Thank you so much for all of your helpful info. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. You are very generous spending so much of your time helping all of us with our questions. I just wanted to publicly say "Thank you"!
Good question! Made me go surfing the net as I have never paid attention to OTC A1c kits. First stop was the NGSP [National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program]. These are the folks who write the standards for A1c testing; hospitals & independent labs & mfg'ers of home kits and lab equipment. I noticed the Bayer Metrika A1cNOW met their stringent standards. For a list of labs and kits and what HbA they can test go here. On the left click on HbA1c Test Methods... http://www.ngsp.org/prog/index.html
I found other meters with unknown reliability and quality at lower prices. But, I tend to shy away from health equipment that are not tested to see if they meet standards.
Amazon has the Bayer A1cNOW http://tinyurl.com/a1ctester
Also found at Wal-Mart and Walgreens.
This site has 39 reviews on the Bayer A1cNOW both positive AND negative. http://tinyurl.com/bayerreviews
Can you buy an A1c test at the drugstore? I feel funny asking my Dr to run the test because according to her, I don't have diabetes. She never even mentioned pre-diabetes. I don't want her think I'm being neurotic!
Yes, it is possible. But don't rely alone on fasting levels to determine prediabetes or diabetes. If your levels are above normal it is used as an indicator, a pointer towards an A1c test.