# I have to have my heart meds and BP pills



## kathy067j (Jul 26, 2012)

Worried when SHTF that I will be all out of my meds. What can I do now to prepare,?If I skip days I will will a heart attack. Thanks


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## Moby76065 (Jul 31, 2012)

speak with your doctor.
Explain your concerns.


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

Your doctor is the only one who can lead you along this scary path. Tell them what you are concerned about. They probably have heard some stranger things then wanting to be prepared. Be warned that you may end up having to pay out of pocket for a stash of pills. And some are pretty expensive. Ask what generics you can take, and if they say stick to a particular brand, be sure and ask why. Don't assume that you can order a similar version on-line. You may not be able to take that similar one for whatever reason. Be informed about everything to do with your medications. You may also want to read the pharmocological papers that come with them (ask your pharmacist for the medication info paper) and read it and understand it. Just having a great working knowledge on how the medicine works may be very beneficial.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

There are herbal(wild and cultivated) medicines that can be used to that purpose and are quite effective. I was in the same boat, dependent on heart and BP meds but I found alternatives and I am still kicken(and alot healhier) a number of years later.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

I agree with Davarm ...

Lots of herbs to look at... plus a different lifestyle maybe.


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

All depends on what the root cause is (pun intended) and what medication one is taking before looking at herbal alternatives.

For instance, if you need insulin for diabetes, you need insulin.


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## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

ok I want to know what states these doctors are in that give you extra meds! There is no way my doctor would do this.I have never had a doctor who would do this.
What I do is, when I have 5-7 pills left I take my bottle in to get a refill. The pills I had left I put in an extra bottle and keep in my purse. My insurance company will do a refill when I have 7 pills left in the scrip. I have enough extras for a couple of months so far. I make sure I take 21 pills out of the extras and use them so that the meds get rotated.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

Davarm said:


> There are herbal(wild and cultivated) medicines that can be used to that purpose and are quite effective. I was in the same boat, dependent on heart and BP meds but I found alternatives and I am still kicken(and alot healhier) a number of years later.


Same here.changed my diet, started taking supplements, I'm off my blood pressure pills.


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

We here do not know your true heart conditon and there is no one here who could morally tell you what to do. Some insurance companies wouldn't allow you extra prescriptions for storage, etc. I definitely nor will anyone else tell you to skip your medication etc to save some ... You can ask your doctor if that is possible. You can see if your doctor has sample packs as well.

I find your post odd. Anyway.......

Educate yourself on self healing through diet especially. I am off all meds now because I've changed my diet. Of course I wasn't going to die from a heart attack but .....


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

JimMadsen said:


> All depends on what the root cause is (pun intended) and what medication one is taking before looking at herbal alternatives.
> 
> For instance, if you need insulin for diabetes, you need insulin.


Yes, no and maybe...

The OP said if the SHTF... IMO ~ It is best to look into the research before hand. (What ever the alternatives maybe.)

Other wise when you need XXX meds after that time ... you would be SOL.


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

I was actually thinking along the same lines of doing the research now.

Just talk to your doctor and tell them you are prepared to pay out of pocket for the medications. I recall one time when I was having frequent strep throat (I wasn't in the prepping thinking mode yet) and the ENT doctor offered to give me a script for antibiotics for 30 days with 12 refills. He actually suggested filling the script once a month and put them away. At the first sign of a problem, take the course of meds without waiting to get in to see someone.

I think most docs will work with you, they just don't want to be the one telling you how much those extra pills will cost. That being said, I doubt they will want you to have a couple years worth on hand!

Your doc may also be able to help you with the herbal medicines as well. Its worth talking to them about.


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## ContinualHarvest (Feb 19, 2012)

Many forms of heart disease can be controlled with moderate exercise and diet. If there any changes that can be made to those two things, it may be a good idea to look into it. Don't know if you already made changes to your lifestyle or not.
Speak to your doctor about having at least a 90 supply of your meds.


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## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

Your range of options here are pretty straightforward and they're dependent on the degree of societal collapse.

