Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhy People StockpileWays to StockpileWhy You Should Not StockpileA Word From Verywell
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Why People Stockpile
Ways to Stockpile
Why You Should Not Stockpile
A Word From Verywell
You’ve seen it before: the empty shelves in the grocery store after people hear a big storm is on the way. There is an instinct to gather all the resources you can in case you are homebound for any length of time.
However, the millions of Americans on prescription medications have more to worry about than food and water. Will they have enough medication to weather an emergency? Will they be able to pick up their refills on time? What can they do to be sure they have the medications they need when they need them?
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Why People Stockpile Medications
People are afraid that there will be drug shortages in the case of an emergency. Whether it’s a natural disaster like a hurricane or the spread of an infectious disease like COVID-19, people want to be prepared so they can stay as healthy as possible in the aftermath.
What Is Coronavirus (COVID-19)?
It is human nature to want to protect yourself and your loved ones. However, it is also important to be rational about your decisions. Hoarding medications, depending on how it’s done, can be costly and even dangerous.
It is important to understand the nature of the situation you are facing and to take a close look at the risks versus benefits of stockpiling medications.
Ways to Stockpile Medications
There are different ways people stockpile medications, but these may be the most common:
When considering these options, keep in mind you do not want to needlessly stockpile medications. Medications have expiration dates. Also, it is possible that the dose of your medication could change in the future, making the stockpiled medication superfluous. It may be reasonable to consider a one-month supply as a backup. More than that could be potentially wasteful.
Get Early Refills
The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy recommends pharmacists refill medications no sooner than after 75% of the prescription has been used.In simple terms, a non-controlled medication can be refilled as early as seven days before a 30-day supply runs out and 21 days before a 90-day supply runs out. Some pharmacies and insurers restrict refills to two days before the refill is due, whether it’s a 30-day or 90-day prescription.
Due to their addictive potential, federal regulations put a tighter time restriction for refills of controlled medications.Schedule III and Schedule IV medications, like codeine (II, III, or V) or Valium (IV), cannot be filled sooner than two days before a 30-day supply runs out.
If you refill your non-controlled medication seven days early every month, you will have accumulated an extra six-week supply after six months, and a three-month supply after one year. This is one way to stockpile medication.
However, some insurance companies will not refill medications based on cumulative early refills. They will claim that you have enough medication and will not approve a refill until the dispensed quantity of medication is used.
What to Do in a Pandemic
There may be valid reasons to get an early prescription refill. Perhaps you lost your medication or are going away on vacation. Perhaps your mail-order delivery will not arrive in time and you would otherwise be forced to miss doses.
In situations like these, you may be able to ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for an emergency refill. Some health plans may even have provisions for “travel exceptions” and “emergency exceptions” that override their usual prescription rules. Otherwise, your practitioner will need tomake a plea to the insurer directlyto cover any early refills.
Pay for Extra Prescriptions
Your healthcare provider may be willing to write a backup prescription for you in the case of an emergency, i.e., an extra supply of medication. However, your insurance plan may not pay for it. This leaves you to pay out of pocket.
Alternatively, you can reach out to your insurance company about getting an extra refill covered. If your health plan has an “emergency exception,” this should be straightforward. If it does not, the insurer can choose to deny coverage for extra medication.
Ration Your Medications
Your healthcare provider prescribes medications because they are necessary to keep you in the best possible health, given your underlying medical conditions. Missing doses of your medications to save them for later puts your health at risk.
Despite the risks, however, many Americans ration medications and put their lives on the line. It is often because they cannot afford their medications. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey found that in 2021, about 8% of adults aged 18–64 who took prescription medication in the past year said they did not medication as prescribed because of cost. This included skipping doses, taking less medication than prescribed, or delaying prescription refills. Among people with disabilities, the percentage was 20%.
Likewise, the 2019 Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll found that approximately one-fourth of adults, including seniors, found it a challenge to pay for their medications. Almost a third (29%) did not take their medications as prescribed; 19% did not fill their medication; 18% took an over-the-counter drug instead; and 12% cut their pills in half or skipped doses.
Perhaps one of the biggest examples of this is seen in people who have diabetes. Yale researchers published a study inJAMA Internal Medicineshowing that one in four people do not follow through with their insulin treatment as prescribed.
Complications of not treating the condition can include heart disease,kidney disease,peripheral neuropathy,retinopathy, and even death. Unfortunately, the price of insulin has increased considerably over the past decade. TheJAMA Internal Medicinestudy noted that insulin prices had tripled in the United States over the previous decade.
Thankfully, in 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)approved the first biosimilar form of insulin (Semglee), paving the way for cost-effective alternatives to brands such as Lantus.
