Top 7 Common Medicines and First Aid Kid should have at Home

Common Medicines and First Aid Kid should have at Home

Almost everyone will need to use a first aid kit at some time. Make time to prepare home and travel kits for your family’s safety. First aid kits may be basic or comprehensive. What you need depends on your medical training and your distance from professional medical help.

Ready-made first aid kits are commercially available from chain stores or outdoor retailers, but it’s easy to make smart, inexpensive first aid kits yourself, Drugs regarded.

What to be Inside the First Aid kit?

1. Pain Medication for Headache, Back Pain, And Ankle Sprain

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If you were allowed only ONE thing in your first aid kit or cabinet, then a medication to combat pain would have to be it. So many different conditions and most injuries cause pain, so you'll find yourself reaching for these several times a year, if not more.

Acetaminophen is the most basic pain medication. It has few interactions, barely any side effects, and is generally safe for most people to take. Be sure to take only the recommended dose, because too much can be toxic to the liver. Anti-inflammatory medicines such as Advil, Motrin or Aleve treat pain and have the added bonus of calming down inflammation.

2. Relief From Indigestion, Heart Burn, Or Dyspepsia

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Fatty, greasy or spicy foods can play havoc with your digestion. So can eating too much food, too fast. Which is why keeping a bottle of Maalox or a packet of Tums in your cabinet for occasional indigestion-relief is not a bad idea.

However, any symptoms of heart burn, bloating, or stomach discomfort that occur regularly, regardless of what you eat, need to be checked out by a doctor. Indigestion is a symptom of several conditions, some more serious than others.

3. Keep A Cough Suppressant Like Dextromethorphan Handy For A Dry Cough

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Uncontrollable coughing, especially at night can be exasperating for your whole household. So endless praise will be reaped upon you if you happen to have a cough suppressant like dextromethorphan right there in your medicine cabinet to put a stop to the coughing.

Just make sure that the person with the dry cough doesn't have any other worrying symptoms. If they are short of breath, a young child, or have a fever it is best to seek medical attention right away.

4. Hydrocortisone Cream

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Hydrocortisone cream is a mild steroid cream. Steroids reduce inflammation. Hydrocortisone can be bought in pharmacies, to treat inflammation of the skin, insect stings and eczema. Hydrocortisone cream should not be used on the face unless prescribed by your doctor specifically for use on the face.

If you have itching or dryness of the skin it may just need some emollient cream such as E45®. It is useful to soothe dry or itchy skin.

5. Loperamide: Quick Relief From The Bathroom Trots

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Diarrhea, unfortunately, has a habit of occurring without much warning. Causes are numerous - from viral illnesses, food poisoning, food intolerances, to antibiotics, just to name a few. Save yourself a potentially disastrous dash to get medicine by having an anti-diarrheal right on hand.

Medications such as loperamide, bismuth subsalicylate and diphenoxylate all help control diarrhea, buying you more time to get to the bathroom. Anti-diarrheal medications are not always suitable for everyone, so plan ahead and check with your doctor or pharmacist that they are suitable for you, should you ever need them.

6. Adhesive Bandage

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Accidents happen. Even if you aren’t someone who bumps into things all the time, or have kids, waterproof Band-aids or Hansaplast can come in quite handy in a variety of situations. Case in point: shoe bite. The bandage will prevent your clothes (or shoes) from rubbing against your wound and keep it dry at the same time.

Try a printed band-aid, for an instant pick-me-up after a booboo - they aren’t just for kids, you know. And stock up on square ones and round ones for the places that are hard to cover with big, rectangular tape, Firstpost said.

7. Air-pollution Masks

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For when the air turns foul again. The simple, inexpensive N-95 or N-99 mask will do. Either will keep most of the particulate matter in the air out of your lungs.

And especially, safe masks for the prevention of Covid-19.

Top 7 common Drugs at Home

Lyrica (pregabalin) - Drugs at Home

In July 2019, the FDA greenlighted generic pregabalin for the following indications: neuropathic pain related to diabetic peripheral neuropathy, post-herpetic neuralgia, fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain secondary to spinal cord injury, and partial onset seizures.

