Where to Purchase Medical Supplies

Alright, after the little kerfluffles over the past couple of weeks with people panicking as they scoop up the masks, hand sanitizer, beans, rice, and toilet paper, even among those who prepare for such disruptions, I decided it might be time to offer suggestions for acquiring essential medical supplies, and to have that information all in one spot.  As has been previously mentioned here, so very many of our medical supplies come from China.  And when people panic about being unable to get whatever, the prices on those items skyrocket.  We’ve already seen that happen with masks and hand sanitizer.  And the first thing that I think is going to go is the antibiotics.  Remember, China provides about 95% of the world’s supply of raw materials for our antibiotics.  Some medications are already becoming scarce.

So, how does one acquire antibiotics?

Ideally, you have a good relationship with a family physician who understands the need to prepare. These are getting harder and harder to find. If you're looking for a new physician who will share your ideas about preparing and be willing to help you (after you have established a good relationship), the best chances are with an older physician who maintains paper, not electronic, records.

Sometimes you can get your physician to prescribe an antibiotic just in case. Like you take your child in to see him with what is probably only a bad sore throat, but it could be strep. If the child is not feeling better in a day or two, he gives you a prescription to fill. (Make sure you get pills instead of syrups--pills have a much longer shelf life.) Or you are planning to travel and ask for a prescription or two to deal with diseases you might encounter and wish to avoid ruining your trip with a case of traveler's diarrhea.

If you cannot persuade your physician to prescribe emergency supplies for you (and really, in the quantities you want, especially at this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s pretty unlikely), here are some suggestions:

Overseas pharmacies.   AllDayChemist.com is/used to be my supplier.  I recently read, however, that India is halting shipments of pharmaceuticals out of their country.  Whether truth or rumor, I don’t know.  And what is rumor today may be truth tomorrow.  (I placed an order Saturday night and it went through, and I received confirmation, but I don't know whether it will really go through.  One of the few items  had yet to purchase was an intravenous/intramuscular antibiotic.  To be honest, I had never looked for it on AllDayChemist, because they did not carry some of the other IV/IM things I wanted.  But somebody on a forum I frequent posted that ADC had this particular antibiotic, so I ordered six vials.  The antibiotic is ceftriaxone and is used in cases of serious pneumonia or sepsis.  You also need sterile water for injection.  ADC only allows you to buy one vial at a time, though they will sell six vials of ceftriaxone.  Also, as of 11:30PM 9 March 2020, ADC's ceftriaxone is about 50% off.)  Other overseas pharmacies may still be filling orders, but with so many raw materials coming from China, no one knows how long this will continue.

Over the border pharmacies.  Those who live near the border might consider making a trip south or north.  

Fish antibiotics.  Most readers have heard of fish antibiotics. These are not made out of fish, and they are not fed to fish, especially in the same dosages that are used for people. They are designed to be added to aquariums to treat specific bacterial infections in fish. Although you cannot purchase antibiotics for people or non-aquarian pets in the US without a prescription, for some reason, we still have a loophole in this country that allows these very same antibiotics to be sold over-the-counter for aquarium use. Most of these fish antibiotics are of the same quality and dosage as antibiotics for people. It is illegal to sell these medications to treat infections in people or pets other than fish. The FDA has been cracking down on retailers, especially those marketing these products to people who clearly are not obtaining them to keep their pet fish healthy.

As far as the following online options go, I have no experience with any of them. 

Online:

ThomasLabs.com

Kraftdrug.com

Chewy.com

Walmartpetrx.com

CampingSurvival.com

For all other over-the-counter supplies, here are some suggestions: 

Amazon.  Like it or not, Amazon has just about everything except antibiotics.  Amazon Prime Pantry has even better prices on bulk bottles of medications than Amazon, Costco, and Sam’s.  It might be worth it to take advantage of a free trial to do your ordering. 

Costco and Sam’s Club generally offer the best prices for over-the-counter medications in bulk—antihistamines, pain relievers, etc., as well as supplements, gloves, and so on. 

Dollar stores aren’t my favorite place, just because I think there are better prices elsewhere.  But if you are only preparing for yourself, or really need only small amounts, it can make sense to shop there. 

Ranch and feed stores carry a surprising variety of veterinary supplies marketed to ranchers and hobby farmers.  It’s often the same stuff used in medicine, without the hefty price tag.  Selection varies substantially from one store to the next.  In addition to fish antibiotics and other medications, you can also find bandages, wraps, gauze, and insecticides.

Prepper stores.  If you’ve got one of these in your community, it can be a great place to stock up on medical supplies.  Ours purchases medical supplies in bulk and then sells items singly.  This can be a fabulous way to go for individuals and couples.

ShopMedVet.com is the place to go for bulk buying of everything except pharmaceuticals.  They have the best selection of everything you need to stock your medical kits and phenomenal prices.    

If you have any other suggestions, please post them in the comments below.

Links to related posts:  
Feed Stores for Medical Supplies  
Antibiotic Chart to Guide Acquisition  
Acquiring Antibiotics  
  1.4.23