When moving from one place to another, one of the things that might get you stressed is getting and taking your prescribed medicines. Non-prescription meds are not that hard to get, but what if you are a person who needs to have your prescribed medicines every time? Not having to take medicine on time can be life-threatening, but the good thing is that I listed down how you can get your prescriptions as an RVer that lives the best out of life.
1.Ask Your Doctor Before The Trip
To begin with, before going into your adventure, it would be best if you would visit your doctor first and ask his or her suggestions about your medicines while being away. Most probably, your doctor only wants to get every update in you so they will know what help to give you once something strikes in the picture. Inform them about the span of your travel and your current state.
Also get the chance to ask your doctor everything you wanted to know such as your medical condition, medications, preventive measures once on your trip etc. It will also help once you get into the situation where a pharmacy won’t let you have the medicine because you do not have your prescription with you . There are cases like these and the best way to not get stuck in such a situation is to think of all the possible things that might come ahead.
Telling your doctor anything that your health is concerned about is much better than hiding even a small detail about your health condition just so you can go on a trip. But that won’t help you get peace of mind.
2.Get The Best Plan In Health Insurance
One of the must-haves in traveling is getting health insurance. Having health insurance will surely save you thousands of bucks while on the road, and there are many where you can choose from. I sorted out and listed some of the most helpful and best health insurance for travelers or RVers, and you can find it on #VanLifeGoals: Full Guide To Help You Choose The Best Health Insurance On The Road
Just as the title says, it is a full guide about getting health insurance, so expect that you will find all the things you need to know to get familiar with everything related to health insurance. To give you a snippet about it, I listed the reasons why it is best to have health insurance, different types of health insurance, and the plans that might suit you and your family’s needs while on the road.
To read the full article about it, visit nomadicallyyours.comor click #VanLifeGoals: Full Guide To Help You Choose The Best Health Insurance On The Road and enjoy reading!
3.Know That Pharmacies Are Linked To Each Other
Business is business. And to grow the business means to have multiple branches all over the place. That is the reason why you will see a lot of your trusted pharmacies all over the country. And take note that there is an advantage to it. Here’s why!
When you shop for your medicines at Walmart, CVS Health, Walgreens, The Kroger Co., they probably already have your record because you were once their customer. But accidents can happen at any time. You might experience unexpected things, like accidentally spilling your meds while putting them on your medicine or pill dispenser. If you happen to have bought them just a few days before your trip, chances are, the pharmacies will not sell you the medicine if you are using the same prescription again. Why? Because you already have a record that says you have already bought the medicine you need. This act also is a preventive measure so they can prevent people from having multiple prescriptions.
So what you will have to do is contact your doctor or your health insurance company and tell them what happened. You can ask for another prescription and wait until it is approved.
4.Keep Medical Health Records Updated
Once in another state, the doctor you’ll be consulting surely doesn’t have any of your medical records. That is why it is better if you keep them with you anywhere you go. So if needed, you can secure it and easily show it to your new doctor. And that won’t be that hard since we are in modern times where anything can be kept in a small flash drive.
There are also health care providers or health insurance that have all of your medical records. In that way, your medical records can be accessible to any hospital or clinic that is their partner.
Aside from the soft copies in your drives, also carry the hard copies of your medical records with you. Sometimes it’s a lot easier for some to just get the papers out from the envelope and read it to the person on the other line instead of opening an app on the phone. If you are that kind of person, then print those papers out and store them where you can easily look for them.
5. Try CallonDoc.com
Photo Credit: https://callondoc.com/en/consultation
If you haven’t tried consulting on callond.com, then this is the time where you should try their services out because, according to Jouppi Outdoors, it sure is one of the best virtual clinics that will have your back when you are away from your state, and you don’t have your doctor at reach.
All you have to do is go to their website and set up your account there. You will also be the one who will choose what pharmacy will handle your prescriptions to make sure that is the one you trust with your medications. Once you’ve sent the prescription, a doctor will review it, and once it is approved, they will be the ones who will send it to the pharmacy and there!
But if the doctors did not approve your prescriptions, don’t worry because they will refund your money without any hidden charges, which are between $40 and $50.
If you want to consult about your health condition, they are also ready to help. You just have to pay another fee. Although callondoc offers one of the best services, you should not rely on it for major emergencies, so be sure that you have your health insurance with you.
