Antibiotic Prep Question

[psychgirl]

This week I had to get Bactrim for an infection. My doctor went ahead and gave me 3 refills if I ever need more in the future (I love my Dr ). Since Bactrim is relatively inexpensive, I was wondering if I should go ahead and fill one of them now and add it to preps? "IF" TSHTF tomorrow (which I doubt, but one never knows) I would have a week's supply on hand without relying on the drugstore. Does this make sense to anyone else, or should I leave well enough alone for fear of the Rx going out of date? I would think that even if it DID expire, it might be better than nothing if there's no way to get an Rx during an emergency or SHTF situation.

(By the way, I do realize it's not the greatest idea to store antibiotics for future use....I was just wondering about the "fudge factor" here)
Thanks!

 

[peekaboo]

If I were you I would get it while the gettings good. Stored properly it will last years beyond the printed expiration date. Cool , dark , and dry .

 

[SheWoff]

Yes, by all means, refill that script and put it up! You can put it in the freezer also to help keep it. There are very few drugs that are dangerous after the "expiration" date and it's not one of them. In this case the med will still work but might not work as well. It may only be less than 100% effective, say 90%. But if tshtf and you aren't able to run to the drug store to get more, you'll be very glad you have it

She

 

[Terrwyn]

I agree. Refill. As they say in the Survivalist-Prepper community, 3 is 2, 2 is 1, and 1 is none.

 

[summerthyme]

Bactrim is one of the meds I keep on hand, always. Not only is it useful for urinary tract infections, but it is one of the only oral meds which work on MRSA (the "community acquired" strain, anyway).

Stored cool and dry, it should be effective for at least 10 years beyond any "expiration date".

Summerthyme

 

[psychgirl]

Excellent input everyone! Thank you so much! Your answers are what I was hoping to hear, especially that it will last for up to ten years...I had no idea it would last that long! The Rx I filled last night was only $11, so filling a couple more of those won't break me. Our basement is very cool. almost to the point of needing a light jacket if I'm down there too long. That will be perfect. My only, small fear, is should TSHTF, and its a couple of years old, whatever infection is happening won't be taken care of properly and get worse in the long run. You know how an infection will come back with a vengeance if you don't follow through with your Rx? .....Something like that might happen.

 

[psychgirl]

Yes, by all means, refill that script and put it up! You can put it in the freezer also to help keep it. There are very few drugs that are dangerous after the "expiration" date and it's not one of them. In this case the med will still work but might not work as well. It may only be less than 100% effective, say 90%. But if tshtf and you aren't able to run to the drug store to get more, you'll be very glad you have it

She

I thought of freezing it, but was afraid the cold would kill the antibiotic properties.

 

[summerthyme]

It's best to follow the "official" directions for storage of any particular antibiotic product. Even some injectables are supposed to be stored at "controlled room temperature" (59° - 86°), rather than being refrigerated. Bactrim's "Official" storage recommendations are "store cool, dry and dark". I would NOT refrigerate or freeze it.

The US Army studied a long list of drugs, including antibiotics from pretty much every class (unfortunately, that report has been pulled from the 'net'; I think I have it somewhere on one of my hard drives- but only God knows where!). That study is what I've relied on in my medical preps. They found that most meds were "safe and effective" even after 10 years.... IIRC, the study lasted 18 years, and VERY few meds lost more than 10% potency over that very long stretch.

I do think that the most important "skill" for people after TSHTF is going to be the ability to diagnose problems early, but also to differentiate between problems that aren't likely to develop into something life threatening, or those which need to be treated RIGHT. THIS. MINUTE to have a chance to cure.

These days, of course, we commonly "err on the side of caution", and since ABX are being produced by millions of doses every day, that's not a major problem. However, it DOES increase the development of resistant bacteria, and in a SHTF event, where new meds AREN'T being produced, "wasting" the few meds you have on hand on something which turns out to not be serious could be a huge problem.

That's why I've been so delighted to find how well colloidal silver works, even on really serious infections. Without the ability to make colloidal silver, I *will* run out of ABX at some point (probably a lot sooner than I'd like, since I seem to be the neighborhood doctor and vet these days). I'm not saying the colloidal silver is the equivalent of IV Vancomycin, but it sure beats garlic and hope!

Summerthyme

 

[psychgirl]

I was looking into making the CS myself,.....then, I thought, 'my luck I'd try to make the stuff and wouldn't do it right, lol!' How does one know if what you concoct comes out to be the real thing? Is there any way to test for authenticity?

