Medicines that will be Worth their Weight in Gold Post-Collapse

Biohackers and Preppers have a lot in common philosophically.

Biohackers, fundamentally, are preppers, they are long-term thinkers who aren't fooled by normalcy bias, they take action and implement rational, evidence-based steps to fortify their health against predictable chronic diseases, aging, and cognitive decline.

Sober thinkers around the globe are increasingly preparing for a less comfortable life. Is there going to be an apocalyptic global collapse? Who knows!  What's certain is that we live in an entropic world. Numerous philosophers and analysts credibly predict collapse, especially in mega-cities. In cities where millions depend on fragile just-in-time shipping infrastructure, EBT “food stamps” system, or the over-leveraged electrical grid, life will get very Darwinian quickly when things break down. The masses will get very desperate when grocery store shelves are barren. Especially desperate will be those who need medicine regularly to stay alive or manage chronic health conditions like Diabetes, Asthma, heart disease, epileptic seizures, and cancer.

I'm not suggesting disaster capitalism in the event of a collapse.

I'm suggesting that you stockpile what people will desperately need so that you can be a pillar of your community in its time of greatest need. I'm suggesting that you can buy loyalty by saving lives when pharmacies are looted empty and hospitals are overwhelmed. I'm suggesting that you be charitable to those who most need it. And, if in a collapse, you find yourself desperate for food, water, transportation, lodging, or protection certain drugs and medicines will be worth their weight in gold as barter items - many of these be purchased discretely at RUPharma.com.

A lot of the items on this list are pharmaceuticals. Generally, I'm anti-pharma, I stringently avoid using big pharma products. Like most Biohackers, I guard and empower my health by using the most credible organic supplements, exercise, and mindfulness practice. I'm very discriminating about my diet and lead a toxin-avoidant lifestyle. I'd much rather pay for the ounce of prevention now than the pound of cure later. But, pharmaceuticals have their place, sometimes a serious illness, disease, or injury demands a more hardcore pharmacological intervention.

You might be thinking...

Why stockpile medicine and pharmacueticals for the collapse? Food, water, guns and gold or silver will be more important. And pharmacueticals suck! Half the time they seem to do more harm than good and the companies selling them seem downright evil!

I agree with a lot of this sentiment but as preppers, we don't know how bad the collapse will be, how long it will last, and how desperate we will get. Pharmaceutics, with their side effects, are worth using in the effect of a life-threatening infection, for example. We don't know if (or how badly) ourselves or loved ones may be injured. We don't know what kinds of health problems we may develop bereft of the abundance of modernity. Even if you and yours manage to remain uninjured and in good health in a collapse, you're still going to need to make money to keep a roof over your head and food on the table. Medicine, even, pharmaceuticals that you might choose not to use now, will be in demand and valuable.

Antibiotics for Infections

As a Biohacker, I'm generally not a fan of antibiotics, I think they are radically overprescribed and overused in modernity. But, post-collapse they will become essential; there will be a lot of injured people, something like a broken ankle could be deadly, and infectious diseases will become more common. A few antibiotics worth stocking up on... 

• Azithromycin - An affordable and lower-impact antibiotic. It treats bacterial intestinal infections along with strep throat, pneumonia, traveler's diarrhea, bacterial sinusitis, or bronchitis.
• Ciprofloxacin - Cipro is a common, powerful antibiotic; it can be used to treat skin, bone, and joint infections along with typhoid fever, and infectious diarrhea. It has a wide and scary range of common side effects. I wouldn't take it unless I was dealing with a life-threatening infection, but post-collapse, I might be!

The good thing about antibiotics as a prep is that you can stockpile them and then forget about them until you need them. Antibiotics will still work after years or even decades of sitting in storage. According to a Harvard study:

90% of more than 100 drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date.

Some other notable infection countermeasures...

Hydrogen Peroxide - Stocking a few bottles of this cheap antiseptic is smart as it fends off bacterial infections and illnesses like the flu and common cold. Hydrogen Peroxide is more of a treatment option than a prevention option, you would want to use it upon the onset of symptoms.

