Medicines during a crisis

Keep a month's worth of medicines at home. Thats the National Board of Health and Welfare's recommendation for people who are prescribed medicines. If you keep a extra supplies of what you need at home, you can cope better in the event of a crisis or shortage.
Updated
Foto: B Johansson/ Johnér

Medicine for a month

The National Board of Health and Welfare's recommend to keep medicines for one month at home, this applies to people who are treated with prescription medicines for a long time, such as blood pressure medicines or diabetes medicines. It also applies to people who use consumables prescribed by the health service for a longer period of time, such as ostomy bandage or equipment for checking blood sugar levels.

Exceptions to the recommendation:

  • Non-prescription medicines and consumables.
  • Medicines prescribed for a short-term treatment.
  • Medicines or dosages that are being tested and are subject to change.
  • Medicines that are prescribed for medical reasons so that the next pack cannot be collected until a certain time has passed.
  • Medicines that are pre-packaged in a bag for each dose and sometimes with several medicines to be taken at the same time.
  • Prescription food.

How to build your medicine prepardness

To build up a month's supply, you can collect your medicines or consumables one month before they run out. Remember to always use the oldest medicines first, so they don't get too old.

If you already have a month's supply at home, you do not need to collect more. Keep in mind that there should be enough medication for everyone.

It is better to store a little than none at all

Sometimes it can be difficult to have a month's worth of medicine at home, if the medicine or supplies take up a lot of space or have to be stored in a refrigerator, for example. In this case, it is better to have as much preparedness as possible than none at all. If you have a little more than you need, you will be able to cope in a better way with a crisis or temporary shortage. You will also be helping the society, so that the society can focus on helping those who have the hardest time coping on their own.

More information in Swedish:

National Board of Health and Welfare: Keep a month's worth of medicines at home 

National Board of Health and Welfare: Questions and answers on pharmaceutical preparedness