If the collapse is minor then it's likely that physicians will still be practicing and you'll still get medication but the question here will be how you pay for it, for private insurance and medicare may longer be functioning as 3rd party payers. 

If the collapse is a bit more severe, then the issue might settle down to how do you bypass the physician/pharmacy and get the drugs that are stored in the pharmacy. You can probably use your imagination on what must be done in order to prolong your survival as the system that helps keep you alive is crumbling.

If the industrial infrastructure of society collapses, then there will be no more manufactured drugs entering into the distribution pipeline, so as others have already pointed out to you, you had best try to find an alternative or come to some level of peace with the realization that your life is being prolonged by the existence of a functioning society and once that society is no longer functioning, absent a substitute, your risk of heart attack is going to increase significantly. Sorry, there's no way to sugar coat that last bit. Sometimes there are no solutions to some forms of problems.


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

Bobbb, you are right. My ex-wife is a diabetic and the only storing she believes in is having enough smokes to get to the next check. My wife and I have planned on having to feed 5. Us, my two boys and the one on the way. The hard part, and one that is foremost in our plans getting to our BOL is to swing by and get my sons. She has no option other than insulin. And she is brittle at that. It is hard to even think about (they are sitting in front of me now watching a movie) but plans have to be taken into consideration about what will happen when the life sustaining medications are no longer coming into the pipeline.


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## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

For a diabetic, it's possible to make your own insulin at home. It's not cost effective and it's probably not as good as the pharma manufactured products, but if the choice is life or death, the home made stuff will work. The trick here is that one has to be prepared with equipment and knowledge before the moment of crisis hits.

Other forms of illness are likely not going to have as low of a hurdle.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

DJgang said:


> I find your post odd. Anyway.......


Agreed. Perhaps it's my suspicious nature...?

The OP has only made one other post so far that I can tell, and that was to start a thread trying to sell something.

BUT... y'all are sharing good info/thoughts/ideas. Carry on.


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## invision (Aug 14, 2012)

I too find that a little strange for a post. I am a multiple heart attack survivor, including a quad bypass in February at the age of 40, and am a Type 2 diabetic. My HA's are stress & caffeine & smoking & hereditary (long line of zero good cholesterol the bad one has always been in-line) induced. although I am currently 50 lbs over weight (was 80), and diabetes is related to the weight, I have never been told skipping my meds will cause another HA immediately... For me, the BP meds is to keep my heart stress free. The only thing I am on is Metformin, niacin, Aspirin, and Glucaphage . I can and have controlled my diabetes by eating correctly ALL the time in the past, but life doesn't always dictate when and how I can eat.

The biggest change for me is exercising, 4 times a week, 1 HR of cardio, 1 HR of weight lifting each session - I have lost 30 lbs since my last HA and bypass. I was even told, lift as much as I want, don't hold back because of fear. I bench, squat, dead lift, etc ... I also really don't fear running out of any of the meds. I have stock piled aspirin and niacin. I have approximately 90 days worth of Glucaphage on hand. I figure that if the SHTF, I will be eating much better so 90 days is best for me, weight loss will occur because I won't be sitting at my desk all day, instead I will be working to live and survive, burning higher calories and dropping weight big time. 

I won't say that stress will not be high IF TSHTF, but not the same type as now. Today's stress is 100% work related, pulling 72 straight hours to resolve a down client, who is losing millions per hour of downtime. I won't live off Monsters & nicotine like I do when those 72 hrs storms hit... Let's put it this way, the stress can be so high, that my cardiologist actually said after my 1st, 2nd, and 3rd that IF I have one of those 3 day events, go ahead and smoke but stop afterwards. But he wouldn't give me the ok on the Monsters but said DT mountain dew would be ok... Got to love a dr that understands my work related days... 

I guess the type of heart disease is needed to be known first. What caused the HA, how bad? A couple of stints or bypass. age, weight, current diet, current excercise levels, etc.


