stockpiling prescription medications?

There area many posts discussing weaponry, food, clothes,first aid etc in a sit x. I searched and didn't see a post dedicated to prescription meds. I personally don't take any but family members do. What are they to do? Raid a pharmacy in the first few hours? Be destined to die? Stockpile meds?

This could be a touchy subject, I understand that with the possibility of obtaining meds for nefarious reasons. I just want to state I'm really thinking of things like blood pressure meds not drugs you can abuse and be obtained in legal ways.

As for the shelf life issue I've read they last much longer then people assume especially if kept in a cold environment.

Hello there! Great topic star and flag!

I was thinking about this myself. I thought in particular considering the West is experiencing an epidemic of Diabetes and related illnesses, that insulin would be a very important 'commodity' in any SHTF scenario.

But even things such as painkillers etc, would be essential. A few Paracetamol, or Ibuprofen could be the difference between walking that crucial extra mile before resting or not. Also people on meds for psychological disorders would have to either carefully wean themselves off starting from the first sign of trouble, or stock up like you said. Tough task either way.

Originally posted by drock905
Be destined to die?

For the seriously needy yes, that would be the prognosis. Seriously needy? Those who for example have hypothyroidism whether caused through auto-immune disease or because of surgery for hyperthyroidism. Diabetics as mentioned by the second poster. Any imbalance caused by a genetic disorder basically - and that is quite a few. People who need drugs to prevent transplant rejection etc

Stockpile meds?

It is only a short term measure. Meds would become a commodity for a while so unless you had something to offer in return you would be out of luck.

I'm really thinking of things like blood pressure meds

This is one area that may not be too much of a concern depending on the causes. It is a fact that a lot of heart disease/high blood pressure is as the result of our lifestyle, but that lifestyle would be gone.

• No more cigarettes
  
• No more sitting at the computer
  
• No car to carry you about
  
• No fast foods
  
• No food additives
  
• etc, etc
  

We would be healthier and that would tend to make high blood pressure go away - even if the arteries are well furred up. There are many natural remedies for treating high blood pressure and atherosclerosis.

For most shall we say 'non-critical' diseases there is a natural remedy since that is where Big Pharma got the drugs from in the first place.

As for the shelf life issue I've read they last much longer then people assume especially if kept in a cold environment.

Unless you live in a cold environment that would be a problem, always assuming there would be no lecky.

No humans in my family require prescription meds, thank goodness, but I do have a dog we rescued with Addison's Disease. Currently she gets a once a month injection of Percorten-v and it is manufactured by just one company in the entire world - Novartis. I could switch her to a daily capsule of florinef but florinef requires refrigeration. Where I live power outages occur with frequent regularity, and the percorten doesn't need refrigerated.

I have been researching plants that will help with Addison's disease and was pleasantly surprised to find yucca root can help! I have yucca spreading all over my front yard!

I suggest that anyone who requires meds to live begin NOW to research plants that could replace their current medications should they become unavailable for whatever reason.

Example - Licorice root is used in Eastern medicine to treat Addison's.

Edit to add example: Licorice Root Benefits

reply to post by drock905


The real problem is getting the meds to stockpile in the first place. You need a doctor's prescription for everything. And to get a prescription you have to spend money on the office appointment. On top of that, trying to convince the doctor to write you prescriptions.

"Hi, I'm not sick, but I want painkillers, antibiotics, etc. just in case shtf."
Doctor will probably think you are attempting black-market sales of prescription drugs!

So instead we fake illness to get the prescriptions. Now we are bombarded with tests that cost more money and may even be found to be lying about the illness.

So how do we go about getting medicine for "just in case" scenarios?

Originally posted by SeenMyShare

Edit to add example: Licorice Root Benefits

edit on 17/11/2010 by SeenMyShare because: Edit to add example,

I note that article says:

Prevent heart disease. Recent studies have found that by limiting the damage from LDL ("bad") cholesterol, licorice may discourage artery-clogging plaque formation and contribute to the healthy functioning of the heart. Research indicates that modest doses of licorice (100 mg a day) have this effect.

Unfortunately other studies have shown that it can cause high blood pressure. See as an example this site a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine which says:

Consuming 30 grams or more of licorice daily for several weeks can cause severe side effects including high blood pressure, low potassium in the blood, weakness, paralysis, and occasionally brain damage in otherwise healthy people. In people who eat a lot of salt or have heart disease, kidney disease, or high blood pressure, as little as 5 grams per day can cause these problems.

