Medicinal Preparation

I’ve already repeatedly explained the need for first aid training and gear, but the yesterday, I had a discussion about the need to prepare as far as medications. It’s an area that is often overlooked.

It’s such an issue, that I’ve included the topic in the first volume of the Tactical Wisdom Training Manual Series, “The Base Line Training Manual”, which is in the final stages of creation.

Even the Ultimate Tactical Handbook predicted a world where medicine would be scarce:

There is none to uphold your cause,

No medicine for your wound, no healing for you.

Jerremiah 30:13

The following is an excerpt from the soon-to-be-released Base Line Training Manual:

When preparing for a WROL situation, a big area that is commonly overlooked is medications, both OTC and prescription.

We are so conditioned to getting sick, then either dropping by the pharmacy to pick up cold medicine or visiting the doctor, that we overlook it.

We’re going to cover a list of OTC medications that you should have stocked, but we’re going to begin with a discussion of how to stockpile prescriptions.

The best way to prepare in this area is to get healthy and get fit, which will increase your resistance to all kinds of illnesses and decrease your reliance on medications.

However, there are some strategies to build up a supply of prescription medications.

First, most insurance programs will let you refill at 25 days, when it’s written for every 30 days.  If you purchased every 25 days for one year, you’d have an extra 60 day supply built up.

Second, a lot of insurance programs allow you to buy a 90 day supply by mail order.  Do that as often as you can and you’ll also build up a supply.

Third, talk to your doctor ask for “samples” of your medications.  Doctors are given good sized supplies of samples by pharmaceutical companies that they can hand out.  If the doctor gives you samples, put those in your stockpile, rather than using them before your prescription.

Store all medications in a cool, dry place, without extreme variations in temperature.

As far as expiration dates, there is evidence that medications retain about 90% of their potency for at least 5 years beyond their expiration date, and many times much longer.  However, liquids are NOT as stable. Make your own decisions here.

Here’s a list of OTC items that you should have:

1. Hand Sanitizer:  At least 60% alcohol
2. Ibuprofen:  Motrin/Advil
3. Naproxen: Aleve – Longer lasting pain relief.
4. Aspirin:  In addition to pain relief, it is a blood thinner.
5. Acetaminophen:  Tylenol – It’s the only pain reliever that isn’t an anti-inflammatory and is better on the stomach.  You can alternate Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen every 2 hours if needed.
6. Diphenhydramine: Benadryl – In addition to it’s life-saving antihistamine properties, Benadryl can be used as a sleep aid.
7. Loperamide:  Imodium – Anti-Diarrheal medication can save your life in a WROL situation as diarrhea causes dehydration.  Changes in diet will lead to stomach issues.
8. Laxatives:  Again, changes in diet in a WROL situation will cause stomach issues.
9. Pseudoephedrine:  Sudafed – An excellent decongestant, but stockpiling it has been made difficult as it is so controlled, despite being OTC.  You need to be careful in building a stockpile, because you could get labelled as meth dealer.
10. Fexofenadine HCl: Allegra – another antihistamine for allergies.
11. Meclizine:  Dramamine – This is a motion sickness treatment, which can be used to treat nausea/vomiting.  It also helps with anxiety.
12. Hydrocortisone:  For wound treatment
13. Bacitracin:  For wound treatment

Build up supplies of these, but also resist the temptation to use OTC medications on a daily basis, because your body builds a resistance and reduces the efficacy.

Finally, let’s discuss Amoxycillin.  There is an on-going debate about whether or not fish antibiotics can be used by humans or not.  The answer is “it depends”.  If you buy it in capsules, then yes.  There are some powders that are mixed with things meant to help fish only, but if you buy the capsules, they are quite literally the exact same capsule.

To illustrate this, I did an experiment.  I went and purchased the fish capsules, and compared them to pharmacy-supplied prescription Amoxycillin that we had on hand.  They were the exact same capsule.  Again, make your own decision, as it’s your body.

I hope that this excerpt from the Base Line Training Manual has helped and given you some ideas.

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