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## cengasser (Mar 12, 2012)

I have been off all BP and diabetes meds for about 8 years now. Lost weight, started eating right and bingo! My BP is creeping back up, but I think I'm in a higher stress position at my current job. And I've gained some of the weight back. 
Nothing some vigorous exercise wouldn't cure. 
I'm currently stock piling eye meds, as without that, my central vision would be at high risk. It's really just sulphur med and I'm sure if I research I could find something natural that would work. 
Strange post or not it's been informative and eye opening on other alternatives that would be available.
I suspect, we would all lose some weight, working harder to sustain life. No cushy AC and TV, physical labor of firewood, garden and patrolling, ect. 
Hmmm... Who would've thought of an upside to SHTF....


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## Padre (Oct 7, 2011)

kathy067j said:


> Worried when SHTF that I will be all out of my meds. What can I do now to prepare,?If I skip days I will will a heart attack. Thanks


So long as your pills aren't narcotics you can travel to almost any other country in the world and buy them from a pharmacy without a script. I find it amusing that in the land of the free we seem to have fewer and fewer freedoms... Put them in old prescription bottles or carry a copy of your script and customs won't give you a hassel even if they do find them. Congress passed a law a few years back that allows the importation of drugs by individuals for personal use. They are often more expensive overseas than with an insurance drug benefit but much cheaper than they would be here without insurance.

That being said, in a serious SHTF you need to come to grips that no matter how much you store one day in the near future they will run out...


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

Genevieve said:


> ok I want to know what states these doctors are in that give you extra meds! There is no way my doctor would do this.I have never had a doctor who would do this.
> What I do is, when I have 5-7 pills left I take my bottle in to get a refill. The pills I had left I put in an extra bottle and keep in my purse. My insurance company will do a refill when I have 7 pills left in the scrip. I have enough extras for a couple of months so far. I make sure I take 21 pills out of the extras and use them so that the meds get rotated.


What you're describing here is insurance rules & they have nothing to do with your doctor. They are two completely separate problems. The doctor doesn't "give" you extra meds. When you get the perscription from your doctor, it has a certain number of refills on it. Usually, the only thing preventing you from getting all the refills in one day is your insurance refusing to pay for it. If you 
're paying out of pocket, you can get it. I do this all the time with my daughter's thyroid meds & have done it that way from day one. My doctor gave me 8 refills on my Hydrocodone after I had my son a few months ago.

Also sometimes insurance will pay for you to get multiple refills at one time if you buy your meds through mail order so that's another possibility.


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

Be sure to look at walmart and such. I think they have a long list of meds they sell really cheap without insurance coverage. Somebody please correct me on this cause I am only about 49% sure.


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## cengasser (Mar 12, 2012)

JimMadsen said:


> Be sure to look at walmart and such. I think they have a long list of meds they sell really cheap without insurance coverage. Somebody please correct me on this cause I am only about 49% sure.


You're correct. WM has a list if drugs for $4 per month, 90 day supply is $10. I may be wrong but possibly Wal-Greens and Target also.


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

But are those copays or total out-of pocket?


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## cengasser (Mar 12, 2012)

JimMadsen said:


> But are those copays or total out-of pocket?


Total out of pocket. They don't do it on all meds. I have certain ones filled outside my plan, I can't get 90 days unless I use mail. So I go to WM for the ones I can get 90 days on. 
www.walmart.com/...Prescriptions
I think, this link has the list of available meds. You can also google $4 prescriptions.


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

check different pharms. some have a different list of the 4.00 meds. one of my dh's we can get at Kroger but not wally world. to anyone that has health concerns, learn all about what is wrong with you, how it effects you, how it changes, and what changes in the body happens. I have RA. I know how it effects ME, I know when I am going to have a flare, and what usually causes them. I have learned that I can avoid some things that cause a flare but not others. by knowing this I can decide to use my RXs or herbal. same with DH, he has a heart condition, we understand what is wrong with his heart and what the meds do. if a shtf happens I know what herbal might work for him when the RXs are gone.


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## goatlady (Nov 7, 2011)

^ Smart lady! Get to know NOW what your potetial alternatives are and what alternative(s) will work for you and your medical problem.


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

+1, like you said, know why things are happening and why something will (or will not) work


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