• Often viruses get into our bodies via our ears and you can safely disinfect your ears by pouring a few drops of the stuff into your ears; it will bubble and maybe sting just a little and then you drain it out of your ear after a minute or two. If people are sneezing and coughing around you and you're paranoid about catching a bug, it would take just a few minutes to deposit hydrogen peroxide in your ears before taking a shower and then just wash it out. Avoid getting it in your eyes. It might improve your hearing as it will wash out some old earwax that might be hanging around in there.
• A small cut that draws blood could be a serious thing post-collapse, in history people died regularly of small flesh wounds and history may repeat itself. Hydrogen Peroxide is an effective way to disinfect cuts and wounds.
• Upon onset of symptoms, you would also want to gargle about a tablespoon of the stuff for a minute. Anecdotally, it cures toothaches, it helps with dental infections.

It's very affordable (6 bottles is just $15), and it can be stored for years at room temperature, just keep it out of the sunlight and use it within 6 months of opening a bottle.

Rubbing Alcohol - This is another cheap, lasts-forever prep that should be stocked. A few dabs of alcohol could save a cut from turning gangrenous.

Soap and Dental Supplies - Don't forget about the more mundane hygiene products. In the collapse, you'll still want to wash your hands and push your teeth (lest your dating life suffer!)

Colloidal Silver - Is perhaps a bit of a victim of its own success and some of the very colorful internet personalities who promote it, but there are hundreds of scientific papers published about it and five clinical trials. Silver is a powerful natural antiviral, antibacterial agent, we call our eating utensils silverware, because in the past those who could afford to, preferred to eat with silver utensils because it disinfected food and supported the immunity of the diner - this is one of the reasons why silver is a valuable metal in the first place.

Colloidal Silver

Category: Nootropic Ingredients

There's evidence that Colloidal Silver is better than pharmaceutical antibiotics...

Colloidal silver is a natural broad-spectrum antiseptic that fights infection, subdues inflammation, and promotes healing... It can be taken by mouth, administered intravenously, or applied topically. 

Research on colloidal silver shows it to be an effective resource against infections and pathogens, yet very little is known about it by the general public or the medical profession. Prior to 1938 it was in common use by doctors. According to Alexander G. Schauss, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University, considerable scientific evidence has been published regarding the effectiveness of silver as an antiseptic against "several hundred pathogenic organisms."

Pain Killers

The collapse will be a pain, figuratively and literally! Violence will be more common and many will be injured, maybe even yourself or your loved ones. A stash of painkillers is a real no-brainer that should be near the top of the list of medical preps to stockpile, they are not expensive and they'll remain effective for years, perhaps decades after their expiration dates.

• Maxgalin - A specialty painkiller medication prescribed for fibromyalgia, partial-onset seizures, and neuropathic pain that is a result of nerve damage from diabetes, shingles, or injuries of the back and spinal cord.

Insulin for Diabetics

28 million people in the USA are Diabetic, and millions more who are pre-Diabetic may see their health improve in a collapse because store shelves will be empty, they won't have access to Coca-Cola and junk food, they'll be eating rice and doing a lot of involuntary fasting. Diabetics dependent on Insulin will have a rougher time, unfortunately, a lot of them will probably die because Insulin will become hard to find. 

Insulin isn't cheap, but you can anticipate it becoming very valuable in a collapse as it will save lives. Supplies of certain kinds of Insulin or Insulin pens run hundreds of dollars. You would want to prep vials of Novolin R, Novolin N, and Novolin 70/30. A vial of Novolin R can be bought online for about $75, apparently, it's cheaper at Walmart if you live in a state where Insulin is non-prescription. Insulin analogs are a lot more affordable but effective and probably what a lot of Diabetics will have to settle for in a collapse. Along with Insulin, you would want to stockpile needles and syringes, as the back-alley sources of such things post-collapse will be very questionable.

Regulation can make getting Insulin tricky, different states have different prescription requirements. If I were going to prep Insulin, I would just order it discretely online with cryptocurrency. 

Insulin should be refrigerated at between 36°F - 46°F. This makes it a prep exclusively for more sophisticated preppers who have something like a solar powdered refrigerator or a bug-out location somewhere that's cold most of the year. Unlike a lot of pharmaceuticals, stored Insulin doesn't last forever in storage, it expires in about 2 years and unrefrigerated Insulin should be thrown out after 28 days. So it's high-maintenance prep but worth getting some of if you're putting together a super stash of medical supplies. 

