Which Antibiotic Do I Store?

Every once in a while, a newbie prepper will ask, “Which antibiotic should I buy?”

It’s a simple answer, really.  It’s what your patient is going to need. 

There are very broad spectrum antibiotics that are available through overseas pharmacies.  They are not the best use of your prepping dollars and as they come with a whole host of undesirable side effects, they definitely are not what is best for the patient.  The best way to avoid the undesirable side effects is to select the right antibiotic for the illness. 

The following lists indicate which infections in various systems of the body are most likely to respond to potential antibiotic options. 

When determining what you want to keep on hand for your own family, take the following into account:

• Individual considerations
• Allergies and sensitivities—penicillin and sulfa drugs are the most common allergies
• Contraindications with other medications being taken
• Adults or kids—children shouldn’t be taking antibiotics like doxycycline or ciprofloxacin unless their condition is critical and there are no other options
• Gastrointestinal tract
• Amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, metronidazole
• Respiratory infections
• Amoxicillin, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline
• Skin, superficial
• Bacitracin, bactroban (MRSA), Silvadene, triple antibiotic ointment
• Skin, wounds
• Augmentin, Bactrim (MRSA), cephalexin, moxifloxacin
• Urogenital tract
• Bactrim DS, cephalexin, ciprofloxacin, nitrofurantoin

While you probably cannot prepare for every possible scenario, you can prepare really well if you take a little time to consider important points.  You will absolutely need to store more than one antibiotic.  There is no one-pill-kills-all solution.  Anticipate your most likely needs.  What infections or conditions are you already susceptible to?  I’ve never had a urinary tract infection, but up until my thirties, I was a strep magnet—even had to take vancomycin for one stubborn strep infection. 

If I lived in tick country or were concerned about biological weapons, I’d definitely store a lot of doxycycline.  Were I susceptible to respiratory infections I might want more azithromycin (Z-packs) or ciprofloxacin. 

Keep in mind that the expiration dates printed on antibiotic packages are mostly fictitious, liquids being the general exception.  Storing them in a cool, dry, dark environment away from any contamination drastically lengthens their shelf life and efficacy. 

As you may not have the luxury of laboratory support, you absolutely need to know which antibiotics work best based upon the known probabilities of what the infection may be.  Guesswork regarding antibiotics is never acceptable while our medical system is still functioning, but if society has totally collapsed, it is all you will have.  Spend some time educating yourself about diseases you are likely to encounter and which antibiotics will treat those infections. 

While your resources may be very limited, you can't skimp too much on antibiotic use.  Keep in mind that infections are never treated for less than 3 days with antibiotics.  Seven to ten days is the norm. 

Finally, if you are going to just go with the list of the most common antibiotics without doing any research or taking into account individual considerations, here are the common antibiotics that will cover most diseases:

The seven most important according to Dr. Cynthia Koelker, author of Armageddon Medicine, are:

Amoxicillin, Cephalexin, Ciprofloxacin, Doxycycline, Erythromycin, Metronidazole, SMZ-TMP.

If she had to narrow that down to five, they would be:

Cephalexin, Ciprofloxacin, Erythromycin, Metronidazole, SMZ-TMP.

And finally, if she were to recommend only three, they would be:

Cephalexin, Ciprofloxacin, and Metronidazole.[1]

There is no one antibiotic that will do it all.  For best results, get a wide variety of the recommended antibiotics so that you can treat the illnesses your family members are most susceptible to in addition to having options in case allergies develop.

Links to related posts:

Prioritizing acquisition of supplies

Antibiotic Chart to Guide Acquisition

Amoxicillin

Augmentin

Ciprofloxacin

Doxycycline

Metronidazole

Tetracycline

Shelf-Life Extension Program

Armageddon Medicine

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[1] Cynthia Koelker, “Seven Antibiotics to Stockpile and Why,” Survivalblog, 18 February 2011, https://survivalblog.com/seven-antibiotics-to-stockpile/ (accessed 22 August 2023).

 02.02.2021