Rxs in Quantity - How many and How?

[lucznik]

Just a little aside for any of you that are old enough to be on Medicare (or have a family member who is) or who are on Medicaid or any other Gov't run insurance program.

Prescription Stockpiling (wherein a member obtains and stores large quantities of drugs) is a violation of the Federal False Claims Act, even if you have a valid Rx for the drugs, and is potentially punishable by:

1. between $5000 and $11000 per claim plus up to 3x the total damages per claim;
2. possible exclusion from continued participation in Gov't run insurance programs;
3. possible criminal prosecution.

Even if you don't participate in such programs, you need to be careful what you are doing so as not to become a target of DEA interest. Having a few personal meds on hand is probably a reasonable and justifiable prospect. However, you must always remember that prescriptions can be legally given only to people with an actual, "medically necessary" purpose, by someone with an appropriate and valid license to prescribe, and with the intent that the individual will be using those medications according to their instructions. Having large quantities of prescription meds on hand is not an approved/legal use of these medications and, especially if/when you are dealing with narcotics, can result in prosecution for distribution or even just the intent to distribute. The sheer quantity of Rx meds that is being discussed as desirable for having on hand to dole out "in an emergency" would almost certainly serve as prima facie evidence of an intent to distribute them illegally. Actually giving someone who is not the individual identified on the original Rx some of your Rx meds would put you in an even worse position.

Get busted for drug crimes and not only will you lose your hard-earned meds and your freedom but also any of your survival equipment that can be defined as a "weapon" as well as your right to ever replace any of that equipment even after you do "pay your debt to society" and get out of prison.

And even if you accept the premise that you would be doing this only for use in a true and valid emergency situation, the dispensing of Rx strength meds involves issues that are beyond the ability of the untrained to manage. Proper prescribing includes an understanding of proper dosing as related to age, weight, gender, race, etc. It also involves the necessity to understand what other meds a person might be on (or might supposed to be on) and the possible drug-drug interactions that could occur. So too, you have to know the person's medical history including any allergies or interactions to meds that they may have and how to counteract those interactions should they occur. Just because your doctor gave you something and said it was O.K. for you, does not mean that the same drug would be O.K. for anyone else - even someone suffering the (apparently) same symptoms as you.This is just not a domain for the lay person.

If you are worried about providing medical treatment in an emergency, you are probably wiser to stock up on available OTC meds (being careful to follow their directions and dosing instructions as well [do you realize how easy it is to overdose on something as basic and simple as acetaminophen (Tylenol)?] and then to spend time learning about the medicinal properties of the plants in your area.