Being well prepared means being ready for any eventuality. In austere or survival conditions, when one is forced to find food and water sources that may be less than ideal in terms of purity, the risk of running into serious gastrointestinal distress becomes very, very real. And though it’s seldom discussed, preparing for what’s politely called “upset stomach” and more plainly called “diarrhea” is an important precaution that anyone serious about survival preparedness should be ready to tackle.
Lots of things can lead to bowel problems. Poor quality or contaminated food or water, but also the stress of being thrust into a survival situation. The demands placed on the human body in bugout mode can wreak havoc with your digestive system, and whether you call it “upset stomach,” or something plainer and more to the point, it’s dangerous. Regardless of whether it’s caused by stress, anxiety, an overload of adrenaline, e. coli, salmonella, shigella, giardia, or any other unnamed nasty, diarrhea quickly leads to dehydration and everything that comes with it—fatigue, fuzzy thinking, disorientation, weakness, and a compromised immune response. It will slow you down, increase your need for water—and you’re back at square zero, faced with either gathering resources and taking time to purify water or risk drinking dirty water if you’re in a situation where fast movement is key.
Of course, every reasonable effort should be made to purify your food and water—if you have the time and resources. But you may find yourself in a situation where your choices are dying of thirst or hunger and drinking dirty water or eating somewhat questionable food. If that should happen, you’re going to want to be able to do as much as you can to guard against ill effect.
Luckily, there’s a semi-secret weapon available on the shelves of any drug or grocery store—loperamide, sold under the brand name Imodium. Loperamide is a drug that simultaneously reduces the effect of excess water in the bowel and slows down the digestive system. Plain talk: it will make your bowel movements both more solid and less frequent to a significant degree. Though most people know about it (and may have even taken it before), few people think of it as an essential part of a bugout bag or first aid kit.
Diarrhea involves symptoms and effects other than just having to evacuate your bowels frequently and the subsequent dehydration. It brings debilitating cramping, feelings of unease and nervousness, and general discomfort, all of which can be dangerously distracting. If you take loperamide, those symptoms won’t occur, or will be much, much less severe.
Loperamide itself is fast acting, so it can be taken after the first symptoms of gastrointestinal distress show up, but you can also take it as a prophylactic before drinking that cloudy water. Two tablets, though it might be overkill, will generally be sufficient for full, forty-eight-hour protection. Though it’s often overlooked, you’ll want to stock up on it and add it to your emergency essentials—it could, quite literally, be a life saver.
To your survival,
Joseph Wilkinson
