Emergency antibiotics pro/cons ?

[Andy T]

A friend sent me a link to a video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKfEE0i13wo that talks about https://jasemedical.com/pricing. What are the thoughts of having "just in case" antibiotics for emergency?

[ccmdfd]

I can see pros and cons to it.

My work self certainly has concerns, but I am also a patient and am reliant on a certain medication that I have to take every single day in order to live. After having read One Second After, within the past year or so, the thought of having an emergency situation where I no longer have access to that medication certainly has me thinking about stuff like that.

One thing to keep in mind is most antibiotics have a shelf life of about 12 months. Therefore you're going to need to replace this thing every single year. If you have four of them or five of them for the entire family that money certainly adds up quickly.

Also, if you've never taken some of these antibiotics there's always a chance that you're allergic to one of them and finding out in a true emergency is not a cool thing to do.

I guess in the end, I would not recommend something like this just to carry around with you and take every single time you feel like you have a cold or small fever. However if we truly are in a One Second After type environment, then the benefits of having this probably outweigh the risks.

[Andy T]

How long does shelf life last beyond a year? Any potential issues, besides lack of potency if taking expired antibiotics? I heard that expiration dates on medication are primarily a regulatory requirement.

One Second After trilogy was scary read.

[ccmdfd]

How long does shelf life last beyond a year? Any potential issues, besides lack of potency if taking expired antibiotics? I heard that expiration dates on medication are primarily a regulatory requirement.

One Second After trilogy was scary read.

Good questions which I would have to defer to someone with a PharmD degree.

[camel]

How long does shelf life last beyond a year? Any potential issues, besides lack of potency if taking expired antibiotics? I heard that expiration dates on medication are primarily a regulatory requirement.

One Second After trilogy was scary read.

I love/hate that trilogy for really distilling down a societal collapse.

I’ve been told that medications don’t really expire but they lose effectiveness. But would rather hear from more knowledgeable like has been said.

[SLN]

How long does shelf life last beyond a year? Any potential issues, besides lack of potency if taking expired antibiotics? I heard that expiration dates on medication are primarily a regulatory requirement.

One Second After trilogy was scary read.

Here is 2020 article from Harvard Health Publishing addressing the topic:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/stayi...-mean-anything

[whomever]

It might be worth asking your doc. We spend a lot of time in the backcountry, and our GP gave us a prescription (and advice) for a couple of antibiotics for our first aid kit. We were careful to explain the intended use wasn't to self-medicate in town, and only intended to use them while waiting for a rescue (or self-rescuing).

He picked two and said '#1 is for diseases A, B, C, ...; #2 is for diseases M, N, O, ..., and if you aren't sure they don't have any negative interactions so take both'.

Since insurance doesn't cover a prescription like that, he picked two that were on Target's $5 list.

His directions and the pills are in our first aid kit.

Not all docs will be agreeable, but it might be worth asking at your next physical.

[Rick R]

How long does shelf life last beyond a year? Any potential issues, besides lack of potency if taking expired antibiotics? I heard that expiration dates on medication are primarily a regulatory requirement.

One Second After trilogy was scary read.

I took doxycycline daily for a few years due to a skin issue and the prescribing doctor (who I greatly trust) warned that it could become toxic at some point after the expiration date.

One Second After is a thought provoking series though there are still people living a lifestyle here in WV who wouldn’t really notice for a couple years.

[MickAK]

I would add antibiotic eye drops to that kit. Having a family member lose vision over an easily treatable infection would suck.

More important than having the materials is having the knowledge and training to use it or be able to seek the advice of those that have it. Infections can be difficult in that regard. Being able to send pictures with your emergency communications is really helpful for telemedicine.

[Sensei]

If we’re talking about random, oral, prophylactic antibiotics where the prevalence of disease is low, then they are more likely to harm you. A good example would be packing a dose of cipro and keflex in case you get shot in downtown Newark.

On the other hand, targeted oral, prophylactic antibiotics where the prevalence of disease is higher may have a role. This is illustrated by soldiers being given cipro and keflex in their aid bags in case they are blown up by an IED in the desert where the sand is carrying all kinds of nasty shit and definitive care could be hours away.