Metformin

Also referred to as Glucophage or Glycomet is one of the better pharmaceutical tools for Diabetics to manage their condition. In a collapse, Diabetics will suffer from Insulin crashes which Metformin increases the body's sensitivity to. Metformin is another stockpile-it-and-forget-it-and-forget-it prep. Unlike some of these other medical preps, Metformin is cheap, costing less than a dollar a pill, so it's kind of a no-brainer as a medical prep.

Metformin

Category: Nootropic Ingredients

Asthma

Sadly, many who suffer from Asthma will have a rough time in a collapse. Their condition will be exacerbated by diminished or non-existent access to the medicine they need and potentially, an environmental catastrophe that further pollutes the air we all breathe. A couple of medical preps that could save an asthmatic's life...

• Asthma Inhalers - Are an ideal prep as they can be bought cheaply online and stored at room temperature long-term. Asthma.net suggests that you can probably disregard expiration dates on inhalers - they remain safe and effective for years.
• Montelukast - A pharmaceutical that helps asthmatics cope - Montelukast belongs to the leukotriene inhibitor class of drugs whose repeated use can help relieve asthma-related symptoms, such as labored breathing and chest pain, as well as reduce or prevent asthmatic attacks.

Antidepressants

I'm not a fan of many pharmaceutical antidepressants; they have a range of concerning side effects and often they don't even outperform placebos in clinical trials. I'd rather people use tools like meditation, exercise, and an organic diet to improve their mental health. But, in a collapse, there will also be a tremendous mental health crisis when masses are bereft of their meds. In our excessively comfortable modern society, a lot of people just can't handle life - 26% of Americans suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year according to John Hopkins, so you can just imagine what it will be like in a collapse. While I wouldn't take them, I'd stock up on some common antidepressants that some may really need...

• Bupropion
• Celexa
• Escitalopram
• Paxil
• Prozac 
• Zoloft

Immune Enhancers

The collapse is going to be a collective immune catastrophe, whether or not a disease epidemic causes the collapse, it will be a detrimental factor that will impact us all. Caloric scarcity will make people more susceptible to viruses and infections. Without easy access to medicine sold at pharmacies, a nasty case of the flu will be life-threatening instead of merely a nuisance. It's a really good idea to stockpile immune enhancers, these might save a life and they will certainly be valuable.

• Vitamins C, D, K2, and A - These four essential vitamins are the most crucial to supporting the immune system and are things you should be supplementing now. They make for ideal preps because you can buy them cheaply, store them at room temperature and they will be safe and effective even after years (or possibly decades) of sitting in storage.
• Viraday - Viraday is a fixed-dose antiretroviral combination medication designed to inhibit the ability of retroviruses to self-replicate and spread throughout the body, gradually wearing down the immune system. 
• Tenvir - Is a potent pharmaceutical for treating hepatitis B and HIV infection.

HIV/AIDS Medication

You probably don't have HIV but a lot of people do and in a collapse, they'll be desperate for HIV treatment medication. A lot of preppers imagine that in a collapse people will become a whole lot less degenerate, there will be a predictable resurgence of monogamy and religiosity. But in the collapse, sexually transmitted diseases will be a bigger problem, people will still be having sex, but condoms will become very scarce as will the common medication that doctors prescribe to treat and cure STDs. Diseases like syphilis will again become life-threatening infections.

Antidiarrheals

Diarrhea might not seem life-threatening, but it can last for a while causing severe dehydration which impacts immunity making you more susceptible to more serious diseases. From Wikipedia: 

Diarrhea can cause electrolyte imbalances, kidney impairment, dehydration, and defective immune system responses.

Stock a few packages of common Antidiarrheals; like Imodium (loperamide), Pepto-Bismol, or Paregoric.

Anti-Inflammatories

There's going to be a lot of pain post-collapse. Those around you will suffer from broken arms, sprained ankles, strained backs, and a myriad of other injuries. Anti-inflammatories can be amazing pain relievers for those in need. While I would use natural anti-inflammatory herbs, food, and medicine were I injured, I would want to have some anti-inflammatory pharmaceuticals in deep storage. Things like Aspirin, Ibuprofen, and Naproxen.

Modafinil

This is a powerful anti-narcolepsy pharmaceutical that makes you very awake for 8 - 12 hours along with enhancing cognition. Anyone who has tried Modafinil can understand why it would be very useful in a post-collapse setting...

