Which medications should I get for my emergency stockpile?
“I bought many kinds of medication for emergencies… but I have never used them. It seems wasteful.”
“I have small kids, so I have to prepare children’s medicine too, right?”
“How about antibiotics? Can I get it even if I’m not sick now?”
Preparing for unexpected emergencies is a complicated and thought-provoking topic, and for some people, especially those who have never had any experience with big disasters, it can be quite difficult to plan smoothly. As you know, it is extremely important to have emergency medications in your home. You can adjust your behavior to try to avoid getting sick, but you can not stop a natural disaster. You need to prepare a temporary solution, in advance, for emergencies. Your temporary medical solution needs to last until you can get treatment or until you can heal at home. Remember this important premise: medications for your emergency stockpile will only work if your home isn’t destroyed in a disaster. It’s hard to accept the disparity between our hopes and reality, but trying is better than doing nothing. We don’t have time to wait until we figure it all out. Just do it!
You need to prepare a temporary solution, in advance, for emergencies.
I talked about emergency medications for your compact emergency bag and your emergency evacuation bag, in previous posts. For our emergency stockpile, we need to add more medications, and you will have to fight, continuously, against expired medication. I try to convince myself that paying for emergency medication is like buying health insurance. I know, if you have big family, you will have to pay a lot. We can not take a medication if we’re not sick. It is OK to sometimes eat food past its expiration date, but it is not OK to take expired medication. Medication will often lose its efficacy after the expiration date. I confess, I have taken some medications past their expiration dates (but not antibiotics); I have done this at my own risk. I don’t say “copy me!”, it’s totally up to you.
How about antibiotics for emergency situations. If we know for sure that we can get help after a big disaster, then we can wait to get the correct diagnosis and prescription for antibiotics, at the time. But if don’t know that for sure, then what? Antibiotics can be a real lifesaver, literally. It is wise to prepare for the worst. I ordered an emergency antibiotics kit from THE WELLNESS COMPANY. It’s very easy to get medications from them.
These are my emergency medication boxes. They are portable, water resistant, and easy to carry. I keep them in a place where they are unlikely to be crushed in an earthquake.
This is what I put in my emergency medication boxes.
I got many medications from Japan because I am used to them, and some American medications are too strong for me.
In an evacuation shelter, during or after a crisis, there is a risk of something called economy class syndrome. If you need to stay in an evacuation shelter or in a small space, for an extended period of time, you have to be careful of economy class syndrome. Staying in the same position for long periods of time or not drinking enough water can lead to poor blood circulation and make your blood more likely to clot (for more info check out: Economy class syndrome). It happens not only on airplanes but also in the limited space of evacuation shelters and also from sitting in a cramped seat in the car. After big earthquakes in Japan, some people suffered from this syndrome, beginning on the fourth day after evacuating. Some websites recommend taking aspirin for chest pain (one of the symptoms of economy class syndrome) in emergency situations, but other websites recommend against that. Specifically for economy class syndrome, we might be able to prevent it, by ourselves, by wearing compression socks or stockings. Please keep that in mind.
Lastly, if you find yourself in a long-term emergency situation, you can go outside and look for herbs to use as medicine. I know, that’s a tall order. Maybe we should all start learning about natural, medicinal herbs, and get used to finding them in the mountains, now.
Check this : Wild lettuce (Keeping It Riel with Marilyn & Steve‘s video and WebMD site).
Remember, “Protect your life by yourself” （自分の命は自分で守る). You need to survive first, and then you need your emergency supply. No matter how well you prepared your emergency supplies, if you die, then all of your preparations will have been for nothing. First and foremost, keep your health up all the time. Build your stamina so that if you need to, you can evacuate as quickly as possible. Stay healthy.
See you next time.