Tag Archives: fish antibiotics

What We Did This Week To Prep 5/18/12

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The sunny warm spring weather, up here in the Northwest (it doesn’t normally happen this way), motivated Sarah to get some of the plants out of the greenhouse and into the ground this week. She didn’t do all of them, but she did transplant the several varieties of squash and the green beans. Hopefully, when the temperatures return back to our normal “temperate” levels the plants will be okay (it really doesn’t get, and stay, warm here until July); if temperatures get too cold we’ll cover up the young plants at night. Sarah also planted all the seeds into the garden. The tomatoes, and a couple of other things, are still in the greenhouse for a few more weeks. It’s also fun to see our perennials: raspberries, strawberries, lavender, asparagus, rhubarb, and some of the herbs that we planted last year coming back to life and growing again.

Sarah spent this week in Portland for a business trip; since I have Sunday and Monday off, I went down with her for a couple of days. We left early Sunday morning and drove all the way down to “meet” some prepper friends who we had previously only known through the internet. It was fun to meet and talk face to face. They recently bought a wonderful, river front, homestead in western Oregon. It was about a six-hour drive to get there; but OR is beautiful this time of year, we enjoyed the one on one time, and the drive passed quickly. We enjoyed seeing their new homestead in it’s raw form. It’s always easy to sit back and say when I get “mine” I’ll do this or I won’t do that, but once you’re actually there that gets tougher to do. They are actually doing it. They have an amazing vision for the property and are making plans to accomplish their goals. It’s too bad they don’t lived closer to us so we could help them more, but we wish them the very best in their endeavors! Seeing their property makes us want our own place even more.

The fish antibiotics arrived that I ordered last week. We ordered through a company called Aqua-Products. They had the best prices and their deliver was very quick. Even after all I’ve read and heard about fish antibiotics and human antibiotics being the exact same thing I still felt just slightly skeptical. As I had all these generic looking fish pill bottles sitting in front of me, I decided to open a bottle and look at the pills (I hadn’t actually done that before, not wanting to break the seal). The Aqua-Mox, which is amoxicillin 500 mg capsules, was red and pink with ‘WC 731’ written on both halves. I looked it up drugs.com Pill Identification Wizard, and it matched exactly with amoxicillin 500 mg. This unequivocally convinced me they are all the same, they all come from the same place, and the only difference is the label on the bottle.

What did you do?

What We Did This Week To Prep 5/11/12

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Today is my 100th post. On one hand that number amazes me and I can’t believe I’ve written that much, but on the other it seems like I’ve been doing this forever. I said I’d write, three times a week, for a year and see where I am at that point — I’m into the 9th month.

We went to Costco. It was a relatively light trip, actually under budget. Since we had a little extra, we again added to our stock of over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Right now OTC generic meds, like: ibuprofen, acetaminophen (Tylenol), diphenhydramine (Benadryl, for allergies), loperamide (anti-diarrheal), pseudoephedrine (Sudafed, for congestion), guaifenesin (Mucinex, a cough suppressant), hydrocortisone (topical for skin problems), loratadine (Claritin, 24-hour allergy med) and daily multi-vitamins are all cheap and readily available. If you keep them stored in a cool, dry, dark place, they’ll last a long time. There may be a time in the future they’re not as readily available, so stock up now–even if you don’t use them much on a regular basis–you’ll be glad you have them then. Remember, as with all your preps, rotate your stock and always use the oldest first.

On the medication category we also budgeted money to buy more fish antibiotics. We already have the fish version of amoxicillin, cephalexin, and metronidazole. I ordered more amoxicillin (probably the best, widest spectrum antibiotic available in the “fish market”), more cephalexin (a good antibiotic to use for cellulitis, which I believe will be a very common type of collapse infection), doxycycline, and ciprofloxacin. We’re still not quite where I want to be, but probably a good 2/3rds of the way. Again, these are only to use after a total collapse, but at that point they will be life-saving. This is another item you can buy now, easily and inexpensively and safely store for years; and it’ll be invaluable to have in your preps if the SHTF. Unlike almost everything else we store, this is not to be rotated and used on a regular basis. This is only for a collapse, and then only to be used with proper care and education, and sparingly. If things collapse, on a large-scale, it’s likely these will never be available again.

We’ve been shooting airsoft regularly and really enjoying our little airsoft pistol. Sarah, Ryan, Alison, and I have all been shooting on our small “indoor range” inside the house; now that the weather is getting nice we go outside and shoot cans and plastic bottles off the picnic table (Sarah, especially, is getting really good). Since we’re using it so much I’ve decided to upgrade to a better, more accurate airsoft pistol. I’m also considering getting a tactical-style rifle to incorporate into our training.

