Prescription Medication

Should I include prescription medications in my survival kit? What is the best way to stockpile them for emergencies? Are there ways to get insurance to pay for an emergency supply of medications nessacary for survival like insulin?

 

I am on antidepressants and I wonder about this all of the time. I know that if I were to quit my pills cold turkey I would be sick for at least two weeks and it would take time for my body to sort it out. How would I survive? I have thought about saving a few pills here and there and skipping a few days that way I at least have some to spare.

 

I am considering that prescription items are issued on a needs basis, therefore, they would be issued for immediate use. Some prescriptions need to be stored under certain conditions for them to be effective. So I don't how possible it is for most prescription items to be stockpiled. When the have been issued to individuals for instant use which is why the prescription had been issued in the first place and there would be the danger of some of them losing effectiveness because of improper storage conditions.

 

I have 20 different prescriptions that I need daily. 2 of them are insulins. They aren't temporary or for instant use, that wasn't what I was talking about. The bulk of prescriptions are for recurring use anyway. The Insulins I use are good for over a year if unopened and refrigerated. The other 18 are pills that can be held at room temperature for a year or more. You will find this to be the case with most prescription medications that are pills for oral administration. There are of course specific medications with varied requirements but in general it is safe to stockpile. They are not usually issued for instant use. They usually come in 30 or 60 day or even 90 day amounts between refills.

 

If you need those meds, then those would be among the first things I'd put in my survival kit. I don't know how the prescription system works in your country but here it's pretty hard to cheat, so you'll have a hard time stockpiling those ones that you use on a constant basis. If you get 60 days worth of meds you could probably put a months worth in your bag and go get more once the ones not in your bag run out. Of course then you'd only get more for 30 days as you still have 30 days left, but at least you'd have an extra month stashed up. Again depends on how the system works and the amount of meds in a single package.

 

I take 1 75mg Effexor daily. If I skip 2 days, I start to go into withdrawal and start getting symptoms that effect my concentration and could get me killed in a wrong circumstances. BUT, it's not a medication I need to live. What I have personally done is researched how to safely come off the drug myself. I have the "tapered down" supply in my BOB. So if SHTF, I can still function enough to get myself off the meds completely. Fortunately, I have no meds that I need to survive, like insulin. If it's something you can live without, keep enough to get yourself off the meds. If it IS a med you need to live, then stockpile as much as you can. But, synthetic insulin will not be produced if most of the world is dead or in chaos. So, chances of you living past a year without the meds, are slim.

 

Broad spectrum antibiotics would be great in case of emergency. Broad spectrum means you can at least take down general infection, and it's rather common over the counter. It's not as effective as more direct and specific meds against infection, but then again odds of you getting the correct one specifically and having the cure stored in your kit is very unlikely. Best go for the broad approach and see if that will help. Odds are higher that it will.

 

I live in a hurricane zone and I'm lucky enough to know my physicians personally.

I simply asked for an extra script and it was given after I explained why I wanted it.

 

I take a beta blocker daily, but I get 90 day supply with each refill and I can stop taking them as long as I taper off, so not a big concern. I have rarely taken antibiotics, and have good resistance to infection, but those that have taken them a lot throughout life are going to be dependent on them somewhat. Your prepping plan should include good diet and keeping your immune system strong at all times.

 

Canada’s Drug Shortage For Children Is So Bad, People Are Driving To America For Help

https://dailycaller.com/2022/11/18/...blem-kids-medicine-driving-into-america-help/

"Canada is facing coinciding waves of coronavirus, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, all of which cause fevers in children. The unprecedented demand has led to a months-long nationwide shortage, and those seeking relief are taking matters into their own hands and by turning to the United States, according to CTV News.

"Canadian hospitals are so overwhelmed that the main hospital dedicated to providing care to young children, Sick Kids Hospital, has postponed select surgeries in an attempt to safeguard its critical care capabilities, according to the hospital’s website. However, parents hoping to treat their ailing children at home are finding empty shelves at their local pharmacies. Acetaminophen and ibuprofenare are currently unavailable for purchase, so desperate parents are trekking across the border to find alternative solutions, putting increased pressure on American supplies, according to The Guardian."