I realise there is a huge difference between 100mg and 5g but I am just saying that you need to research and exercise caution. All claims should be validated as far as possible.

reply to post by Sahabi


This is the main issue, I really don't know it its even possible to stockpile meds legally. It seems like a right to purchase meds you have been prescribed in quantity for unseen disasters. If something happens and You only have a month worth of meds vital to your health the government is basically writing your death sentence.

I tried this, but I ended up consuming them all.

/joke (or am I?)

Though seriously, I think this is a very valid thing to do - illegal or not! I have a small Dopp bag that I collect anything I come across in - including needles and basic antiseptic stuff. Even things like amphetamines and pain-killers can be a huge advantage in the right situation if someone gets hurt or sick.

Learn Herbalism - End of Post

reply to post by PuterMan
Addison's causes very high potassium levels and very low sodium levels in the blood. Licorice would work for that for a time in the event that the proper meds can't be had. I did say my dog has Addison's, right?

reply to post by SeenMyShare


Yes I did understand that it was your dog that was the patient. At the end of the day they are not radically different from us and I thought it was pertinent to just say that with any herbal remedy you should be aware of possible side effects, whether in humans, dogs or horses!

One should also be aware that every area in the world has on the whole it's own variant of an herbal medicine so one needs to be familiar with the herbs of the place you live.

Blueberries? No. Whortleberries? Yes

We don't have licorice for coughs, but we do have coltsfoot (pertussis).

We don't have pomegranate for heart conditions but we have the heart normaliser hawthorn etc etc.

Know your local herbs and don't bother learning about foreign ones other than to direct you to the local variety. Understand the usage thoroughly. I probably should not say this so i will make this disclaimer first.

What I am about to say may prove fatal if you are unaware of what the correct dosages are. I take absolutely no responsibility whatsoever for any harm you may do to yourself or to others by using this plant and ingesting it or introducing it to your body or the body of another in any form. The plant in all it's part should be considered to be a deadly poison.

Even more serious drugs like digoxin can be found in the wild since it was originally at least extracted from the foxgloves (that grow in profusion round here) and I believe still may be. Wikipedia article. It's Latin name you might recognise - digitalis.

reply to post by drock905


How can one stockpile even blood pressure meds? My doctor only gives me enough for three months and then I have to see him to get another three months.

reply to post by ofhumandescent


It is the same for me as well. I have started chopping one of my pills in half an reducing the dose effectively, but I am slowly building a stockpile. In line with my disclaimer above I do NOT RECOMMEND this course of action.

Obviously everyone who is on blood pressure tablets should be looking to get off them as soon as possible.

Lifestyle change is one way, but sometimes you cannot make that lifestyle change until the impact of the problem has been reduced. Whilst we still have access to foreign goods try taking a look at pomegranate juice, and if possible find one which is mixed with Aronia. If you are in England/Ireland Tesco store own brand has this combination.

If you try this you may find your doctor telling you that you don't need the pills any more. Can't promise that but it is worth a try. I am just starting on it now.

Originally posted by PuterMan

No more cigarettes

and this is where my many pounds of tobacco, thousands of rolling paper and filters becomes a commodity

woot!

Okay this is probably illegal, but if you are really desperate... and I can understand this, I have to take seasonique until I am fifty or have a historectomy. So, if a true appocalypse happens, raid the drug store first for your medicine only. Also you could call the widows or widowers from the obituaries and buy the remaining medicine. My father in law just died from having lung cancer and emphazema for over twenty years. There were
two grocery sacks of medicine left over from that, that no one could use. Probably worth a small fortune. My brother in law the ER doctor doesn't like to prescribe for family, but he gets samples from the pharmacetical representatives. Ask your own doctor for free samples for your medicine. When I get an extra Seasonique it is worth $200.00. That is a three month pack. It is still cheaper to take medicine than a life threating historectomy operation. I have a different brand of hormone pills from the early 1990s, in a SHTF senerio those would be better than nothing, although the hormones may have faded.
People on medications would have a more challenging time than those not. If people died off from a mass disease all their medicines would still be in the medicine cabinet waiting for the scavengers. Never give up.

reply to post by PuterMan


Good idea.

As far as lifestyle, I've had blood pressure since my early twenties and my doctor says it's hereditary vs lifestyle.

I rarely eat out, as I am a very good cook and like to know exactly what is in my food.

I eat healthy, exercise and watch my weight.

Thank you for your input.