On a related note, security and home defense have been in the forefront of my mind this past week. I recently read Holding Their Own and looked through Holding Your Ground, both by Joe Nobody. Also a prepper friend and I have been discussing homestead security concerns and ways to address them. Then Jack, on The Survival Podcast, did a show this week on “Security During a Break Down” (TSP episode 899) which made me do even more thinking on the topic. Security isn’t something to panic about, but it definitely needs to be part of your planning. As Jack said on the show, of your five basic needs, your body tells you when you need food, water, shelter, and energy–but sometimes you don’t know you need security until it’s too late.

I hope everyone is enjoying their spring weather and shaking off the “long dark winter” cobwebs; it’s been especially nice here. If at all possible, plant a garden this summer, start it this week if you haven’t already (it’s not too late). Even if it has to be something small; start learning the skills, eating healthier food, and learning an appreciation for growing something with your own hands.

What did you do this week?

What I Did This Week To Prep 11/4/11

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We had our first ‘lights out’ drill this week. Unfortunately I can’t call it a success, other than in the sense that we learn from our failures (hopefully).

Coming off the successful test of powering the deep freezer (for over four days), using the batter bank and inverter – I was ready to take the next step. This one was to see how the battery bank would do powering devices inside the house we would like to be able to use during a power outage.

My goal:

  1. Power two lamps, to light the living room / kitchen area, each with two CFL bulbs (compact fluorescent lamp – low energy)
  2. Power our 29 inch TV (older cathode ray tube type) and DVD player
  3. Charge the cell phones
  4. Use the microwave for limited cooking

Outcome:

  1. Batteries were discharged after about 1 1/2 hours of watching the movie (The Sting), and having the lamps on
  2. I forgot to charge the cell phones
  3. The microwave tripped the breaker after less than two minutes

What I learned:

  1. LED flashlights are great; I love our new Duracell Daylite LED two D cell flashlights
  2. Thoroughly check, and be familiar with, your equipment – before the incident
  3. Ensure the battery bank is fully charged
  4. The inverter shuts itself off when the batteries reach 10.50 volts
  5. Buying a quality system and running it through a cheap circuit breaker is dumb

What went well:

  1. Storing the main extension cord near the battery bank (14 gauge, 50 foot)
  2. Taking the opportunity to teach Ryan about the circuit breaker box
  3. Having plenty of accessory extension cords
  4. Once lamps were on (from batteries), putting the flashlights in a central place (easy to find in the dark)

If the power had really been out, we would have fallen back on our redundancy planning and gotten out the lanterns and candles.

The biggest mistake was assuming that since the battery bank, through the inverter, had been plugged in for almost a week that the batteries would be fully charged – so I didn’t think to check first. Yesterday (several days after the drill) I discovered the circuit breaker (a cheap plastic one)–between the batteries and the inverter–had failed and wasn’t allowing the batteries to charge. After seeing that I realized that during our drill our batteries probably weren’t fully charged (likely very low charge to begin with).

I rewired the batteries directly to the inverter (there’s still the inverter’s internal circuit breaker, the external one was a backup) and the batteries immediately began recharging. I’ll order a higher quality circuit breaker this weekend. When the breaker arrives, I’ll do an unofficial drill during the day and see how long the fully charged batteries will run the lamps, TV and DVD player. (Buying stuff is easy, this testing and figuring out is a pain…)

We also transplanted our pepper plants (one jalapeno and one habanero) from the garden into pots so we could bring them into the house for the winter. I hadn’t known until recently that peppers, in their natural habitat, are perennials; we think of them as annuals because our winters get too cold for them to survive. Next year we’ll just put the pot outside for the summer. So instead of starting with brand new plants again, we’ll have mature ones and see how they do. As a baseline, this year we got three, very mild, jalapenos and no habaneros at all.

Lastly, we had budgeted money for buying fish antibiotics this month. So I ordered AQUA-MOX (amoxicillin 500 mg, 100 capsules), AQUA-FLEX (cephalexin 500mg, 100 capsules) and AQUA-ZOLE (metronidazole 250mg, 100 tablets). I stored them away in a cool, dry, dark location in their original containers.

What did you do?

(Monday: The Hassles of Storing Gasoline)

(10/30/11)

Can You Store Antibiotics In Your Preps?

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“The first rule of antibiotics is try not to use them, and the second rule is try not to use too many of them.” – Paul Marino The ICU Book 2007

Cellulitis

Last week in Soap and Water I posted about the risk, in a collapse situation, of an infection–from minor cuts and scrapes–known as cellulitis. I linked to Dr. Bones Doom and Bloom blog post, Cellulitis: An Epidemic in a Collapse. Here’s another good article by Dr. Bones, A Doctor’s Thoughts on Antibiotics, Expiration Dates, and TEOTWAWKI. For additional perspective about antibiotics before and during a collapse I recommend comments by Dr. ‘Walker’ on TSP forum. Additional, non-prepper/collapse, antibiotic information can be found at eMedicineHealth.com.

