Building a smart, affordable SHTF medical cache that actually lasts

We walk through how to build a smart medical cache that actually works when supply chains fail, from core antibiotics and antivirals to chronic meds, storage, rotation, and where to buy legally and safely. We share practical shelf-life facts, compare Jase and Contingency options, and explain why vacuum sealing helps and freeze-drying doesn’t.

• essential antibiotics, uses, and misuse risks
• shelf life, SLEP insights, and storage best practice
• tablets vs suspensions and why packaging matters
• comparison of Jase Medical and Contingency Medical
• antivirals, pain control, and chronic med planning
• insulin and cooling strategies for continuity
• rotation routines, labeling, and inspection cues
• vacuum sealing benefits and freeze-drying pitfalls
• budgeting, sales timing, and kit personalization

Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episodeWhile you're at it, help spread the word by leaving a rating and review

Augason Farms
Support the podcast. Click on my affiliate link and use coupon code PODCASTPREP for 10% discount!

https://augasonfarms.com?sca_ref=9315862.VpHzogdDNu

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. 

Augason Farms
Support the podcast. Click on my affiliate link and use coupon code PODCASTPREP for 10% discount!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome, Context, And Today’s Goal
• 0:48 Why A Medical Cache Matters
• 2:19 Antibiotics Overview And Safe Use
• 3:06 Storage Rules And SLEP Basics
• 3:19 Amoxicillin/Augmentin: Use And Shelf Life
• 3:53 Doxycycline: Prepper Favorite Longevity
• 4:22 Other Antibiotics: Erythro, Flagyl, Cipro
• 6:07 Supplier Options: Jase vs Contingency
• 7:26 Antivirals, Chronic Meds, Pain Relief
• 8:51 Potency After Expiration And Steroid Cream
• 9:13 Vacuum Seal Yes, Freeze-Dry No
• 11:26 Sales, Rotation Nudges, Personalizing Kits
• 12:25 Research Plan, Timing, Budget
• 13:00 Closing Thanks And Subscribe CTA

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:17

To the Common Sense Practical Prepper Podcast, where prepping doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. Coming to you from a well-defended off-grid compound high in the mountains. Coming to you from his Florida room in Richmond, Virginia. Neither off-grid nor well-defended, unless you count as chickens and cats, here is your host, Keith.

