necko said:
What kind of first aid medication are we to stock pile
If you have a basic understanding of first aid here's what I'd suggest for OTC meds:
-broad spectrum topical antibiotic for cuts, scrapes, etc: i.e. bactroban (avoid anything that has other ingredients like pain or anti-itch meds)
-hydrocortisone gel or cream for skin irritations
-ammonia based insect bite gel or liquid, i.e. afterbite
-zinc oxide cream which is used to treat skin irritations and sun block
-unscented pure petroleum jelly
-syrup of ipecac which is used to induce vomiting under the direction of poison control or other medical professional
-several bottles of sterile buffered saline solution which can be used to irrigate wounds, rinse debris from eyes, etc
-bismuth subsalicylate liquid for anti-nausea, anti-diarrhea: i.e. pepto bismol
-diphenhydramine HCI tablets , i.e. benadryl (antihistamine)
-oral glucose gel to raise blood sugar or as quick energy supply (if you don’t want to purchase the medical grade product just get a tub of cake icing gel…same stuff and about 1/4 the price)
-plain uncoated ASA which acts as a blood thinner in the event someone’s having a CVA (stroke) or MI (heart attack)
-acetaminophen (i.e. Tylenol) and ibuprofen (i.e. Advil) for pain relief, fever control (if you only have adults then just get adult strength, if you have kids then get the appropriate dosage for them)
-multi-symptom cold and flu medication
As for prescription meds:
-two months worth of any prescription meds that you and everyone in your family take regularly
-same thing for any meds your pets may be on
-if you feel strongly about being extra prepared then talk to your GP about having a limited selection of what I’d consider “doomsday drugs” available…..broad spectrum antibiotics like ciprofloxacin or PEN V, antivirals like oseltamivir (Tamiflu) or zanamivir (Relenza)
Beyond that I have a pretty firm opinion on what meds you should keep on hand. If you have the appropriate BLS or ALS training then absolutely expand what you have (provided it can be acquired and kept legally) since you’ll know how to safely and effectively administer the medication. If you don’t have the knowledge then having an assortment of drugs isn’t going to accomplish sweet fuck all.
Other then that the other thing to keep in mind is that with the meds, like everything you keep on hand for emergency planning, you need to be mindful that it doesn’t go stale.