I need to state, though I was previously certified and worked as a paramedic for almost ten years, I am currently not a medical professional of any type; thus I am not giving any professional medical advice. All the information in this post is from open internet sources. As Dr. Bones states “. . . [these] are hypothetical strategies for a post-apocalyptic setting. They are not meant to replace standard care and advice when modern medical technology and resources are available.” And always remember, the practice of medicine or dentistry without a license is illegal and punishable by law.

So with all the caveats stated:

Antibiotics refer to a substance that kills, slows or disrupts the growth of:

  • bacterial infections: caused by a pathogenic (a ‘germ’/microorganism that causes disease) bacteria
  • protozoan infections: caused by a parasitic disease, i.e. giardia which occurs through ingestion of infected fecal contaminated water or food

Antibiotics do not fight infections caused by viruses, such as: colds, flu, most coughs, and most sore throats (unless caused by strep).

Much of my information comes from Dr. Bones. I trust his advice. I applaud him; he is a medical doctor who is willing to say what he believes will save lives in a collapse situation. But as he clearly states, “[This] advice is contrary to standard medical practice, and is a strategy that is appropriate only in the event of societal collapse. If there are modern medical resources available to you, seek them out.”

As discussed in Soap and Water, describing a collapse situation, there are several things that will aggravate the chances of getting an infection: 1) We will be doing more ‘dirty’ jobs, 2) We will be doing a lot more manual labor and other activities that can easily lead to cuts and scrapes, and 3) Clean water and basic hygiene will not be as accessible or convenient. So a relatively minor wound that is ignored while you continue working gets more contaminated; then the wound isn’t thoroughly washed out because clean water is saved for drinking. In a short period of time that wound can develop a serious infection.

Dr. Bones states in Fish Antibiotics in a Collapse, “These injuries can begin to show infection, in the form of redness, heat and swelling, within a relatively short time. Treatment of such infections, called “cellulitis”, at an early stage improves the chance that they will heal quickly and completely.  However, many rugged individualists are most likely to “tough it out” until their condition worsens and spreads to their blood.  This causes a condition known as sepsis; fever ensues as well as other problems that could eventually be life-threatening. The availability of antibiotics would allow the possibility of dealing with the issue safely and effectively.”

Having antibiotics available in a collapse situation will be very important, even lifesaving. The question is how can we as preppers obtain a stockpile to be used if other ‘medical resources’ are no longer available?

Dr. Bones continues, “After years of using [antibiotics] on fish, I decided to evaluate these drugs for their potential use in collapse situations. A close inspection of the bottles revealed that the only ingredient was the drug itself, identical to those obtained by prescription at the local pharmacy. If the bottle says FISH-MOX, for example, the sole ingredient is Amoxicillin, which is an antibiotic commonly used in humans.  There are no additional chemicals . . .”

So it seems that fish antibiotics are the same drugs as used in human antibiotics. I believe that adding fish antibiotics to my preps is a sound strategy. They are available, without a prescription, through many fish supply websites. I have purchased, or plan to purchase, the following:

  • Fish-Mox Forte (amoxicillin 500mg): used to treat infections of the ears, nose, throat, urinary tract, skin, pneumonia, and gonorrhea
  • Fish-Flex Forte (cephalexin 500mg): used to treat infections of the bone, ear, skin, urinary tract, and pneumonia; it has very low side effects, (it is typically safe for those with penicillin allergies)
  • Fish-Flox Forte (ciprofloxacin 500mg): used to treat infections of bones and joints, sinuses, skin, urinary tract, gastroenteritis (stomach ‘flu’), typhoid, plague, and anthrax
  • Aqua-Doxy (doxycycline 100mg): used to treat infections of the sinus and respiratory tract, skin (staph), urinary tract, intestines, chlamydia, anthrax, Rickettsia, Lyme disease, plague, and cholera
  • *Fish-Zole (metronidazole (Flagyl) 250mg): as an antiprotozoal, used to treat giardia and dysentery

For any medication you choose to stock (antibiotics or otherwise) print out the entire drug card and keep that information stored with the drug; a good online source of drug information is the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Also it’s always best to store them in the original package and, like food storage, keep in a dry, dark, cool place.

If you choose to add antibiotics to your preps it is your responsibility to be thoroughly educated about their usages, contradictions, doses, and side effects. This is something you can’t just buy and figure you have it if you need it. Obtain additional medical publications such as the Physicians Desk Reference (PDR) or Delmar Nurse’s Drug Handbook*. Antibiotics are drugs, taking an antibiotic is a medical treatment, do not take this lightly. When I was going through my Army medic training one of my instructors said, “Every medicine you put into the body is a toxin, be sure the benefits outweigh the risks.”

(Wednesday: Expired, or Not Expired; That Is The Question)

* There are many other good references available, these are just two examples. There is no reason to buy a current edition; older editions are much cheaper and have essentially all the information a layperson would ever need.