Meds - OTC or prescription - if you can, make sure you have enough

[The Heretic]

Sanctions see Russians panic buy anti-depressants, sleeping pills -data

Russians have rushed to stock up on anti-depressants, sleeping pills and contraceptives among other products since the conflict in Ukraine began, data released on Thursday showed, with people buying a month's worth of medicine in just two weeks.

www.reuters.com

Not because there is going to be a shortage, but because it is possible.

What is happening in Russia is local to Russia - they have shortages on stuff and I think they are used to it, or should be.

Just saying, someday it could happen here too. It isn't just things like wars or pandemics - if we get hit with that Cascadian earthquake, pharmacies will run out of meds/etc. and we will be on our own for a while.

For a couple years I have been stocking up on my heart/BP meds and now have about 1 years worth of the two important ones (statins and Imdur) and 4-6 months (or more) of the others, plus building up a surplus of muscle relaxants which I only take as needed (due to a back injury when I was a teen.

Amazon refills every 22-24 days or so, so there is about 5-6 refill overlaps per year, and that ads up if I am diligent about ordering my refills as soon as Amazon lets me. They probably do this so there is no time that you run out. I also get some overlaps when I ask for a renewal of the prescriptions.

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[Knarf]

The hardest one for my family is insulin. Type 1 kid and we can only get so much at a time, it has s shelf life, and it has to be refrigerated. Hell, the freaking pharmacy is even tight on the lancets. I suppose we could buy those without a prescription, if we really wanted to.

 

[WillametteWill]

Good call and advice @The Heretic. I've been doing this for a while now with my asthma meds. @Knarf you are in a tough one. I sincerely pray you will never be in the situation of need and that your need will be met if so.

 

[3MTA3]

Been doing this for several years. It's important to always use the oldest first.

Don't forget vitamins, salt and other electrolytes along with the various pain meds, etc.. Things that your body currently does not use very much during our current sedentary lifestyles will need more during SHTF. Lots more physical labor, stress, etc., so plan accordingly.

 

[Knarf]

Thanks, @WillametteWill! I certainly hope we don't have to deal with that bad situation.

Yep, always have to rotate the stock, @3MTA3...

 

[Old Dog]

Excellent OP.

If you haven't read it yet, William R. Forstchen's One Second After is the definitive depiction of life in the U.S. after a major calamity (in the book, it's an EMP). The graphic accounts of what happens to those in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals, and people at home that need medication to stay alive is heart-breaking. I guarantee, once you read the book, you'll take head to the advice in this thread.

The 10.0 "big one" that will hit this area in our lifetime will have most of us living on/with what we have in our homes for months... My wife and I, though we stockpile meds and medical supplies, have identified every pharmacy within walking, bicycling, horse-riding distance of our homestead. Not saying we'll be in the first wave of looters, but we're prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of our extended family.

 

[billdeserthills]

The hardest one for my family is insulin. Type 1 kid and we can only get so much at a time, it has s shelf life, and it has to be refrigerated. Hell, the freaking pharmacy is even tight on the lancets. I suppose we could buy those without a prescription, if we really wanted to.

Ever check on Ebay?

lancets 100 in Health Care for sale | eBay

www.ebay.com

 

[gmerkt]

Unless my vision is faulty, many appear to have pierced primers. Which is never good for firing pins.

 

[arakboss]

An alternative to stocking up on drugs might be to improve health so you no longer need the drugs. This won't be an option for everybody but it might be for some.

 

[TTSX]

Yeah, you fat lards!
The most important pill to have lots of is the little blue one.

 

[red442joe]

The hardest one for my family is insulin. Type 1 kid and we can only get so much at a time, it has s shelf life, and it has to be refrigerated. Hell, the freaking pharmacy is even tight on the lancets. I suppose we could buy those without a prescription, if we really wanted to.

A Novi Michigan companie, Somnio Global, has patents on room temperature insulin.

Joe

 

[arakboss]

A Novi Michigan companie, Somnio Global, has patents on room temperature insulin.

Joe

Now if they can make it available to take orally they will really have something.

 

[Stomper]

Yeah, you fat lards!
The most important pill to have lots of is the little blue one.

Fail….


Ibuprofen, whiskey, and a slight breeze is all I need.

 

[Hueco]

Fail….


Ibuprofen, whiskey, and a slight breeze is all I need.

God saw fit to make me allergic to ibuprofen, aspirin, morphine and its derivatives...some alcohol too (think it's the tannins maybe).

So...I'll take a triple bourbon. Thanks.

 

[3MTA3]

A lot of diabetics (and folks with other chronic diseases) will find that replacing eating pizza and snacks on the couch while watching TV with hard work and a minimal diet will cure that for them. In a way SHTF will be beneficial for them, at least in that aspect. Not all, however.

For a true diabetic, anything longer than a short outage of insulin is sadly a death sentence. Weight loss due to food scarcity and the additional work required when we have to resort to manual labor will help, but won't eliminate the problem. It's likely that infection will be the biggest risk though the other destructive aspects of diabetes will take their till over time.

Metformin may be enough for many in those circumstances and it's an inexpensive shelf stable pill. Metformin along with a near starvation diet was the treatment for diabetes prior to insulin.

For diabetics the other key is food. Most long term preps are carb heavy since they are cheap and store easily. They are also death to a diabetic without medication. Stock up on fats and proteins. Things like peanut and other nut butters along with fats like coconut and palm oil. Avoid hydrogenated and generic "vegetable" oils since you don't know exactly what oil is in them. High fat canned meats, egg powders, etc. are useful.

Get a perscription for a Libre sensor and track your blood sugars throughout the day to see how your body responds to different foods. I was surprised to find that dates have no affect on my own blood sugar and after an Internet search found that this is not uncommon. Note that dates store easily and are a great source of fiber.