[OKcherokee]

I have recently been jotting down ides for things to put in a SHTF bag. I want it to be kind of a general, all purpose bag of supplies that I can have in my vehicle so it basically goes where ever I go. It will most likely stay in my vehicle while I am at work.
I am planning to have some medicines in it, like pain killers, allergy pills, poison ivy treatment, nausea pills, etc.
Being that it gets over 100 in the summer and below freezing (teens, sometimes single digits) in the winter here, what effect will these temperatures have on pills/pastes, if any?
Any items you know of that I should not put in the bag during the hottest/coldest times of the year, considering the bag will remain in a vehicle?

 

[robinsre]

Most over the counter medicines will not be adversely affected by those sorts of temperatures.

You'd need to be a bit more specific, but things like ibuprofen, pepto, dramamine, etc are all fine. At the very most prolonged exposure (years) will reduce the effectiveness and certain topical lotions may precipitate out of solution.

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[OKcherokee]

Most over the counter medicines will not be adversely affected by those sorts of temperatures.

You'd need to be a bit more specific, but things like ibuprofen, pepto, dramamine, etc are all fine. At the very most prolonged exposure (years) will reduce the effectiveness and certain topical lotions may precipitate out of solution.

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Thanks for the info.

 

[OKcherokee]

Anyone else have any input here?

 

[XDM9CWA]

humidity/moisture is what damages most medicines which is why they expire... and also UV light (so keep it in a UV resistant container -- your bag should do)

if you can seal them from moisture, they can last much longer...

intense heat (above 220F) can damage powder medicines but extreme cold probably does not, but extreme cold will damage liquid medicines (freezing can change the chemical bonds of the medicine in some instances)....

liquid medicines are never meant to last anyway... so don't bother stocking those unless you have no choice...

powder is the way to go, tablets are better than capsules (and avoid those liquigels)

 

[OKcherokee]

humidity/moisture is what damages most medicines which is why they expire... and also UV light (so keep it in a UV resistant container -- your bag should do)

if you can seal them from moisture, they can last much longer...

intense heat (above 220F) can damage powder medicines but extreme cold probably does not, but extreme cold will damage liquid medicines (freezing can change the chemical bonds of the medicine in some instances)....

liquid medicines are never meant to last anyway... so don't bother stocking those unless you have no choice...

powder is the way to go, tablets are better than capsules (and avoid those liquigels)

I knew the liquigels would not like the cold, but I had not considered the humidity and how it could potentially effect tablets. I may seal as many things as possible in ziplock type bags. Waterproofing never hurts, it is for SHTF, never know what situations that may be.

Thanks for the input.

 

[XDM9CWA]

I knew the liquigels would not like the cold, but I had not considered the humidity and how it could potentially effect tablets. I may seal as many things as possible in ziplock type bags. Waterproofing never hurts, it is for SHTF, never know what situations that may be.

Thanks for the input.

no problem...

I would recommend one of those vacuum bag sealing things that costco or other stores sell to seal food... (foodsaver or something)...

I believe if you can afford it, it's a good SHTF prep tool...

as with a lot of things (including ammo, weapons, electronics, etc), it's moisture/humidity that damages things...

 

[N.E. Tx.XD]

A little humor??

Cold medicines take the "wind" out of your sails. And the best thing for nausea is vomiting! Pepto is like syrup of ipecac to me. 10 mins after taking any...I toss. Works GREAT!!

Other than that....good advise given here. :mrgreen:

 

[Groo]

don't worry about waterproofing them, just leave them in the factory containers. blister-packs are ideal for what you want.

 

[Clinton1621]

I work in a pharmacy... moisture, humidity, high temps, below freezing temps, and light exposure all have negative effects on pills... they should ideally be stored at a stable temp in a dark, moisture resistant container... otherwise the effectiveness can be reduced dramatically.

 

[XDM9CWA]

don't worry about waterproofing them, just leave them in the factory containers. blister-packs are ideal for what you want.

it depends on the packaging... paper backed blister packs fail all the time...

these packs are more for convenience to the end user and was never designed as an aid for keeping shelf life... even the plastic bottles are not really air tight (and have a lot of air within that contain moisture...

its' one thing to have a pack you replace regularly (then ziplock works), it's another to have a SHTF pack that you may need to remember you had it in the first place...

(disclaimer: I work in the medical field but it's been a while since I went through the pharmacy class... so my info may be old)

 

[Groo]

it depends on the packaging... paper backed blister packs fail all the time...

these packs are more for convenience to the end user and was never designed as an aid for keeping shelf life... even the plastic bottles are not really air tight (and have a lot of air within that contain moisture...

its' one thing to have a pack you replace regularly (then ziplock works), it's another to have a SHTF pack that you may need to remember you had it in the first place...

(disclaimer: I work in the medical field but it's been a while since I went through the pharmacy class... so my info may be old)

I have never seen medicine in a blister pack that was just paper, and any small bottle will be air tight, until you open them.

 

[Clinton1621]

I have never seen medicine in a blister pack that was just paper, and any small bottle will be air tight, until you open them.

They are not air tight unless they are stock bottles that are still factory sealed... try filling them with liquid and see if they leak around the lid

Blister packs are not meant for long term storage... I used to do blister packing for meds that were delivered to nursing homes, the process traps air inside the 'blister' which reacts to temperature variances, swelling and shrinking unless they are stored properly, ie... not in your car.

 

[XDM9CWA]

I have never seen medicine in a blister pack that was just paper, and any small bottle will be air tight, until you open them.

Im referring to the backing material. They use a thin aluminum foil in some cases but that was easily tampered so they added paper.

Get one of your blisterpack meds and put them in a glass of water and see how they do.

Even the plastic part sometimes fails.

As for bottles the factory sealed ones do have silica gel and a sealed top so they do better. But same deal they can still fail. Also getting them soaked can erase the label making it difficult to know whats in them.


Ill let the OP decide what he wants to do.

 

[OKcherokee]

Haha, I have some allergy pills that are in the blister pack and some pain pills that are in a small bottle.
I plan on leaving the bottle unopened, and will probably place both in one of the "zipper style" zip-locks. Or maybe the freezer style bags that have the double zipper closure.
Besides, I could probably come up with a few uses for the zip-locks in a SHTF scenario, may as well have some with me. They will add another layer of waterproofing without really adding any weight.

 

[HB of CJ]

Yep...you REALLY want to keep your BOB in your vehicle at all times. Don't ask me how I learned this...the hard way. Embarrassing. Extreme temperature swings are the problem.

Our attached garage can easily hit 110F during the summer and mid-teens in the winter. We once tried to keep the BOB bags (two of them) in the front door closet. Didn't work.

Seems we just learned...NOT TO TAKE THEM! Ouch! Painful and $expensive$! NOW they remain in the two (2) suvs 102% of the time. I stock heavy on meds, being a retarded (retired) RN.

You may have to rotate the Rx type of meds every year or sooss. They do have some shelf life being subjected to heavy heat and cold. The over the counter stuff may last two or three years.

My personal Rx stuff gets cycled thru the bags and consumed every 30 days. Fun to do. This means the BOB bags have fresh Rx stuff we need to take every day. Getting old! HB of CJ (old coot)