Why You Should Not Stockpile Medications
On a personal level, it may make sense to stockpile medications. You can assure that you will have what you need when you need it. On a societal level, the opposite is true. If everyone were to hoard medications or medical supplies, this could lead to unnecessary shortages.
Those shortages not only pose a risk to those withpre-existing conditions, but they also increase the costs to the healthcare system at large. Due to supply and demand, the price of certain drugs and medical supplies may go up, and people may feel compelled to seek alternative treatments from foreign countries or online sources that may not always be reputable.
The shortage offace masksduring the COVID-19 pandemic is one example of this. In the early part of the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other medical organizations stated that amaskis only indicated for someone who is actively coughing or sneezing or who is taking care of someone suspected to have COVID-19.
It may be enticing to stockpile medications in case of an emergency, but take care. There are safe and unsafe ways to go about it.
You can try to work with your healthcare provider and insurer to get an emergency refill. What you should not do is ration your medications to save them for later. Your health is too important.
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.Medication stockpiling.Drug Enforcement Administration, Diversion Control Division.Section IX – valid prescription requirements.Ohio House of Representatives.Gov. DeWine signs ‘Kevin’s Law 2.0,’ helping patients with emergency prescription refills.Mykyta L, Cohen RA.Characteristics of adults aged 18–64 who did not take medication as prescribed to reduce costs: United States, 2021. NCHS Data Brief, no 470. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2023. doi:10.15620/cdc:127680KFF.KFF health tracking poll – February 2019: Prescription drugs.Herkert D, Vijayakumar P, Luo J, et al.Cost-related insulin underuse among patients with diabetes.JAMA Intern Med.2019;179(1):112-114. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.5008World Health Organization.Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public: When and how to use masks.World Health Organization.Shortage of personal protective rquipment endangering health workers worldwide.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Counterfeit respirators / misrepresentation of NIOSH approval.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.Medication stockpiling.Drug Enforcement Administration, Diversion Control Division.Section IX – valid prescription requirements.Ohio House of Representatives.Gov. DeWine signs ‘Kevin’s Law 2.0,’ helping patients with emergency prescription refills.Mykyta L, Cohen RA.Characteristics of adults aged 18–64 who did not take medication as prescribed to reduce costs: United States, 2021. NCHS Data Brief, no 470. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2023. doi:10.15620/cdc:127680KFF.KFF health tracking poll – February 2019: Prescription drugs.Herkert D, Vijayakumar P, Luo J, et al.Cost-related insulin underuse among patients with diabetes.JAMA Intern Med.2019;179(1):112-114. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.5008World Health Organization.Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public: When and how to use masks.World Health Organization.Shortage of personal protective rquipment endangering health workers worldwide.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Counterfeit respirators / misrepresentation of NIOSH approval.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.Medication stockpiling.Drug Enforcement Administration, Diversion Control Division.Section IX – valid prescription requirements.Ohio House of Representatives.Gov. DeWine signs ‘Kevin’s Law 2.0,’ helping patients with emergency prescription refills.Mykyta L, Cohen RA.Characteristics of adults aged 18–64 who did not take medication as prescribed to reduce costs: United States, 2021. NCHS Data Brief, no 470. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2023. doi:10.15620/cdc:127680KFF.KFF health tracking poll – February 2019: Prescription drugs.Herkert D, Vijayakumar P, Luo J, et al.Cost-related insulin underuse among patients with diabetes.JAMA Intern Med.2019;179(1):112-114. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.5008World Health Organization.Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public: When and how to use masks.World Health Organization.Shortage of personal protective rquipment endangering health workers worldwide.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Counterfeit respirators / misrepresentation of NIOSH approval.
Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.Medication stockpiling.
Drug Enforcement Administration, Diversion Control Division.Section IX – valid prescription requirements.
Ohio House of Representatives.Gov. DeWine signs ‘Kevin’s Law 2.0,’ helping patients with emergency prescription refills.
Mykyta L, Cohen RA.Characteristics of adults aged 18–64 who did not take medication as prescribed to reduce costs: United States, 2021. NCHS Data Brief, no 470. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2023. doi:10.15620/cdc:127680
KFF.KFF health tracking poll – February 2019: Prescription drugs.
Herkert D, Vijayakumar P, Luo J, et al.Cost-related insulin underuse among patients with diabetes.JAMA Intern Med.2019;179(1):112-114. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.5008
World Health Organization.Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public: When and how to use masks.
World Health Organization.Shortage of personal protective rquipment endangering health workers worldwide.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Counterfeit respirators / misrepresentation of NIOSH approval.
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