• It heightens alertness and vigilance - you'll be very aware of what's going on around you on it.
• It enhances motor control, on it, you'll be better at playing basketball, video games, or driving a car. It would also make you a better shooter.
• Modafinil's upsides are not with downsides; addiction risk is low but it boosts histamine in the brain, which can be problematic for some, you want to keep an eye out for autoimmune reactions like rashes and itchy skin. It also has for many a steep tolerance curve, if you take it every day you'll likely run into diminishing effects.

Post-collapse, masses of the population will be chronically underslept and coffee, what most people use as a pick-me-up, will become a luxury.

NeoModafinil.com offers some deep discounts on Modafinil orders placed with cryptocurrency - which is the smart way to pay for it.

Nootropil

Also known as Piracetam is the classic Nootropic cognitive enhancer. In a collapse when everyone is underslept and stressed, Nootropil will give you an uptick in cognition, attention, and problem-solving ability. It's neuroprotective and a promoter of neuroplasticity, so it would be very helpful to anyone who suffered a concussion or head injury. It can be stored at room temperature and remains safe and effective for years.

Piracetam

Category: Nootropic Ingredients

 Coffee

One of the more mundane things that's going to suck about the collapse is being bereft of coffee! While daily, I insist on drinking the good stuff, toxin-free organic coffee, in my prepping stash I'll stockpile a few kilos of crappy, cheapo coffee, in a collapse situation serving steaming cups of this stuff will most certainly earn me some friends!

Radiation Protection

In a collapse, nuclear radiation may be what kills you. The most pessimistic collapse scenarios envision multiple (up to 450) nuclear reactor meltdowns and the specter of nuclear war still looms with unpredictable states possessing nuclear arsenals. How would you fortify yourself against this terrifying invisible threat?

• Potassium Iodide - If you watched HBO's recent series Chernobyl, you'll remember the scientists taking little white pills as the catastrophe unfolds - Potassium Iodide, also called Nuke Pills. the CDC advises that taking a single 125-milligram tablet would serve as a protective measure for the Thyroid in a radioactive environment. Potassium Iodide is an ideal medical prep as it's very cheap and can be stored at room temperature for many years.

Kratom

In our society, vast numbers are addicted to opioids sadly, heroin and pain pill addicts will be desperate and violently unpredictable in a collapse. While I would do almost anything to avoid these kinds of people, especially in a collapse Kratom is a natural herbal opioid that helps many addicts taper off more dangerous drugs - it might be a good idea to have some stashed, it will become valuable. It's also a powerful natural painkiller, that might provide some much-needed relief.

Nicotine

One of the things that there will unfortunately still probably be a thriving market for post-collapse is cigarettes, smokers will want to smoke and they'll pay for that Nicotine hit. You might want to stash some packs of smokes as small barter items. A healthier alternative is Nicotine booster shots that you can buy cheaply at vape shops, these will work as barter items because people will want Nicotine however they can get it.

RUPharma.com offers many of the medicines listed above at very competitive prices.

If privacy and anonymity matter to you, it's a really smart idea to order these kinds of things with Cryptocurrency, your financial institution will not hesitate to turn your financial records over to a court.

Medicines that will be Worth their Weight in Gold Post-Collapse - Limitless Mindset

Ripple

Monero

Litecoin

Ethereum

Dash

Bitcoin

It should go without saying that you must research and look up the side effects of pharmaceuticals BEFORE taking them. I almost categorically avoid pharmaceuticals because they often do more harm than good, I use herbal, nutraceutical, and clean dietary supplements to maintain my health. But, in a post-collapse setting in a lot of instances, the side effects will be worth the life-saving pharmacological properties of these drugs.

The best medical prepping measure is getting healthy now

Those with chronic health conditions will have a rough time in a collapse, many will perish tragically. You need to be in good enough shape to run away from danger, walk 10 miles, pick up heavy stuff, or hold your own in a street fight. It's never been easier and more affordable to get in amazing health. In a collapse, you won't easily be able to order health supplements online or use all the cool transformative biohacks that you can now. In a collapse, you'll likely be bereft of the internet and all its empowering health information. It's a smart idea to stock your bookshelf with some old-fashioned non-digital books about prepping or emergency first aid.

I'll reemphasize the point, I made at the top of this article, disaster capitalism in a collapse is a bad idea because your competition will be violent gangs and cartels who will rob, kill, or torture you if they think you have a valuable stash of medicine. You'll need to be very discrete about your stash and prepared to defend it. You're much better off building a network of fellow preppers NOW who you can trust and bartering with them after the collapse.