Home Medical/first aid box - what to put in it

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I'm going through ours this weekend since it has stuff in it from many years ago. I want to make sure its as useful as possible.

Assuming a lot of things might need to be ditched, I thought compiling a definitive list would be good. Would be particularly great if anyone with medical knowledge could also help.

So far I know have in date and still useable

plasters - various sizes
ibuprofen
paracetamol
cold and flu capsules
sting and bite relief
antihistamines
antiseptic cream
gauze
scissors
medical tape
bandage
spray plaster (might need to be thrown)
ankle support tube thing
wrist support tube thing
blister plasters
dioralyte stuff
gaviscon
tick remover
tweezers
witch hazel
cough sweets
cough medicine
antibac hand gel
headlice lotion - hopefully won't be needed now the Dc are older
threadworm tablets - as above
verucca stuff - as above

It seems a bit of a feeble list. What should I add to have a really good first aid kit?

I also have optrex and Dioralyte.

I’m not sure if you’d class it as a food or a medicine but I’ve bought some Apple Cider - With Mother. It’s got multiple uses for general unwellness type things.

First aid and meds:
Paracetamol,
Ibuprofen
Aspirin for adult
Paracetamol
Ibuprofen for children
Adult cough mixture
Children's cough syrup
Adult diarrhoea tablets
Anti histamine tablets adult
Antihistamines syrup child, need more cetrizine and piriton.
New epi pens
Anthisan ( need to check date)
Strepsils,
Sudocreme

Fabric plaster strips, five packs
Sterile dressings
Fabric strapping
Micropore tape
Tubigrips in various sizes
Child's wrist splints in left and right with socks bandages to go underneath.
Crêpe bandages
Thermometer and batteries
Antacid adult

Need eye bath having recently been sprayed in the eyes.

Need anbesol and cystitis meds. Eyepads as well. Final order for prescription meds.

posted too soon

I need to look through the first aid kit and medical cupboard to check everything and see where I have gaps.

In addition to most of the stuff already mentioned, I have:

lopermide (for diarrohea)
lactulose (constipation)
peppermint tablets/other IBS remedies (I suffer with IBS on and off anyway - if eating unusual food combinations I'd expect this to be worse)
naproxen (can buy from a pharmacy as the branded Feminax for period pain)
diclofenac gel (can buy from a pharmacy as the branded Volterol)
tranexamic acid tablets (buy from a Boots pharamacy - they're sold to reduce heavy periods, but will help stop bleeding generally)
some sort of travel sickness/anti nausea medication (again buy from a pharmacy)
emollient cream (likely to be using your hands more in messier jobs, so helpful to be able to look after them)
paracetamol and codeine tablets
paracetamol and ibuprofen tablets (useful as you can reasonably double the printed dosages on packets of ibuprofen and get a better dose of codeine, which you can't do with paracetmol and codeine tablets)

Our first aid kit has the same as you plus:

Suture kit
Blood clotting powder
Military battle dressings
Tourniquet
Antibiotics (amoxicillin, Doxycycline)
Burn treatment
Paracetamol
Iboprofin
Codeine
Aspirin
Imodium

I bought a car first aid kit from Lidl for about £6 and it's bloody brilliant.

Adhesive tape roll
14 Plasters
4 Sterile wound dressings
2 Large compresses for burns (chest sized)
5 rolls of elastic bandages in a variety of widths
6 wound compresses
Foil blanket
Wet wipes
2 triangular bandages
Scissors (good ones that actually cut)
4 pairs disposable gloves
1 first aid instruction booklet

I'vr decided to do some mini preps and am starting off with my first aid box.

I work for a wellknown chemist, and the most common thing I get asked for after painkillers, are nose and throat sprays. I don't use them myself, but obviously popular products.

Have fun practising tying slings and bandages on others before you have to do it for real with the blood and the yelling. Definitely a good idea.

Cobwebs on a wound help clotting apparently.. one had better look it up though and not trust a random on the internet with the memory of a geriatric gnat.

@Screamanger where did you get your suture kits from? Amazon just has ones that say practice only, not sterile for medical use, although they do sell sterile staple guns for wounds.

Also anyone know any reputable sites from Europe that you can buy salbutamo/ventolin inhalers or salbutamol/ventolin ampules?

I know you can buy them online now in the U.K., but that still requires them contacting your doctor afterwards I think?

Software beats hardware every time.

Get the training before you go past basic stickplasters, not only will it make you better at dealing with a situation, but will save you from making costly mistakes buying "shiny toys" that dont work.

Once you are confident in your skills, do a risk assessment, high light gaps in training and equipment that need correcting.

One thing i see a lot of students struggling with is cassualty assessments. During breaks i usualy give them a copy of a patient report form (PRF) and show them how to fill it in. Simple stuff like recording temperature to see how changes over a relatively short time scale can really help.

We have the software, in the shape of a doctor in the family. Certain circumstances and rural living means we want to prep for avoiding hospital where possible.

We had to call upon our first aid kit yesterday when a family member had a nasty graze - not one that needed a doc but one that needed a bit more than a plaster. Luckily we had some stuff in. Note to self: we need to replenish it.