Managing your parent's blood sugar from across the ocean

Last Tuesday, a woman in Birmingham called us. Her mother in Ibadan takes Metformin 500mg twice daily, needs test strips weekly, and was recently put on Glibenclamide. Three items from three different pharmacies. The daughter had been sending ₦40,000 monthly through a cousin who made the pharmacy runs.

The cousin got busy. Two weeks passed. Her mother ran out of test strips first, then Metformin. By the time the daughter found out, her mother's fasting glucose had climbed to 14 mmol/L. The doctor said the damage from those two weeks could have been avoided entirely.

This is the standard experience. About 12% of Nigerian adults have diabetes, but only a fraction maintain consistent medication. The gap between diagnosis and adherence is where complications happen: nerve damage, kidney stress, diabetic foot problems that escalate fast in Nigeria's healthcare system.

What your parent actually needs every month

Diabetes management isn't one pill. Your parent likely needs Metformin 500mg (60 tablets for twice-daily dosing), 30–60 test strips for their glucometer, lancets for finger pricks, and possibly insulin with cold-chain storage or Glibenclamide as a second-line drug. Each item has its own stock risk. Each can run out independently. And when one disappears from the pharmacy shelf, your parent often stops monitoring entirely rather than going to a different pharmacy just for test strips.

A care plan bundles everything into one order, one delivery, one refill cycle. When any item runs low, the entire box gets reordered together.

The "I'm fine" problem

The hardest part isn't buying the medication. It's knowing whether your parent is actually taking it.

They feel fine, so they skip doses. They run out of test strips and stop checking their blood sugar. They switch to a cheaper "alternative" from an unregulated chemist. They tell you everything is fine because they don't want you to worry.

You call every week. "Are you taking your medication?" "Yes." That's the entire conversation. Three months later, the doctor says their HbA1c has gone up.

A Care Specialist assigned to your parent's plan breaks this cycle. They check in regularly, track whether refills are happening on schedule, and let you know if something needs attention. If your parent should have reordered 5 days ago but hasn't, that's a signal that doses are being skipped.

Setting it up from abroad

Step 1: Select your parent's diabetes medications. If you're not sure of the exact names or doses, upload a photo of their current packaging or a prescription. A Care Specialist will organise everything.

Step 2: Enter your parent's delivery address. Select "Someone else" at checkout and add their name and phone number.

Step 3: Get offers from pharmacies near your parent. You see prices from multiple pharmacies, not just one. International cards (Visa, Mastercard) accepted.

Step 4: Set a monthly refill cycle. At day 23, the system triggers a refill notice so the next supply arrives before the current one runs out.

Step 5: Care Specialist follows up with your parent after delivery. They confirm receipt, check if the medication is working, and coordinate with the doctor if doses need adjusting.

Setting up diabetes supplies for a parent? Speak with a Care Specialist. We'll help you build the full supply list.

If your parent is on insulin

Storage is critical. Insulin degrades in heat, and Nigerian temperatures can destroy it within hours if not properly stored. Famasi offers cold-chain delivery for insulin, sourcing from pharmacies with verified cold storage and transporting in temperature-controlled packaging.

Read more: Cold-chain medication delivery | Managing multiple chronic conditions