We talk a lot about SHTF and how we’ll bug out or in, what foods we have, how to make fire. All these things are important, definitely. But I want to talk medications.
There are categories of medications that need attention. First, we have “first aid” meds, things taken to help with an emergent medical situation. Then we have daily meds, things taken to help with physical problems that are long term. After that, we have what I’ll call helper meds, things we take because we can, but that aren’t necessarily on a daily basis.
When it comes to first aid meds, the most common ones are:
- pain relievers (ibuprofen, acetaminophen, aspirin, etc.)
- cough medicines (dextromethorphan, guaifenesin, etc.)
- antihistamines (benadryl, Allegra, etc.)
- decongestants (sudafed and the like)
- tummy upset meds (tums, laxatives, motion sickness meds, and Imodium)
I’m sure I’ve missed a few, but those are the common ones I can think of. I tend to keep a rotating store of these meds, so that if an emergency were to happen, I could use them sparingly for a long time. I might not be able to take them as often as I currently do, but I’d have them as back up. Because these aren’t meant to be taken all the time, you can live without them. It might be uncomfortable (literally, in the case of the pain meds) but you’d survive.
Helper meds are things like my probiotic and my One a Day vitamins. I also use melatonin gummies to help me sleep sometimes, and a daily allergy pill (which would normally be in the first aid category) to keep me from snuffling all the time. Most of these can simply be stopped. There’s no detoxification time, no health concerns with removing them from my daily rota cold turkey. The worst problem I’d have is that I’d suffer horribly from seasonal allergies without my daily allergy med. It wouldn’t kill me, however, and likely after I’d been off it a while, it wouldn’t be so bad.
Then there are the daily meds. These are the important ones to consider when it comes to SHTF.
If you are taking a life-maintaining medication, you must plan in advance for all sorts of things. This includes things like insulin for diabetics, albuterol inhalers for asthma sufferers, and the various meds taken by people who have seizures, high blood pressure, HIV, or other chronic conditions. And then there are the “happy drugs.” All of these, and frankly any prescription medication, need to be monitored by a physician. If the SHTF, monitoring and meds may be off the docket for the foreseeable future.
How do you plan for that? Well, in some cases, you just don’t. If you have Type 1 diabetes, heart disease, COPD, or a few other things, and the SHTF, you will likely die. I hate saying that, I really do, but it’s true and it’s something you have to consider. Especially in the case of diabetes, because insulin requires being refrigerated to keep it good for use, when the meds run out you are unlikely to be able to just make do. Your body will betray you and you face death. Your plan for that is to be aware of it, and to decide now (when you’re comfy and emotionally okay) how you want to deal with it.
For those of us on meds that make us happy (or less manic, or whatever), the situation is slightly less dire, but still requires us to consider the future carefully. If I personally go off my meds, I need to taper off. My happy pills require that. Cold turkey is not a good option, and would leave me in a bad place for a long time, perhaps several weeks. Tapering off with slightly smaller doses over time is a better choice, and something I’ve talked to my doctor about. I have a stash of “taper off” meds for just such an emergency. I won’t die from not taking my meds, though I might be overtaken by depression. Considering my will to live (which got me on the meds to begin with), I suspect that I would manage. Not everyone on happy meds is able to make that switch, though.
If you have a prescription med that requires tapering off, discuss it with your doctor. You don’t have to mention it as a SHTF supply. Talk about going on holiday, or being off grid for a couple of months doing something. But have the talk, because your doctor is probably the best person to go over it with you. If you don’t feel like your doctor will have that talk with you, find a pharmacist. They often have as good or better information about prescription medications, and they’re less likely to give you a “talking to.”
Another thing you can do now, before the SHTF, is take a look at what natural medicines are available for your condition. For instance, foxglove (in the proper dosage) does the same job as digoxen (in fact, digoxen *comes from* foxglove). If you need to take digoxen, now is the time to cultivate the pretty digitalis flowers in your front yard, and to learn about how to use the necessary parts to replace your commercial digoxen if there’s an emergency. Happy meds can, in many people, be replaced with St John’s Wort, saffron, and valerian root. Find out how to dose yourself safely so you don’t have to FAFO later.
Remember that most commercial medications came from plants originally, or at least the idea came from a plant. Unless your plan is to lay down and die, go do your research now.
Comments
5 responses to “Prepping – Medications”
Good post Alyson, you may want to consider also adding a stockpile of antibiotics to your preps. In an actual SHTF situation they are going to be hard to come by, the nature of the situation will likely lead to the higher likelihood of injuries requiring antibiotics to prevent death induced by an infection. The meds are available through places like Jase, etc. I believe you can also get a years supply of your prescription meds through these companies as well. It’s not cheap, but if needed will be invaluable.
I also have a bit of herbal knowledge. Sulfa is the next medication to be added to my kit, as it’s a “dummy use” item. Antibiotics are scary, because they can cause as many issues as the original problem in some people. I’m allergic to many of them (as in, anaphylaxis), and a lot of other people are, as well.
From a topical standpoint, honey is one of the best “antibiotics” even though it isn’t one. I’ve used it for years, watched it perform “medical miracles” in people right in front of my eyes. I swear by it, for everything from infected cuts to major wounds. But again, you have to know how to use it.
There used to be an accessible app called Figure 1 that was a medical case discussion forum for medical professionals. It’s password protected now. I used to peruse the cases and there was a 3rd world doctor that used plain old supermarket honey off the shelf to treat the most horrific looking open wounds. Lots of burns and homeless diabetics with rotten flesh everywhere. He had access to other medications but honey was his goto as it had the best results for him.
I wish it was still accessible but there was too much info being discussed and shared during covid that went against the CDC narrative at the time and people were quoting from their daily and weekly updates. Go figure. Wouldn’t want front line medical professionals giving their opinion.
FWIW, we just made our first order with Jase; the process was straightforward, professional and fast shipping. Both Mrs B and I get 3-month supplies of meds at a time via mailorder. Thanks to a glitch when we moved, I have a 3-month extra supply; but Mrs B does not. We are considering using Jase to get a year’s worth each, and then doing rolling inventory.
“honey is one of the best “antibiotics” But again, you have to know how to use it”
Sounds like a good topic for another post.