I'm out of what I had and need it NOW. So, I'm going to buy it. (ST, you know what I'm talking about, here )

 

[summerthyme]

Yep. I do. You really CAN'T goof making CS, *especially* for topical use. You need ABOUT 30 volts +/- (so, 3, 9 volt batteries), 2 alligator clips, a couple feet of copper wire, and some PURE (at least .999- some people insist on .9999, but unless you were using a TON of it or using in an unusual manner (IV), I don't believe that it's vital. I've been using a .999 bar for years, without trouble) silver wire.

Under 30 bucks, total.

Then, use distilled water to make it if there is ANY chance you'll be ingesting it (again, not a big problem for topical use)

And you're set.

I "time" mine when I'm using tap water by watching the plume of silver... when it hits the bottom of the jar and begins to turn upward, I've found I have between 10-12 ppm. (I had a PPM meter, which has since died, but I did a lot of timing experiments with it) In distilled water, the process takes a lot longer and is much less visible (the reason to use it- you obtain much smaller "true colloid" particles, where the minerals in other water can cause the silver particles to "clump"- hence they're more visible). MY TIMING is now 1 hour for 2 quarts of distilled water.. again, giving me around 10 ppm.

But- most of my uses are on livestock and pets, and I've found that it's amazingly forgiving. If I forget and overdo it... it works fine. If I'm not sure of how strong the distilled water version is- it works fine.

No names, but a member either here or at TTOL (I really can't remember their name at the moment, darn it... hopefully they'll see this thread and if they feel comfortable, chime in) had the same issue you're having. IIRC, Nothing was working very well... was just keeping it at bay, but certainly wasn't "curing" it. She started using CS, and within 12 hours, the intense itching, which was driving her mad, stopped. Within a day, the problem was noticably improved- much better than in a much longer stretch of conventional Rx meds.

Oh, and if you want, I'll send you some- just cover my postage costs. PM me if you want...

(oh- and if your computer printer dies, don't toss it before you yank the power supply. At least as of now, they are almost universally 30 volts. A couple minutes with a voltage meter will show you which of the 4 wires extending from it are the ones which will provide you with 30 volts. The plus is already attached- and at least the one I pulled from my HP printer that died was in a nice, self-contained "cartridge"- it works great!)

Summerthyme

 

[lower_ark]

As usual, great info ST.

You really need to produce some books or CD's or audio tapes. I'm telling ya!

 

[Tennessee gal]

Yep. I do. You really CAN'T goof making CS, *especially* for topical use. You need ABOUT 30 volts +/- (so, 3, 9 volt batteries), 2 alligator clips, a couple feet of copper wire, and some PURE (at least .999- some people insist on .9999, but unless you were using a TON of it or using in an unusual manner (IV), I don't believe that it's vital. I've been using a .999 bar for years, without trouble) silver wire.

Under 30 bucks, total.

Then, use distilled water to make it if there is ANY chance you'll be ingesting it (again, not a big problem for topical use)

And you're set.

I "time" mine when I'm using tap water by watching the plume of silver... when it hits the bottom of the jar and begins to turn upward, I've found I have between 10-12 ppm. (I had a PPM meter, which has since died, but I did a lot of timing experiments with it) In distilled water, the process takes a lot longer and is much less visible (the reason to use it- you obtain much smaller "true colloid" particles, where the minerals in other water can cause the silver particles to "clump"- hence they're more visible). MY TIMING is now 1 hour for 2 quarts of distilled water.. again, giving me around 10 ppm.

But- most of my uses are on livestock and pets, and I've found that it's amazingly forgiving. If I forget and overdo it... it works fine. If I'm not sure of how strong the distilled water version is- it works fine.

No names, but a member either here or at TTOL (I really can't remember their name at the moment, darn it... hopefully they'll see this thread and if they feel comfortable, chime in) had the same issue you're having. IIRC, Nothing was working very well... was just keeping it at bay, but certainly wasn't "curing" it. She started using CS, and within 12 hours, the intense itching, which was driving her mad, stopped. Within a day, the problem was noticably improved- much better than in a much longer stretch of conventional Rx meds.

Oh, and if you want, I'll send you some- just cover my postage costs. PM me if you want...

(oh- and if your computer printer dies, don't toss it before you yank the power supply. At least as of now, they are almost universally 30 volts. A couple minutes with a voltage meter will show you which of the 4 wires extending from it are the ones which will provide you with 30 volts. The plus is already attached- and at least the one I pulled from my HP printer that died was in a nice, self-contained "cartridge"- it works great!)

Summerthyme

I'm sure other folks here on TB are like me and would love to spend a day or two with you picking your brain on various topics especially medical information. Thanks for all you share.