Topic Takeover - the Meds Cupboard

[Stratter5]

So, the definitive Prepper's Meds Cupboard. What do we need - obvs NOT including prescription medication.

Plasters of various sizes
Bandages - crepe?
Steri-strips
Superglue?
Tweezers
Eye bath
Syringes for flushing out wounds

Paracetamol
Ibuprofen
Aspirin
Imodium
Laxative?
Hibiscrub a

Recommend me a good disinfectant, and cream please. And could we add/take away from this to make the definitive list.

[TheWoollybacksWife]

Piriton and Gaviscon are a must for my allergy and delicate digestion ridden mob.
Calpol for the youngster.
We have both germs lent and savlon cream.
Vapour rub

[TheWoollybacksWife]

Germs lent wtf? Obviously Germolene. Sorry - Stupid iPad.

[atticusclaw2]

Apparently, in an emergency, fish antibiotics can be used by humans. Not sure to what extent that is true but the US sites all talk about them. You can just buy them online without any problem.

[atticusclaw2]

Oh and duct tape of course! It is (apparently) very good at keeping an open wound temporarily sealed to prevent blood loss.

[atticusclaw2]

I have just raided the store for extra strength lemsip. If I die this evening I will gift you all my stockpile since DH doesn't appreciate it and the DCs give me a pitying look and tell me that zombies aren't real.

[Indole]

I have quite a lot of strong antibiotics, good for quite a while until use by date and probably useful for longer. Those could be worth their weight in gold. I also have tons of strong painkillers, including a good supply of Tramadol. I have all the basics like paracetamol, ibuprofen, Day Nurse, Germolene, plasters, wound dressings, tubigrips. There's a kind of tape called Mefix which is brilliant for all kinds of stuff. I have some of that seaweed dressing for packing open wounds which is amazing stuff. I also have a ton of bandages. Loads of antihistamines, steroid cream, inhalers for asthma, oral steroids, rehydrating salts, anti-diarrhoea stuff, indigestion stuff, just TONS of things.

You name it, I have it! But, on the flip side, that's because I am a really sickly person and will prob die without modern medicine. Still, DH and DD will be really well-supplied.

[Stratter5]

Yep, I spend the summer building up a stash of asthma meds, as I'm usually fine then. And I have good quantities of the basics.

Iodine anyone?

[atticusclaw2]

I could do with reassessing my medical supplies. At one stage the medical box was well stocked but things get used up. I've also realised the TCP is ancient.

Always useful to keep heat packs and cold packs in with the medical supplies as well as mylar blankets.

[Stratter5]

That's what prompted me, its all getting a bit messy in there.

[atticusclaw2]

For threads like this we should do a regular recap of the list of things to have so that we don't need to read the whole thread each time. Perhaps after about 25 posts?

[FuckTheseSixFishInParticular]

I have a list on the top of my first aid kit with all the expiry dates of everything in there written down. It doesn't all get replaced immediately (sterile dressings are always sterile if unopened), but it does at least make me check it properly.

You can keep sterile water in a little sport cap bottle (fruit shoot is a good one just make sure you sterilise it properly first) for use as wound wash.

Aspirin can be used for multiple problems, we also keep ibruprofen and paracetamol on hand.

If you have superglue, make sure it is medical grade, because some types of it will actually cause more harm. Also be aware that some antibiotic creams can dissolve the glue.

Triangular bandages, the better ones are the proper cotton pieces of cloth which can be used for multiple purposes, a lot of pre made kits now have a rubbish crepe material type one which can't.

Wouldn't a menstrual cup be a better option for sanpro?

Rehydration salts, def.

I also have a medicinal herb book, for a real 'just in case'.

[ISpidersmanYouMeanPirate]

Burns cream

[winchester1]

We don't have antibiotics - me and the kids have never taken them (oh has I think for infection when he badly damaged his hand in the army).

What do every day Joes take them for?

[exLtEveDallas]

I'm not a prepper, but have the best stocked medicine chest I know - it's a hangover from Combat Med times:

Plasters
Bandages - crepe and cloth, plus triangle
Cotton tape and safety pins
Zinc oxide tape (for blisters)
Steri-strips
Battle dressings
Tubigrip
Long Tweezers
Scissors
Razorblades
Fine fishing twine and needles
Eye washes
Syringes
Sterile washes
Antibac gels and wipes
Potassium Citrate
Paracetamol
Ibuprofen
Aspirin
Ranitidine
Diclofenac
CoCodamol
Imodium
Calpol
Kaolin
Beechams/lemsip/Snip
Piriton
Sudafed
Rehydration powder
Broad spec Antibiotics (bought abroad)
Antibiotic cream (same)
Sedatives (same)
Calamine cream
Hydrocortisone cream
Germoline and Savlon

Metacam (painkiller/anti-inflam) and Cefapod (Antibiotic) for the dog!

(Plus DH and I have both got first aid+ training and we sent DD on a kids first aid course (St Johns) - I think at least one person in every family should do one, Zombie Apocalypse or not , knowing what to do focuses your mind if the time comes)

DH calls me 'Dr Dallas' but forgets most of the stuff we have was suggested by him!

[zen1]

Just de-lurking to say that TCP would be a staple in my medicine box. It's good for all these ailments:
Sore throats
Mouth ulcers
Cuts
Grazes
Bites
Stings
Boils
Spots
Pimples.

I worked a night shift in London 31/12/99-01/01/00, and lots of people were convinced the millennium bug would disrupt life as we know it. As there was no transport running in zone 1, I had to walk a couple of miles to work. I packed a rucksack in case the worst happened and there was mass rioting or something. In it was a torch, a banana, TCP, essential documents and a bottle of water. Don't know how long I was intending to survive for

[warmastoast]

Before we kept a huge stock of medicines just in case- DH's dad is a doctor so he basically 'prepped' for us - so we kept stuff beyond the standard medicine cupboard stuff like stocks of antibiotics and stuff for various gastric ailments we didn't need. This time just a standard first aid kit and a few extras like hydrocortisone cream, antihistamine tablets, pretty normal stuff. I think it would be best to have a sterilized needle or two though just in case. Most important item to me is the mooncup- irreplaceable in an emergency and would not want to be hunting for pads a few months into the ZA!

[LadyMaryofDownt0n]

I have to admit this is where I'd fail massively as a prepper. I've no medic eat all in the house, I don't like taking it. I've a pathetic first aid kit, I need to seriously up my game!

[NorthenFeminist]

How do you buy antibiotics to save if you're in the uk?

[FrozenPonds]

I wondered about antibiotics too.

I googled them after reading this, and apparently you need a script from a vet even for the fish stuff. All antibiotics are POM in the UK.

I will have to content myself with co-codamol, TCP, bandages, and wine.

While dreaming of Xanax, antibiotics, and high dose pain killers .

[Indole]

I didn't buy my emergency antibiotics. I suffer from a medical condition which requires them (not often but when I do need them, it is urgent) and was prescribed them so that I could take them abroad when travelling in fairly remote areas, just in case. I make sure they remain in date and always have some spares.

[Stratter5]

I have a pharmacist in the family :)

[GeraldineFangedVagine]

Sterile water wouldn't be sterile if it wasn't in its original container, sealed.

[KatherineMumsnet]

We are moving this over to our brand new Preppers topic in a mo