brand names Humalog or Novolog. 

relion novolog insulin at walmart for diabetes

This announcement form Walmart in 2021 was huge for the diabetes community. While it certainly does not solve the insulin cost crisis here in the US, it was a big step in the right direction. Ensuring more people have affordable access to the most current and effective insulins is crucial to treating diabetes properly. 

7. Diabetes supplements at Walmart

There’s a lot of supplements marketed towards people with diabetes, but not all of them are everything they’re advertised to be. Most of them don’t have enough research to support taking them. Always speak with your doctor before starting a supplement, and check out this post on the most commonly recommended diabetes supplements and whether or not they’re worth a conversation with your doctor. 

Just like other grocery stores, Walmart offers many name brand supplement options. And, typically, Walmart has better prices than other stores. Walmart carries their own line of supplements under the Spring Valley label and while these may be less expensive, they do not provide data on any 3rd party testing. Because of this, I do not recommend purchasing this brand from Walmart. 

Some common supplements that DO have research supporting their effectiveness and/or appropriateness for people with diabetes and are available at Walmart include:

  • Multivitamin
  • Probiotics
  • Vitamin B12
  • Vitamin D
  • Fish Oil
  • Magnesium
  • Ginger
  • Turmeric
  • Berberine

8. Electronics for Walmart diabetes supplies

Typically, we think of blood glucose meters, CGMs, or insulin pumps when we talk about diabetes electronics, but there’s lots of other supplies to consider when we think about diabetes electronics.

Stock up on batteries for various diabetes electronics like meters and insulin pumps.

Depending on the type of devices you use to manage your diabetes, they may need to be recharged frequently. Consider stocking up on extra chargers. Most devices require a USB-A or USB-C charging cord.

Other things to keep an eye out for sales and lower prices on at Walmart include: Apple watches (for Dexcom users), step counters, and fitness trackers. 

9. Diabetes skincare and foot care products at Walmart

People with diabetes, need to protect their skin and do regular skin and foot checks. While you can look specifically for diabetic lotion at Walmart, it’s often not necessary and just a marketing tactic to raise the cost of a product. 

Walmart offers many other regular skincare products that are good for people with diabetes but about half the price. My favorite skincare products for dry or irritated skin for people with diabetes include:

  • Vaseline
  • Aquaphor
  • CeraVe Healing Ointment 

I use any of these to help calm irritated skin after removing my CGM or insulin pump pod/site. We go into more detail on these products in this post

People with diabetes also tend to suffer from cracked heels or peeling skin on their feet. Walmart offers some of my favorite products for foot care. *Check with your podiatrist or endocrinologist before starting a new product regimen.*

GoldBond Healing Hydrating Foot Cream

GoldBond Healing Hydrating Foot Cream is great for everyday use. Apply a thin layer to the bottoms of your feet and then put socks on.

goldbond healing foot cream ointment walmart diabetes supplies

Flexitol Heel Balm

Flexitol Heel Balm can be especially helpful for people with cracked heels.

flexitol heel balm

Magnilife DB Pain Relieving Foot Cream

Magnilife DB Pain Relieving Foot Cream may be helpful for people with neuropathy related foot pain. This includes tingling (that pins and needles feeling), numbness, and sharp pains.

mgnilife db pain relieving foot cream

10. Clothing and accessories: Walmart diabetes supplies

People with diabetes don’t necessarily need different types of clothing, but looking for affordable pieces with pockets can be especially helpful for carrying things like low blood sugar treatments and diabetes devices. This is especially true for activewear. 

No Boundaries Women’s Neoprene Fanny Pack

If you’re looking for an easy way to carry around your phone or insulin pump PDM, Walmart has a great price on the No Boundaries Women’s Neoprene Fanny Pack. These are great for kids with diabetes who need to carry around or wear the receiver for their continuous glucose monitor. 

spibelt bag for diabetes phone at walmart

Universal Waterproof Phone Bag Pouch

Anytime we go on vacation that involves water, it gets tricky because I need to have my phone and pump PDM with me, but I’m usually worried about getting them wet. I bought this Universal Waterproof Phone Bag Pouch (Clear Water Resistant Case, Compatible with iPhone/LG) two summers ago and it works great for protecting my devices. 

waterproof phone pouch for diabetics

Diabetes socks at Walmart

Compression socks help improve circulation and blood flow, especially for people with diabetes. Two affordable options at Walmart include:

Dr Scholl’s Graduated Compression Knee Socks

Dr Scholl’s Graduated Compression Knee Socks are not only a good deal, but also perfect for general use and come in some fun designs. And for people who have sensitive foot pain, there’s no seam at the toe. This means they’re less likely to cause additional irritation.

dr scholls socks medium compression

11. Diabetes shoes at Walmart

Walmart offers hundreds of different in-store shoe options that are helpful for people with diabetes. Two of my favorites I found at my local store are below. When looking for diabetes-friendly shoes, remember to look for shoes that have a closed toe and a back, and have rubber bottoms. 

Avia Women’s Fashion Sneakers

I love these sneakers I found at Walmart! They have a memory foam sole which makes them super comfortable and a sturdy bottom. They come in several different prints and happened to be marked all the way down to $7 recently! I grabbed a pair in the print in the photo below.

avia women's sneakers diabetes shoes at walmart

Time and Tru Sneakers

These sneakers offer another affordable brand of sneakers at Walmart. They check all our boxes for diabetes shoes AND offer several different styles and colors.

women's white sneakers diabetes shoes at walmart

Walmart diabetes supplies: Groceries and food

Walmart offers one of the largest and most affordable grocery selections in the country. And, in the last 10 years, Walmart has started to carry more and more blood sugar friendly brands and diabetes products. Make sure you check out my Guide to Diabetes Foods at Walmart!

diabetes foods at walmart from a dietitian

Walmart diabetes supplies: So many options!

As you can tell, Walmart has a ton of helpful resources affordable products across the entire store for people with diabetes. It’s worth making a trip and taking some time to peruse the store and find options that work for you! 

Do you have any favorite Walmart diabetes supplies you like to purchase? Please tell us in the comments of this post!

Download the complete Diabetes Walmart Guide

Want a printable version of this post + all of my favorite diabetes groceries available at Walmart? Download my Walmart Diabetes Shopping List: Recommended Supplies, Food, Skincare, and Clothes from a Diabetes Dietitian.

walmart shopping list for diabetes milk and honey nutrition

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