I bought iodine tablets, now when do I take them?

I live in northern California, and given all the speculation about the radiation fallout hitting the west coast, I went out and bought iodine tablets yesterday. So, when should I take them? I have a feelling if I wait until the mainstream media reports on higher radiation levels here on the west coast, it will be too late. Does the government/media really ever give advanced enough warning? No. They'll deny it until it's too late.

Some posters on here have said the most important period in the west will be the 18th-21st. Do I start taking the iodine on the 18th to play it safe, or wait until we know for a fact the radiation levels here are higher? Once the radiation levels are higher, is it too late if you haven't already ingested the iodine?

watch the radiation levels at radiationnetwork.com i think. When cali gets high alert pop a pill and get the heck out of there

The whole Potassium Iodide thing is really nonsense. It's only really good for like 10 days. And it won't stop you from dying. It's intended for short exposure with someone who is on the move away from the radiation. If people think they can take it and sit around, that's not going to help. Radiation exposure, is radiation exposure.

I think that you need to remember, It is only speculation. While it does not look good, please do not jump to conclusions like you already have. You can harm yourself. Pay attention, but foremost calm down.

reply to post by MysticPearl


When your nuts start falling off.

reply to post by thegoods724


NO NO NO.

First consult a doctor and make sure you have no thyroid issue, second, WAIT until you are SURE to encounter radiation. Even then it only stops your body from intaking radioiodine which causes thyroid and other cancers, you will still get radiation poisoning, and it offers no protection for any other radioactive elements.

Potassium Iodide can potentially be dangerous and should ONLY be used when absolutely needed.

If you are in the US, you probably won't need them at all. If the reactors all melt down and there is an explosion or fire, then the west coast might get a little, but so far it's looking pretty good for us in North America.

Yeah wait until we have evidence that you actually need them first.

We will have plenty of reports coming in when and if the radiation makes landfall in any significant amount.

Tons of people have sensor instruments and will flip out all over the Internet so the MSM won't be able to cover it up.

Just hang tight and lets see if we can avoid this bullet. Do not take them without a direct valid need.

Never take medication unless it's necessary.

Oh, I forgot, you need to take the Potassium Iodide PRIOR to radiation exposure. And always consult your physician, I am not a doctor, and I don't give medical advice.

reply to post by MysticPearl


Do not take them until or when the radiation levels are high enough to worry about. Simply taking them while the radiation is not high enough is absolutely stupid and will offer no benefit. Keep them on hand, don't remove the seal, and wait until high levels are confirmed. There is about a 5% chance you will need the becaus of Japan. However having them on hand was an excellent preventative task.

One more thing. Do you take these pills for a chest x-ray?

Research how much exposure is safe and how much is not. This should be your deciding factor in when to take the pills.(In my own opinion, as I am not a specialist.)

Originally posted by phishyblankwaters
reply to post by thegoods724

 

NO NO NO.

First consult a doctor and make sure you have no thyroid issue, second, WAIT until you are SURE to encounter radiation. Even then it only stops your body from intaking radioiodine which causes thyroid and other cancers, you will still get radiation poisoning, and it offers no protection for any other radioactive elements.

Potassium Iodide can potentially be dangerous and should ONLY be used when absolutely needed.

If you are in the US, you probably won't need them at all. If the reactors all melt down and there is an explosion or fire, then the west coast might get a little, but so far it's looking pretty good for us in North America.

I agree with your information about not taking the medication until knowing for sure you need to.

But we simply do not know the scale of what types of fallout we may or may not see. We simply don't know.

It's only looking good for us because it is somewhere over the ocean right now.

This is truly a wait and see issue. We just don't know the future yet.

How much did you pay for the stuff?

The fear mongering on this site just made someone, some money, and left someone with less money..

Originally posted by zestor
Oh, I forgot, you need to take the Potassium Iodide PRIOR to radiation exposure. And always consult your physician, I am not a doctor, and I don't give medical advice.

Telling someone NOT to take a medication until it's absolutely necessary is absolutely valid medical advice anyone with common sense has the full right to give. You do not need a Degree to know this simple truth.

Originally posted by liejunkie01
How much did you pay for the stuff?

The fear mongering on this site just made someone, some money, and left someone with less money..

Having strong concerns about radioactive fallout downwind from 3 or so potential meltdowns is not fear mongering though.

It's basic common sense. Anyone with a brain should be able to put this together.

Fear mongering is more like invoking fantasy for no good reason simply to stir the pot. This does not fall under that category. Some people make take things "out of proportion" sure, but with the fallout scenario we should be concerned and taking precautions 100%.

Good grief, half the population of ATS is going to die from panic iodine tablet overdose.

We don't need the Illuminati to thin the worlds population, stupid people will handle that just fine it seems.

Well the first thing you need to do is stop panicking...

now if you Take a long calming breath...
then I can tell you the Radiation levels in and around Tokyo have been steadily falling all night

they've have gone to bed now but go read this from a friend there in Japan who's been watching this issue very very closelyradiation-safety-update

if you do need to take those pills it would only be if levels here in the US rose a good deal more than they did there at the train station

reply to post by muzzleflash

But we simply do not know the scale of what types of fallout we may or may not see. We simply don't know.

not so, we know where this can go, we know the distance and wind speeds, a few days at best before it could reach north america and should be diluted enough to dissipate, a lot of particulate will be lost in the rain.

All of this is hearsay right now because even if all 3 reactors go into meltdown, this doesn't instantly mean radiation is coming to north america, if there's fires and large explosions during a meltdown, or while the stored rods are still hot, THEN we might see some fall out.

the point being there's no reason to think you need to take any medication right now so until you know you are about to encounter radiation, and are on your way out, just keep them handy.

Again, these won't protect you, this is merely 1 cancer you'd be avoiding, not everything else that goes along with it, if you are irradiated and have no where to go you can skip the pill.

Buy a Geiger counter and wait til it starts going crazy.

If it's not going crazy, just stay hidden inside a building with thick walls.


If it starts going crazy even inside shelter, then would be a good time to eat your pills and pray.



Long story short, you do not WANT to have to eat them, because you would already be in a bad situation.

Originally posted by muzzleflash

Originally posted by liejunkie01
How much did you pay for the stuff?

The fear mongering on this site just made someone, some money, and left someone with less money..

Having strong concerns about radioactive fallout downwind from 3 or so potential meltdowns is not fear mongering though.

It's basic common sense. Anyone with a brain should be able to put this together.

Fear mongering is more like invoking fantasy for no good reason simply to stir the pot. This does not fall under that category. Some people make take things "out of proportion" sure, but with the fallout scenario we should be concerned and taking precautions 100%.

I agree 100%. But I also think that if it was going to be that bad, I would save the money that he/she spent on the iodine(iodide?) and put in the gas tank to get the hell out, before it got bad enough to where I had to take the pills.(if that made any sense?) If it is that bad head east. I got a tent and a grill here in the midwest. If it were bad enough I would move north or east quickly.

Information is key here. The more we know the better off we all will be. Preparation is good but I have not seen enough evidence for the op to start to panic( I assume) in this way.

I have to agree with the others DO NOT take pills unless you need them for sure. Side effects from gastroinstestinal, renal, immunologic, and other things can occur if you just start popping pills cause you are nervous.

It's good people are getting them because it's simply good to have them for such scenarios, but taking them just to be sure is a different thing.