[TareanSmiley]

Heya, long time lurker first time poster.

I'm curious to know what you guys think of drugs in a survival kit? I'm mostly referring to SHTF kits or your med kit.

What laws should I be worried about? For example, I decided to pack 800mg Ibuprofen pills as well as some hydrocodene tablets into my med kit.

Uses, I'm not talking about recreational use. What drugs might you want to have with you if something bad happened? What would you use them for? Clarity of thought is one of my arguments. If you had to make life or death decisions it would be better to be in less pain as opposed to more pain.

I live in Utah, and this manner of thinking stems from the story of a local man who cut off his own arm to stay alive. I can't help but wonder if a decent pain killer would make survival possible. As if you had to travel while wounded or cut your own arm off. What do you guys think?

Edit: fixing sentences

 

[OLDWarrior64]

Good topic. IMHO I would include any meds that you must take on a regular basis. I also have included an additional 90-day supply of my prescription in my BOB. Granted I take Prevacid and can be substituted with some OTC meds, but I rotate the 'scrip' I use daily with what I have in my BOB.

As far as a SERE/Survival Kit, I would just place a couple tablets of OTC Ibuprofen or maybe a couple anti-diarrheal tabs for maybe a 3-7 day period. Depending on the size of your kit. Just my 2 cents

 

[twyggy]

I think in a SHTF scenario if would be one of the last laws being enforced, and I think they would barter like gold. I think, if you can legally obtain opiate pain killers, they would be a very wise addition to a pack.

 

[TareanSmiley]

I'm also starting to wonder about vitamins and supplements. I've been talking to an old childhood friend who hunts and camps a lot. He insists that if you ate just the meat of an animal (if you're too finicky to eat the innards) that you would starve.

He says that he keeps a small bottle of a generic multivitamin on him at all times. He also insists that he'd pack beef tallow in a survival situation. Supposedly tallow + a multivitamin + just about any food would keep you alive and healthy. The first two can be carried by the kilo for great long lasting effect.

 

[MikeK]

I think a well stocked kit would contain as many useful medications as possible. I keep 2 types of antibiotics in mine even. Pain killers could easily come in handy in a survival situation. Strong cough suppressants like codeine is another possibility. It can serve multiple purposes. If nothing else, they're light and small, so why not?

 

[Jida]

Strongest pain med you can get ahold of in a foil package (if possible). A really good choice is something called 'Pain Busters'.

The are usually stocked in medical cabinets at jobs. They have ibuprofin, aspirin, naprosin and caffeine in them. Take 2 and your teeth vibrate.

http://www.prolinefirstaid.com/pr/painreliever.html

Strongest stimulant your heart can handle, 5 hour energy is a good choice. Nodoze types work as well but crash you afterwards and can make you make bad decisions (IMO).

Multiuse old school cures for things like baking soda, epsom salt, etc.

If your goal is to either get there or get back then you need to carry things that will get you there if you are hurt or tired.

 

[haha49]

stuff for upset stomach diarea hey its petobismal.. If you have the runs you can lose alot of fluids and be super dehydrated and thats a big big problem it can even kill you in the bush.. add asprin stuff for petobismal and maby a few tums besides that dont need much more makes sure if you take them out of the box you date and label them dont just throw them into a bag and go ok this is this I just have to rember.. takeing old medicen can hurt you..

 

[Jerry D Young]

If you have a friendly doctor he/she may prescribe some medications for a field first-aid kit. Might even give you some of the small pack samples.

Here are the OTCs I plan on having in my field first-aid kit. Have some. But medications of all types are expensive.

Rehydration tablets/powder
sports type vitamin/mineral/electrolyte drink
Burn liquid-loss replacement drink (Sodium chloride/bicarbanate powder)
aspirin base pain killer (favorite brand)
non-aspirin pain killer (favorite brand)
prescription pain reliever (preferably to ease pain but not dull senses)
throat lozenges/cough drops (favorite brand)
cough medication (liquid)(favorite brand)
cold remedy (liquid/tablet)(favorite brand)
decongestant (topical inhalant)(Vick's Vapor Rub)
PMS control medication (favorite brand)

