Emergency medication supply and medical needs at home

How much emergency medication supply each country suggests

The amount is not the same in every country, and not every body gives one. We do not turn these into a figure of our own. Read the row for your own country. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.

A row with no amount does not tell you how much to keep. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.

What an emergency medication supply is for

This guide reports what official bodies say. It gives no advice of our own on any medicine. The people who know your medicines are your pharmacist and your doctor, and Ready.gov's page for people with disabilities says to talk to them. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.

• Ready.gov says an emergency can make it hard to refill a prescription or to find an open pharmacy. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.
• Ready.gov says to put your prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs and vitamins in order, and to protect them, before an emergency. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.
• The Government of Ontario says you may not be able to reach a pharmacy straight after an emergency, so a kit should hold extra medications and supplies. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.

Emergency medical information card: what to write down

A written list helps another person, or an emergency worker, to see what you take and why. Official bodies describe what the list holds and where to keep it. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.

• Ready.gov's page for people with disabilities says to keep a list of your prescription medicines, with your diagnosis, dosage, frequency, medical supply needs and allergies. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.
• The same Ready.gov page says to wear medical alert tags or bracelets, and to add medical information to your electronic devices. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.
• The Government of Ontario, in its guide for people with disabilities, says to give the reason for each medicine on the list, with its generic name, dosage and frequency, and the name and contact details of the prescriber. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.
• That Ontario guide also suggests copies of the list: one in your emergency kit, one that you carry, and one each at home, at work and in your car, with one for the people who support you. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.
• The Government of Ontario says that a household plan may hold a medical history, copies of prescriptions and contact details for key health-care providers. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.
• The UK Government says to write down a list of any regular medication and doses, and to add medical information to your mobile phone so that emergency services can read it without your passcode. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.
• India's National Centre for Disease Control lists the family doctor among the details to keep to hand for each household member. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.

Medicines that need a fridge in a power cut

Some medicines, such as insulin, are kept in a fridge (refrigerator). In a power cut (power outage) the fridge warms up. How long a medicine can stay out of the fridge depends on the medicine, so we give no time or temperature of our own. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.

The table reports each body's line in that body's own units. The insulin column is not a rule for any other medicine. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.

Where a row is not covered, the sources we list for that country give no storage instruction for fridge medicines in a power cut. The FDA also says that people with questions about their insulin may call its manufacturer. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.

Powered medical devices: tell your electricity company

If someone at home uses a medical device that runs on mains electricity, tell your electricity company before anything goes wrong. Where there is a register, its name differs by country. A register does not keep the power on: New Zealand's Electricity Authority says a constant supply cannot always be guaranteed. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.

Where a row is not covered by the sources we list, ask your electricity company what it offers. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.

Backup power for a medical device: ask the maker and the supplier

We do not say which backup power suits a medical device, because the answer depends on the device. The bodies below send you to the maker, the supplier and your healthcare team. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.

• The FDA says that your user instructions, your distributor or the device manufacturer can tell you whether your device can run on batteries or a generator. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.
• The FDA booklet gives questions to put to the maker, such as whether the device has a back-up system and whether it can use batteries in a power outage. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.
• New Zealand's Electricity Authority says to ask your doctor or health practitioner which backup power could suit your equipment, and to think about what you might need, such as backup batteries or a generator. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.
• ESB Networks in Ireland suggests that you keep essential medical devices charged and agree a back-up plan with your healthcare team. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.
• healthdirect in Australia says to plan for a power cut if your equipment needs electricity, and to keep backup medical equipment fully charged at all times. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.
• In Canada, the Government of Alberta lists essential medical equipment and back-up power, if needed, among kit supplies, and BC Hydro lists planning a backup power supply for essential medical equipment. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.
• The UK Government lists a charged power bank for phones or compatible medical devices, and printed instructions for any medical equipment you rely on. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.

Keep your supply and your list up to date

• The Government of Ontario, in its guide for people with disabilities, says to check the expiration dates on all medications in your emergency kit regularly. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.
• Ready.gov says to think again about your needs every year and to update your kit as your family's needs change. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.
• The FDA says that when the power comes back, you should check that the settings on your medical device have not changed. Ask your pharmacist or doctor.