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America’s Dependence On China For Medicine Gives The CCP Massive Leverage

https://dailycaller.com/2022/06/01/mass-america-dependence-china-medicine-ccp-leverage/

"In their 2018 book, “China Rx: Exposing the Risks of America’s Dependence on China for Medicine,” Rosemary Gibson and Janardan Prasad Singh painted a profoundly ominous picture of a world that had changed over the preceding 25 years.

"No longer did the United States, Europe and Japan supply 90% of “the key ingredients for the world’s medicines and vitamins.” Instead, “China is the largest global supplier of the active ingredients and chemical building blocks needed to make many prescription drugs, over-the-counter products, and vitamins,” they wrote.

"In 2022, China is now the source for approximately 40% of the world’s Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), which are critical to making drugs.

"Few in the United States, even among physicians, are fully aware of just how drastic our dependence has become. Here are just a few examples.

" About 97% of antibiotics used in the United States, including drugs as basic as penicillin and amoxicillin, now come from China.

"In 2019, three commonly used blood pressure medications manufactured in China were found to be tainted with carcinogens.

"Medications with ingredients from China and made in China are used in the United States for routine surgeries, common and less-common infections, psychiatric disorders, cancer, and seizures. Those with chronic diseases who must take medication and the young who have years ahead are most at risk of developing cancers and other long-term complications through prolonged use of possibly tainted products that have not yet been detected.

"If you doubt the gravity of our situation, imagine mainland China finally moving to reclaim Taiwan. Imagine the leverage Beijing can apply to stifle any American response other than acquiescence.

"To the greatest degree and by any policy and regulatory means, including taxation rates, we must bring home the production of the ingredients that go into a revitalized domestic manufacture of the tools we use to care for our sick."
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This is a serious issue. For example a situation that removes the supply of insulin would have dreadful effects on a great number of people. As Lonewolf says, in the UK, it is almost impossible to legally obtain medication without a doctor's prescription (effectively an authority note from a medical professional, usually a qualified medical Doctor).

An alternative view would be to maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle in order to minimise the need for medicines. This, of course, would only apply to those already in good health.

I would be very interested to hear of any alternative, and viable, ideas.

 

Insulin in the United States is made in at least three facilities (Eli Lilly). Genetically altered E. Coli is used here in the States. In Europe, Novo Nordisk, uses genetically altered yeast to make insulin. Insulin is manufactured en masse -- vats of the stuff. The first storage modality is crystalline which is very stable. Before being placed in vials for shipment, the crystalline form is reconstituted with H2O. Diabetics can buy extra insulin for storage. It is relatively cheap. Don't ask me the price. Insulin can be stored for up to a year if it is refrigerated. One thing that you will not read is that this Rx can be stored at 55 F (12 C) or below, NOT down into the 40s where refrigerators operate. So one can use a small reverse thermocouple for storage -- be careful, freezing insulin destroys it. Reverse thermocouples give one a fixed delta of temperature, therefore one could easily freeze the insulin if feedback regulation is not provided.

 

I was also on insulin and metformin about a year ago . Then I started taking a teaspoon of ginko leaves each morning . I had to stop taking the insulin because my sugar level dropped drastically . Ginko leaves dried and ground can be ordered on line for not much money . I found this sugar dropping trick by accident . But look it up , studies are presently underway in labs on this effect . Actually if I really tried hard , I could drop the metformin also , but I like sneaking in that ice cream or chocolate bar . -- I planted my own ginko tree after I made this discovery .

 

https://easyhealthoptions.com/ginkgo-biloba-diabetes-treatment/ Here is information for our diabetic members on the use of ginkgo leaves .

 

Personally I don't think they could get much in a capsule . I bought a bag of loose ground and dried leaves . Perhaps this method of taking the leaves is not for everyone , but I have a cup of water ready and simply put about one level teaspoon of leaves in my mouth , add a mouth of water and slosh it around in my mouth wetting the leaves and swallow . Trying to swallow the leaves dry makes me cough , as they stick in my throat . -- One cautionary note , after starting the leaf regiment i have had my sugar go too low on occasion so checking your sugar level at least once a day is a good idea . I have found it in the 50's -70's and 80's but that is not usual . My last check about 1 hour ago was 131 so I enjoyed a beer . The only reason it was 131 was because I had eaten some cookies earlier in the day .