Antacid (Dimacid)
Laxative (Dulcolax, Theralax, Bon-O-Lax)
Pain/muscle relaxant/tranquilizer (Percogesic tablets)
Antihistamine (Chlorpheniramine Maleate, 4mg tablets)
Decongestant/vasoconstrictor (Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, 30mg tablets)
Decongestant (Afrin nasal spray)
Anti-nausea/motion (Meclizine hydrochloride, 25mg tablets)
Anti-indigestion/nausea/diarrhea (Pepto-Bismol tablets)
Eye ointment (Yellow oxide of mercury 1% ophthalmic)
Eye anti-irritant (Tetrahydrozline drops)
Ear drops (Schein Otic drops)
Anti-fungal (Tinactin cream)
Anti-inflammation/anti-itch (Hydrocortisone 1/2% Cream)
Anti-burn/anti-itch/topical anesthetic (Dibucaine 1% Ointment)
Antibiotic ointment (Triple Antibiotic Ointment)
Skin healant ointment (Vitamin A & D ointment)
Sun screen (Zinc oxide ointment)
Vomit inducer (Syrup of Ipecac)(Check with your doctor. This has fallen out of favor)

 

[BurtGummer]

It's not a good idea to keep drugs without a prescription. First off, they'll expire and then you'll have to get more. Wasteful. Second, it's illegal. Nuff said.

But among my OTC meds, the ones I think are most important and most commonly forgotten by people are

Aspirin - can be helpful for cardiac events as a mild anticoagulant, as opposed to tylenol or NSAIDs or other pain relievers

Caffeine - never know when you're going to have to be sharp for 24+ hours...

 

[AKpredator]

In all of my bags:

Altram (RX synthetic pain killer, muscle relaxant) Great for back injuries and headaches.
Motrin (minor pain and ache)
Oragel (toothache)
Kefflix (RX Anti-biotic) Penicillin derivative
Epi-Pen (bad bee stings)

 

[rt66paul]

It's not a good idea to keep drugs without a prescription. First off, they'll expire and then you'll have to get more. Wasteful. Second, it's illegal. Nuff said.

But among my OTC meds, the ones I think are most important and most commonly forgotten by people are

Aspirin - can be helpful for cardiac events as a mild anticoagulant, as opposed to tylenol or NSAIDs or other pain relievers

Caffeine - never know when you're going to have to be sharp for 24+ hours...

Having an old prescription in a bug out bag(to your or a family member's name) isn't illegal. Yes, while many pills have expiration dates, most of that is just BS. They want you to throw away these meds because if they get that old, you might not remember exactley what they were prescribed for. Opiate drugs that are 150 years old work just fine. I have used 50 year old aspirin and it worked fine.
If it is old antibiotics, I might look somewhere else, but anything else that looks like it should(not wet or moldy) and I need it(pain or blood pressure meds), I would use old pills before going without.

 

[ilgar]

Legality of weaponry, medication, hunting practices, etc., would not be of concern in an SHTF type situation. I stock leftover Perkicet (oxycodone) whenever I have it left over from a prescription for things like a wisdom tooth removal, etc. At least until it expires. I do the same with any antibiotics from a cold treatment. I wouldn't of course try and get these prescriptions unless I actually needed them in the first place.

 

[Michigan_RN]

Strongest stimulant your heart can handle, 5 hour energy is a good choice. Nodoze types work as well but crash you afterwards and can make you make bad decisions...

Five Hour Energy is caffeine.

Exactly the same as caffeine tablets

5 hour Energy has 2.3 to 3 times the amount of caffeine it claims to contain, but that is the only thing you are getting out of it. Some offer a tiny B complex, but that doesn't become bioavailable for your body for weeks

Besides, you aren't deficient in any vitamins anyhow, so extra Bs etc. are just a marketing ploy in the first place.

 

[Michigan_RN]

Heya, long time lurker first time poster.

I'm curious to know what you guys think of drugs in a survival kit? I'm mostly referring to SHTF kits or your med kit.

What laws should I be worried about? For example, I decided to pack 800mg Ibuprofen pills as well as some hydrocodene tablets into my med kit.

{Snip}

Now, for the OP,

I am an avid backpacker, both in the USA and abroad. I have been on hikes in areas where medical attention would take days (or sometimes is better left until you return to a country with consistantly electrical power and greater than half the population wears shoes)

A few of my friends and my mother are all doctors, so scripts for anything I would need have been available.

I carry both hydrocodone aka Norco (I am guessing that is what you typed but my phone 'corrected' it to that non-existant word too) and hydromorphone aka dilaudid when hiking.

They are legal to carry per regional/national/international laws and luckily I have never had to use them. But a broken hip or femur etc is not going to be covered by a few APAP or ASA

Talk to your primary care and get a few doses for your bags, but realize, local cops don't know the laws in their areas and will try to over play their authority. Realize you may have to explain this lack of knowledge by the LOC after having the Rx seized.

LOL I know the LOE sometimes mean well, they just deal with the scum of our society so often that they are predisposed to illegal confiscation as their only play.

