Be Ready Utah: How to manage prescription medications during an emergency

SALT LAKE CITY — It’s impossible to plan for everything when an emergency occurs, but when it comes to items like prescription medications it’s vital to have a plan in place. 

Wade Mathews with Be Ready Utah joined Dave Noriega and Debbie Dujanovic, also known as D2, to discuss managing prescription drugs in an emergency.

Keeping track of medications during an emergency

Some people may have medications they need to take daily. Mathews says to store those medications in a container labeled with the days of the week.

“Getting one of those little plastic compartmentalized pill boxes and fill that up,” he told Dave and Dujanoic.

If you already have one, he says to duplicate it. 

“Besides the one you use in your cabinet on a daily, regular basis, that should go in your disaster supply kit,” Mathews says.

Ensure that you check the expiration date of your medication and rotate it out when needed. Mathews suggests writing the date on the container when you fill it.

Another way to ensure you have the medications you need is to establish consistency with a pharmacy. 

“More of a long-term preparedness plan for medications is using the same pharmacist, establishing a history at that location,” Mathews says.

One last suggestion Mathews offers is to keep an empty bag near your medications to use if an emergency does take place. 

Dujanovic mentions that it may be a good idea for children to know what medications their parents would need if a home evacuation is necessary. 

Mathews agrees with Dujanovic saying that a written schedule could be beneficial for children to know what exactly to grab.

Dave adds that if immediate care is needed for a family member, knowing what dosage of medication they take could be crucial to first responders. 

To learn more about Be Ready Utah, click here. 

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