Bring More Meds Than You Need......

[NMLady]

Through the period of time we have been prescribed certain medications, I watch the dates carefully and each month I refill the Rx a few days earlier than I did the month before. Those three of four extra pills each month accumulate to give me a fair 'back up'. Most insurers allow refills up to a week in advance of the date they were refilled the month prior. Some insurers also permit (maybe once a year) an early refill because of travel plans. Special request has to be made but I have had that approved.

 

Build a small back up supply to have in case of emergency such as flooding we've seen lately, blizzard or travel delays etc

 

 

That's what we do as well. In Sept/Oct we'll be cruising for 33 days and I've already started the early monthly refills on hubby's meds . Some of his meds are filled for 3months at a time and I also know which of those I'll have to have filled way early. I simply write a request to the V.A. pharmacy two weeks before we leave and they'll mail the Rx when they receive the written request. I've had to do that in the past for some of our longer land vacations.

One of his meds is much more critical and for that we built up an extra 30-day supply quite awhile ago and we've always carried quite a bit extra of it with us.

[earl_m]

I bring about 3 days extra, I think I will be bringing about a week extra

from now on!

[sail7seas]

<snip>

One of his meds is much more critical and for that we built up an extra 30-day supply quite awhile ago and we've always carried quite a bit extra of it with us.

 

 

For those that build up a small back up supply, be certain to cycle using the oldest pills first. You don't want them to get past expiration date.

 

Seems obvious but can be easy to forget to do this.

 

[CruisinManiac]

i saw a lady on the news the other night that takes some synthetic thyroid medicine that is not available outside the US. she was running low and having to ration.

 

On a HAL cruise (my first) I carried my medicine container (the type with the days of the week) in my purse and somehow dumped part of it somewhere between my hotel in ATL and the ship in San Diego. The missing meds were not in my purse. :rolleyes: At the time, I only took one RX and it was Synthroid for my thyroid. I ended up having to split the remainder pills each day to get through my trip.

 

Since then, I have taken a couple of extra days worth of my many prescriptions and OTC meds. When we go to Europe next year (volcanic activity permitting :rolleyes:), I believe I'll just take the bottles.

[NMLady]

For those that build up a small back up supply, be certain to cycle using the oldest pills first. You don't want them to get past expiration date.

 

Seems obvious but can be easy to forget to do this.

 

That's a good point and something I make sure that I do. [i'm the one who puts hubby's pills out each week in the weekly holder, who calendars the refill reminders, who packs his pills for trips].

[jcrandle]

Very good advice, indeed. Thanks

[m steve]

you can play for pills in your canasta game.:D

[LVSue]

Like most, I take a few extra days' worth. Twice during unforeseen family emergencies I have run out. Once my SIL doc wrote me scrips for extras; in Paris I simply took the list of prescriptions to the pharmacy and they filled them, as I knew they would. I know I've been lucky, but it seems that there is often a simple solution. I'm thinking of asking my doc to write extra scrips for trips. The main thing I have to worry about is forgetting them in the first place, which I almost did this trip.