What to do with Meds

[Ted and Relinda]

Maybe someone could help shed some light on how they handle their meds on board. In getting ready to go out for a couple weeks and preparing meds to be on the water, I ended up with 8 pills for the morning and 8 more for at night. I put each in their own little zip lock baggie ending up with 28 little baggies in a larger zip lock baggie. This works OK for a couple weeks worth, but how do you handle 6 months worth??? Granted, most are just vitamins and supplements that could probably be done away with, but here are several prescriptions that just don't hold up to moisture in the air. Opening and closing bottles every day lets in moisture. I've tried using silica gel packs obtained from the pharmacist but they ony work so long. Any body got a better idea???? Only 8 months left to find an answer. Then how do you deal with mail order scripts. Our insurance wants maintainence drugs mailed..

Ted

[hellosailor]

Ted, six months (180 days, 360 packets) is going to be a bit of work no matter how you do it. The only way I can think of doing this, without having to open/close/reseal things and pack lot of bottles, would be to get a home sealer and make up daily packets.

The vacuum sealers would be the best bet, you can literally make up small sealed pouches for each set of pills, making up packets and then cross-sealing them and cutting them apart (or keeping them in strips), and the vacuum bag material is much better at keeping air and moisture out than ziplock bags are.

A bit of a production to get it all done...but unless your pharmacist has any other ideas, I think this is the way to go. And of course, you'll have the vacuum bag machine available for other purposes.<G>

Maybe it would be enough to vacuum bag "one week" of each, with one of the dessicant packs, and then do a weekly transfer of the pills (and the fresh dessicant pack) into a small Pelican or Otter Box to keep them "waterproof" and dry enough for each week as it goes?

Bear in mind, if there's an oven or burners onboard, you can rejuvenate the desiccant packs, too.