 

[TMcArthur]

Well, I'd certainly take any meds you have prescriptions for. No need to take the whole bottle, just what you'll need in one of those 7 day pill cases. Here's kind of a list to think about. Red = prescription

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) - Aspirin - Ibuprofen (Motrin) - Codeine - CoTylenol - Vicodin - Naproxen (Alieve)

These are pain killers. There are others out there as well as some that compound multiple types together. Important to not mix different kinds of NSAIDS. (Yes. Look it up!) Also important not to exceed 3000 mg per day of Tylenol (acetaminophen). Obviously any compound of codeine or vicodin is controlled and you need a script.

Keflex - Clindamycin - Amoxicillin - Penicillin - Tetracycline - Erythromycin

These (and others) are broad spectrum prescription antibiotics. They are not for speculative use. They are primarily for infected injuries and a hand full of more systemic bacterial infections. It takes a bit of knowledge to use these effectively as what works against one bug will not work against another. Should you start taking them and stop before a full week's course you may contribute towards creating antibiotic resistant bugs. I have scripts for a couple of these specifically to handle infected injuries or prophylactic use on serious injuries so they don't get infected. (And yes you can use fish antibiotics but I bet you don't have a clue what dosage or which drug for which bug.) A doctor's advice is called for.

Neosporin (or equivalent)

Compound of three antibiotics in an ointment for application to surface injuries to prevent infection. Do not take internally.

Lidocaine

Surface anesthetic for minor skin injuries, sunburn, scrapes, allergic rashes. Ointment or spray. (Think Solarcaine.)

Hydrocortisone
Surface antihistamine for allergic rashes, ointment or cream. Not for internal use.

Diphenhydramine (Benedryl) - Loratadine

Antihistamines. Useful for allergies. In a dire emergency, short term use can help reduce the effects of anaphylactic shock, but epi pen is what you need. Benedryl is more effective than Loratidine but can make you very sleepy.

Dimenhydramine (Dramamine) - Meclazine
Anti-nausea compounds Dramamine is better against nausea and makes you very sleepy. Meclazine is more effective against vertigo and not so sleepy making.

Pseudephedrine

Decongestant, not a good choice for people with high blood pressure.

Loperimide
This is an OTC opiate with no psychoactive effect but does help with diarrhea. Opiates in general are constipating.

Zantac - Famotidine - Tums

Whatever antacid suits you best.

 

[rt66paul]

I would want my pills marked. It is too easy to confuse them. The fish anti biotics only need you to look on line and see what a normal dose is for an adult. I would mark the bottle for a regular dose. Antibiotic doses are by weight, so this can be used for your pets, if you have to.
You should never have anti-biotics left over, you are supposed to take the whole series. The only reason to have them is if you are allergic and need a different series. You can save those for someone else, but write down what it was prescribed for. anti fungals and anti biotics are different, neither treats a virus, but MAY treat a secondary infection(like when the flu hits you strong and you get a pnuemonia condition. It will help the lungs, but the flu is still there.

 

[TMcArthur]

There are a couple ways to approach the antibiotics issue. One way is to assume that you're stuck out there for the duration. Then you'd want a full course of each you decided on.

The other is to say that anything worthy of antibiotics is worth seeing a doctor about ASAP. This way you only take a couple days worth and plan on getting medical attention should you need them. You will let the doctor know what you have taken and he can take it from there. The size and weight differential is really small. I'm not sure even an ultralighter would notice the difference.

The guy who cut his arm off didn't really feel anything. The arm was dead at the time for lack of blood circulation. IIRC it hardly even bled. At the time he cut it off - had the rock suddenly moved instead, freeing him - it was very likely he would have died from the toxins flowing back into his system.

 

[alpiner]

I always carry aspirin for pain, inflammation and the rare chance someone near me was having a heart attack and able to swallow.

+1 antibiotics

 

[ppine]

If you want to talk about pain medication you need opiates. Stuff like Percocet, Hydrocodone, and Oxycontin. Otherwise you are kidding yourself.

 

[TMcArthur]

These days it is hard to get a doctor to prescribe anything in the opiate family unless the pain renders you a basket case. I've got some very old Vicodin and Tylenol #3 that I hold onto like gold because of that. If I asked my doctor for a script for Oxy "just in case" he'd probably blow a gasket. He could go to prison if he agreed.

The OTC stuff is still useful for general aches and pains. Keeps my joint pain down enough to keep functioning.

Combining an NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) with Acetaminophen (Tylenol) actually is more effective than you would expect from simply adding the two drugs' effectivenesses together. Because they approach pain relief differently, they act synergistically. The same is true of combining opiates with other pain medicine types. That is why you usually see codeine compounded with Tylenol and why dentists will often prescribe both codeine and ibuprofen for more serious pain.