6. Look For Mail-Order Pharmacies
Mail Order Pharmacies have been around in the US for over a century. The role of mail-order pharmacies is to have your medicine delivered to where you are instead of picking up or buying it at the pharmacy, which is great, especially now that COVID-19 is still with us. And apparently, mail-order pharmacies are a lot cheaper. Still, take note that this is under an insurance plan, so go and get yourself health insurance to have a hassle-free It is also available 24/7, which is very helpful if you have questions that pop into your head, even in the middle of the night.
7. Have One Trusted Person
One thing that might help you get a prescription is a friend you can call in times of trouble. Sometimes pharmacies, health insurance companies, and even doctors are so strict in giving prescriptions that they won’t allow you to have it unless you come to them personally or have a permanent address where they can send you the medicines. But since you are a nomad who doesn’t have a permanent address, having one trusted person to help you get your medicine is a great help! Simply ask their permission for you to use their home address and they will be the ones who will have your medicine package, and after that, they will send it to where you are at the moment. In that case, you don’t have to see your doctor just to get a refill. Thanks to that friend who got your back!
8. Request For A Three-Month Supply
Another great way to have your prescriptions as an RVer is to ask for a three-month supply. Given that you will travel endlessly and the chance of going back to the same state is not clear, then visit your doctor before your trip and grab the opportunity to ask for a 90-day supply of the medicines you need. That way, you can travel without worrying about running out of medical supplies.
9. Plan Ahead: Don’t Rush Things Out
The last piece of advice that I can give you is not to rush things out. For example, if you have planned your trip for October, it would be best to see your doctor two weeks before the trip. And if you will ask why, well, that is because since you are not going to be around for a couple of months, you will need more supplies for you not to have an appointment with your doctor from time to time. Admit it. It’s such a pain if you’re going to interrupt your happy time traveling because you ran out of medicines.
Storing Your Medicines Properly
Now let’s move on to how you should properly store your medicine while on a trip. Since many factors can affect your medicine, I will guide you not to have spoiled them even for a long time.
Best Places To Store Your Medicines
Storing your medicines the wrong way can affect their shelf life. And since you’ve already invested time and money in them, the last thing you wanted to throw in the garbage because you cannot take them anymore. The medicine drawer is neither a bad nor a good idea. Because of the changing weather, it can threaten your medicine’s shelf life, so the best place to store them is on your bedside table, closet drawer, or dresser. Avoid storing them near the sink, stove, and other heat-producing appliances.
Please keep them in a dry and cool area so the bottle will be moisturized naturally.
Keep Them In Their Original Containers
Sorry to spoil you if you wanted to be organized like what you see on TikTok organizing videos. It is not good to transfer medicines to other containers you bought online because you just wanted to be organized.
Your medicines’ containers hold their expiration dates and other information you need to know regarding that medicine. Usually, it is childproof, which we all needed if we were traveling with kids—also, your medicine containers or bottles were not just made as is. Sometimes, it was created to fit the medicine’s ingredients, so transferring them to other containers will only cause reactions like dissolving, melting, and liquefying, making it ineffective.
Sort Them Out
Photo Credit: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61YdJX7nvkL._AC_SL1000_.jpg
Do you want to get a little extra and still pursue organizing meds 101? Then sorting them out using baskets is the answer! The only thing you have to do is to keep medicines of their kind. Like for example, you will have a basket only for baby medicines. The others are for vitamins, emergency kits, and of course, your prescribed medicines. You can also label them, so you’ll know which basket to pick without having to dig into all of the baskets.
Throw Away Damaged And Expired Medicines
If your medicines have changed their color, smell, appearance, and texture even if they haven’t expired yet, do not take the risk of intaking them and just throw them away immediately. Pills that are stuck to each other are already not ineffective, so better get rid of them because those can only worsen the situation by making you sicker.
If you have expired medicine at your RV, get rid of them too but do not flush them in the toilet, for it will be bad for the water supply. Instead, take them out of their containers and mix them with something that can surely change their appearance, such as coffee grounds. And then put it in a plastic bag. But if you are still unsure of what to do, look for a “drug give back.” program available in your area. Surrender the medicines there, and they will be the ones who will dispose of the medicine properly for you.
Now, Have A Worry-Free Trip!
Finally, you can now have worry-free travel. Just be sure to follow the tips above.
Bringing your medicines and asking for prescriptions when you are away can cause headaches especially if you need to see your doctor often just to have your medicine. Good thing is that there are now ways on how to have prescriptions as an RVer like asking for a 90 day supply, talking to a doctor virtually, getting the help of mail-order pharmacies and more.
In the end, all we wanted was to have a hassle-free trip. And to achieve that, we have to be prepared for all the things that might come in the way while we’re having the best time of our lives. Stay healthy!
