Feeling a Little Prepper-ish

from Lexi Eddings...

Let me start by saying that I do not own a tin foil hat. I don't think the sky is falling. And I generally pooh-pooh every conspiracy theory I hear.

But I do have a stash of essentials on hand in case of emergencies. Usually, I'm a little embarrassed about it--my full-to-bursting pantry, the many gallons of bottled water I keep stacked in my laundry room, and the extra batteries, enough TP for a year (or so my DH claims!), and go-bags packed for each of us. We also try to keep the top half of our cars' tanks full.

Writing it out like this, it does sound a little paranoid, doesn't it? However, when a "five hundred year flood" (Check my author blog for more about that!) ripped through our town recently, I never felt smarter about my preparedness.

And one of the smartest preps is in my medicine chest.

If, like me, you take a number of maintenance meds to keep you going, you simply must have a stash. I know your insurance company will likely only allow you to refill once every thirty days, but I recommend having three to six months worth of each prescription you take on hand. If you think I'm being a nervous Nellie, consider this scenario.

For a week after the flood, major highways in and out of our town were closed down due to bridges being washed out or standing high water. Most grocery stores have only about three days worth of food on their shelves. Ditto for pharmacies. Outages were rampant.

Now imagine you were due to refill your blood pressure meds on the day of the flood but didn't get it done. You might not be able to get more pills for a week or more. Try to stay calm. A stroke will ruin your whole day.

But if you have a few months worth of your meds laid by, you're golden.

So how do you do that? Here are a few strategies I've used:

1. Refill prescriptions as early as you can. I used to be able to do it about a week ahead each month. At this rate, I'd have an extra month's worth squirreled away every four months. In a year, I had three extra months stored. Now, my particular insurance plan will only allow them to be refilled three days early. Even at that snail's pace, you can still get a month ahead in a year's time.
2. Ask your doctor for 90 day prescriptions. If it's a maintenance medication, he or she will usually agree. When you pick it up, ask your pharmacist to check on when you can refill. I've got a really helpful one who's been happy to find this out for me. Then follow step 1, and refill as early as you can.
3. Pay out of pocket. Skip the insurance altogether. Walmart offers $4.00 prescriptions on a host of drugs. See if their list can save you money over your co-pay.
4. Check the discount sites. Got a spendy drug on your list? Me too. More than one, in fact. It's like buying a new refrigerator every month, but I've had good luck with both GoodRX.com and BlinkHealth.com. 
5. Do NOT, I beg you, buy your meds from an online or overseas pharmacy. The prices may look appealing, but you have no guarantee you're actually getting the medicine you need.

  
Of course, once you've built up your medicine chest, you need to keep an eye on the date the med was issued and use the older ones first. Most drugs are still effective a year after that date. It may drop if you keep them longer than that. Six months worth is the most I have in my arsenal.

Warning! Antibiotics can go bad! If you are given a script for some, you should use them up, but if you have left overs (which you shouldn't) do NOT be tempted to use them later.   

Now go make yourself a tin foil hat and start accumulating a little stockpile of your much needed meds! Don't forget OTC pain relievers, cold medications and general first aid stuff.

You'll thank me when the water starts rising...