Medications Are a Huge Vulnerability, Even for Preppers

Most prepping conversations about disabilities focus on the physical stuff, like wheelchairs or CPAP machines, and that kind of thing. What gets less attention is how many ordinary people depend on daily medications just to function, like blood pressure pills, insulin, heart meds. I believe upwards of 90% of all seniors rely on medications to manage chronic conditions.

A short disruption, most people can ride out. A few days without power or maybe stores closed for a week, that’s annoying but survivable. But Puerto Rico’s outage after Hurricane Maria stretched past 300 days in some areas. That’s a scenario where “I’ll just stretch things out” stops being possible and starts becoming deadly.

But let’s be honest, it’s difficult to imagine a real scenario where that happens in America. It’s possible, but not likely. That said, some folks in the Carolinas went without power and supplies for several weeks after Hurricane Helene. Still, we’re talking about medications here, not power.

So how do you actually build a cushion?

I discuss stratgies in my Disaster Prep for Seniors book where I state:

Most insurance providers allow a onetime early refill per year if you’re traveling abroad, which buys you up to an extra thirty days of cushion with minimal hassle. You just need your doctor to write the prescription. Ask your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider whether an emergency supply, travel override, or 30-day refill option is available; some doctors may even give you samples if they feel it is appropriate. Again, only consider this option for medications that never change.

Moreover, a frank discussion is always a good idea:

Another possibility is a direct conversation with your doctor, as some physicians will write a separate emergency prescription if you explain your preparedness concerns. Natural disasters, civil unrest, and supply chain disruptions are legitimate reasons to cite. Unfortunately, you may need to pay out of pocket for that extra safety net, so you’ll have to decide if the cost is worthwhile relative to your risk tolerance.

Regardless, having extra medication on hand is only a part of the solution:

Once you have a buffer in place, work this extra refill into the rotation, using the oldest medication first. If you tuck this extra bottle into the cabinet and forget it, you could eventually have expired medication precisely when you need it most. Treat your important medications as a non-negotiable part of the system you’re building.

Medication belongs on the same list as the everyday goods that vanish first when supply chains break down, right alongside the essentials covered in these 20 items that disappear first during hyperinflation. Medications for chronic conditions are a must-have!

People disagree on what to do once the real thing (prescription medications) runs out. Homeopathy and tinctures come up in every discussion. That might be fine for minor complaints, but for chronic problems, they’re not a real substitute. One person managing MS put it about as well as I’ve heard it put: herbal remedies help around the edges, but she’d rather stay on her prescriptions than end up in a wheelchair because she didn’t have her meds.

The same can be said for research on micronutrients too, in that, they can support treatment, but they don’t replace it. (If you want to strengthen your baseline health so you’re less dependent on any single need, these nine immunity strategies are worth a look.) Ultimately, you’ve got to have your medications if you manage a chronic condition.

Don’t Do This!

Now, there’s another route that some people take to get around the system entirely: ordering from overseas pharmacies online because there’s no prescription required, and at a fraction of US-based pricing. Ivermectin gets mentioned a lot as an example, but there’s a lot more that people try to buy elsewhere. Apparently, packages get seized by customs occasionally, and the sellers just reship. I’ll be straight with you here: this is illegal. Bringing prescription drugs into the country without a valid prescription violates federal law. I do NOT recommend this strategy.

It’s worth realizing how much easier we have it here. In parts of Western Europe, doctors are restricted to bare-minimum prescription sizes because of budget rules, so real shortages happen at times. Compared to that, US patients have a lot more room to build a cushion the legal way, albeit at a higher cost or with some effort.

So here’s my question for you: if a real disruption hit tomorrow, how many days of your medication do you actually have? Do you have a plan to add to your supply? If so, is it something different than what I suggest?