SPEAKER_00: 0:41

Hey folks, welcome back to the Common Sense Practical Prepper Podcast. My name is Keith, October 12th, 2025. And tonight I want to talk about putting together a medical stockpile for an SHTF scenario. So look, I'm in the interest of full transparency, I am a typical guy. I do not go to the doctor unless I absolutely have to. Have rarely ever asked for directions. And when the doc does prescribe meds and they tell you to take the entire prescription, I'm the guy that takes them until I feel better, and then I leave the rest on the counter. About 10 days ago, I tangled with some poison ivy in my yard, and the doc prescribed a steroid cream. It worked like magic. Within two, two and a half days, it was gone. And I have a lot of leftovers. This is a pretty good size. It's about the size of a toothpaste tube, and I didn't use that much. So I'm thinking, this is gonna go into a bag. This is gonna be part of my medical cachet, if you will, for an SHTF situation. So that's what kind of inspired this particular episode. So we'll cover some of the essential drugs, their shelf lives, and because nobody wants a useless pill in a crisis type situation. There are two legitimate suppliers, and I say legitimate, there's plenty of them out there, but the more well-known is Jace Medical and Contingency Medical. There was one that closed earlier this year, and that was called Duration Health. So let's kick it off with antibiotics. They are your shield against infections from wounds, bad water, nasty cough that spirals into a crisis. Misuse of antibiotics breeds resistance. So only take antibiotics when you need them and pair with basic hygiene like clean water. And again, my disclaimer: I'm not a doctor. This is not medical advice. So just take what I say with a grain of salt. So here's the lineup with shelf life details from the manufacturer specs, and the FDA calls it SLEP, Shelf Life Extension Program. We'll call it SLEP. Store in a cool, dry, dark area between 59 degrees and 77 degrees Fahrenheit, airtight containers if at all possible. And when you're gonna go ahead and store that in an airtight container, don't be afraid to throw an oxygen absorber in there as well. Rotate those every two years for maximum potency. Amoxicillin or augmentin. It's a broad spectrum antibiotic, pneumonia, skin issues, UTIs. Tablets last between two and three years, and the FDA the SLEP says up to five if sealed correctly. So watch for an odor, any change of colors. Now a suspension, so like a liquid antibiotic, seven to ten days max once you mix it up. So tablets only do not try to store your antibiotic suspension for a long period of time. Doxicillin, lime, lung bugs, waterborne diseases, a rock solid antibiotic, two to three years standard, slept five to ten years, if sealed correctly, and some lots remain potent out to 12 years, with about 90% give or take of their strength. Again, keeping a dry, dark area. Doxycycline is a prepper's favorite. Erythromycin, a respac, strep, diarrhea, some STDs, tablets, two to three years, and slep five to seven, again, if sealed correctly. Blister packs, the ones you can never get the pill out of, and when you do, it's in a million different pieces. The blister packs block moisture. So if you get a medical kit and it has blister packs, or that's that's an option, definitely opt for that. Flagal, if I'm pronouncing it right, F-L-A-G-Y-L. I have not heard of this one. Gut parasites, dental issues, slep says five to eight, light sensitive, so put it in a dark container, and Cypro, UTIs, diarrhea, anthrax, two to three years. SLEP says 10 to 13 if sealed and stored correctly. All of these meds have to be stored in a dry, relatively cool, dark atmosphere. So these suppliers make it very simple. So Jace Medical in 2025, it's called the Jace Case. That the writing of this script, it was$290, packs all five in a teal-colored hard case, covers 50 plus infections. It's a quick online email. Doc signs off, it gets shipped to your local pharmacy. Some of the comments and suggestions on X is that Jace's yearly family snash is shipped. No virtual call needed, no nonsense. You get what you pay for, and it's it's very, very convenient. So Contingency's medical reserve pack,$299, basically matches what the Jace case has: nausea strep, UTIs, with a year-long doctor consult. Reddit calls it the sweet spot between a Jace case and then a more expensive custom kit that you would kind of piece together a la carte. And of course, duration health, they're out of business. But if you have one of those kits, hang on to it. You'll have to pivot to Jace or Contingency or another company pretty soon. They're all HSA health savings account eligible. So tax-free. Any virals, chronic meds, and pain relief. So any virals and chronic meds, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, a six to twelve month snash is critical. Pharmacies will run out of this and then the looting will begin. So don't expect anything to be left over in your pharmacies. Pain relievers, you gotta have them. Tama flu, five to seven years. Slept, up to ten. Store in a cool, dry area. Cyclovir, shingle flare-ups, two to four, up to seven according to slep, if it's sealed correctly. Blood pressure meds, two to five years. Insulin, one to two years, refrigerated, one to two months room temperature. So make sure you have a cooler or some place to keep those meds cool. Thyroid meds, two to four years, keep it away from moisture, albuterol inhalers, one to two years. And again, make sure you check your med case every year and be prepared to rotate out some of the things that are about to expire. Now, with these meds, even though they have quote unquote expired, they still have not lost all of their potency, but they're not as potent as the day you picked them up. So the poison ivy steroid cream, I believe it was a hydrocodazone derivative or something like that, two to four years shelf life if I keep it cool and sealed. So I think that is exactly what I'm gonna do. Put it in a bag and maybe an oxygen absorber just to be on the safe side. And I'm gonna keep it in my med case once I put that together. So the Jace Case Daily service, chronic needs, a year supply, no fuss. Contingency offers trauma kits, asthma options with a year-long doctor hotline. Imagine off-grid advice for a year from the docs. Now, again, everybody's needs are different. The Jace case or the regular old case from Contingency may not be exactly what you need, but give them a call, check out their website, I'm sure you can mix and match, and they'll work with you to put together something that works for you. I was curious about extending the life of medication if it was vacuum sealed or freeze-dried. I was just curious about this. So, can vacuum sealing or freeze-drying your meds stretch their shelf life? Vacuum sealing, pulling all the air and sealing the meds in airtight bags or containers, is a very good idea. It cuts down oxygen, moisture, the two biggest culprits in degrading drugs like antibiotics, the hydrocortisone cream. So studies and people on different prepper forums suggest that vacuum sealing with the oxygen absorbers can add one to three years to certain medications, especially if it's paired with a dark, cool storage area. Now, there's no guarantee, I haven't read any official studies whether or not this is actually going to extend the life of the medication significantly. But if you have the opportunity to do it, it's not gonna hurt it. Let's put it that way. Now, as far as freeze drying, that's an absolute no-no, because it is not going to work at all. I've read several things. You do not want to try to freeze dry the medication, it just doesn't, it just doesn't work. And I'm certainly not gonna freeze dry a steroid cream. I can't even imagine what that thing would look like once it's all done. So if you if you want to extend them a little bit longer, or at least have the peace of mind that you've extended the life of the meds a little bit longer, go ahead and try vacuum sealing. Contingency medical, portable, they got a dock. Their site boasts the ultimate preparedness for lockdowns. Year-long consults, HSA friendly. They do have a one-year expiry nudge. So when you get to the year, they're gonna tell you that your meds are expiring. They're not all going to expire at the end of one year. Jace recently had a Labor Day sale that had some pretty good prices on some antibiotics. So again, when it comes to purchasing something like this, make sure you do your homework. Everybody is different. When I put my kit together, my kit is not gonna be the same as your kit. I'm not on any blood pressure medication, but you might be. I'm not insulin-dependent diabetic, but someone might be. So take the time, go to their website and find out what works for you. So this week I'm gonna go ahead and check out both of those websites and maybe do a little additional research and check on some prices. They might have some sales coming up, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, who knows? These companies have sales all the time. So it's nothing that I'm going to put together this weekend. It's something that I don't have to have together in the next two or three weeks. So I'm gonna do my research and I'm gonna find out what is available and I'm gonna check some prices online, check for some previous sales, and I may be able to save some money down the road. All right, folks, thanks so much for stopping by. I really do appreciate it. And as always, take care of one another, be safe out there, and until next time.

SPEAKER_01: 13:02

Thanks for listening to the Common Sense Practical Prepper Podcast. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode. While you're at it, help spread the word by leaving a rating and review.