Stocking up on most items is pretty easy, as long as you have the money, but what about medicine? Because it can be a bit more difficult, here are some things you can try to build a small stockpile of the meds you take daily.
90 Day Supply
Many insurance companies will let you order a 90 day supply of some medications. If yours will not do it automatically, there may be a form you can fill out to request that they allow it.
Slowly Building a Stockpile
I got this tip from a local Emergency Manager. If you can purchase a 90 day supply, you can often refill it a few days or weeks before it runs out. For example, let’s say that time is 14 days. Once you receive the new prescription, take 14 pills out of it and put it in a third container. Continue to do this until the third bottle is filled. Use this bottle as your main bottle, letting the new bottle you just received be your reserve. Now you should have an extra 30-90 day supply. Remember to keep it in rotation.
Auto-refills
We use Walgreens as our pharmacy. One option they have is auto refills. They will automatically refill eligible prescriptions every time your insurance company allows it. This is often sooner than the prescription runs out. This essentially does the same as the above, but you don’t have to remove pills from the new bottle and add them to the third. This method has gotten my wife a three month supply of asthma medicine that she needs every day.
Lost or Misplaced
If you lose or misplace your medicine, a call to the pharmacy can often get them to contact your insurance company to authorize a refill.
Talking to your Physician
Believe it or not there are many physicians around who are open to the idea of you being medically prepared. Cynthia J. Koelker, MD wrote an article on the SurvivalBlog called “How to Get Your Doctor to Help You Stockpile Medicine”. This article has some very good advice on how to approach the subject.
Walmart
While I’m not a huge fan of Walmart, they do have a pretty good prescription plan. For $4 you can get a 30 day supply of certain medications, and for $10 you can get a 90 day supply. If you found a doctor who was sympathetic to your desire to build a small stockpile of medications, they could write you a paper prescription and you could pay for this out of pocket. This way the insurance company is out of the loop. Follow the link to see a list of included medicines.
Veterinary Medicines
Did you know that many of the medicines given to animals are the exact same medicines given to humans? Sometimes they change the name, sometimes they don’t. I’m not saying this is a good or bad option, just giving you the information. I’ll let you decide.
Here are two articles on other blogs on the subject. I’m sure you can find more with just a few minutes of research. Guide to Veterinary Drugs for Human Consumption, Post-SHTF and Preparing for Medical Emergencies When There Is No Doctor
As I mentioned, building a stockpile of medicines can be more difficult, but hopefully one of these options can help you. If you have another idea, please list it in the comments.