Pregabalin and gabapentin (Neurontin) are antiepileptics with similar structures resembling gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). However, neither drug acts like GABA.

Generic pregabalin costs about $67 for thirty 150-mg capsules—about 70% less than branded Lyrica. Of note, generic gabapentin is still cheaper than generic pregabalin.

Cialis (tadalafil) - Drugs at Home

Phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors like tadalafil and sildenafil (Viagra) have given men a new lease on sex. The big difference between these two is the duration of effect, with sildenafil lasting up to 4 hours and tadalafil lasting up to 36 hours. In September 2017, generic tadalafil hit the shelves.

For one-time use, 10-mg tadalafil is indicated. If used daily to help overcome erectile dysfunction, the starting dose is 2.5 mg. The price of a 30-day generic supply of 2.5 mg tablets is about $12—a 96% reduction of the average retail price of $314.

When men take tadalafil, they have certain expectations. It’s fair to say that going blind is not one of them. One medical emergency to watch out for is sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes, which could be due to non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). Interestingly, those with a previous diagnosis of NAION can still take tadalafil, but only when the benefits (erection) outweigh the risks (blindness). Furthermore, patients with a “crowded” optic disc could be at increased NAION risk.

Januvia (sitagliptin) - Drugs at Home

In a perfect world, diabetes medications would be freely available to those who need them. As it is, the price of non-insulin diabetes medications like Januvia has increased by double the rate of overall drug prices. Notably, between 2014 and 2019, the cost of non-insulin diabetes drugs went up 76%.

Metformin is a cheap generic available on low-cost formularies at pharmacy chains across the country. But up to 20% of those who take metformin experience gastrointestinal distress, and 5% end up quitting the drug. For these people, alternative options are very expensive.

In 2022, generic sitagliptin, a well-tolerated and low-risk alternative to metformin, may come to market. Currently, the drug costs about $500 for a 30-day supply of 100-mg tablets.

Along with diet and exercise, sitagliptin is used as monotherapy or combination therapy in type 2 diabetes. When combined with metformin, sitagliptin can decrease hemoglobin A1c levels by 0.65% to 1.1%.

Amitiza (lubiprostone) - Drugs at Home

Lubiprostone is a prostaglandin E1 derivative used to treat idiopathic chronic constipation caused by opioids, as well as constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome. It is a bicyclic fatty acid that activates ClC-2 chloride channels in the gastrointestinal tract, which causes the secretion of a chloride-rich fluid that softens the stool, boosts gastrointestinal motility, and promotes bowel movements.

Generic lubiprostone is anticipated to come to market in 2021. Currently, sixty 8-mcg capsules will set a patient back around $400.

Zubsolv (buprenorphine/naloxone) - Drugs at Home

Zubsolv is a schedule III drug that is used to treat opioid dependence. Because the opioid crisis touches on all fields of medicine, physicians should rejoice to know that this drug is going generic and thus becoming more affordable for patients who need it most.

Zubslov is more bioavailable than Suboxone, another iteration of buprenorphine/naloxone. Currently, Zubsolv costs about $145 for a month’s supply. This drug was anticipated to go generic in late 2019, and will hopefully be made available soon.

Chantix (varenicline) - Drugs at Home

This drug blocks nicotine from activating α4β2 receptors, thus inducing the mesolimbic dopamine system. Experts hypothesize that by triggering the mesolimbic dopamine system, varenicline mimics the physiologic reinforcement and rewards experienced with smoking.

“In clinical studies, people who took varenicline were more likely to have a heart attack, a stroke, or other serious problems with their heart or blood vessels than people who did not receive this medication,” the NIH warns. “However, people who smoke also have a higher risk of developing these problems. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking varenicline, especially if you have or ever had heart or blood vessel disease.”

Currently, Chantix costs a bit more than $400 for a month’s supply.

Zipsor (diclofenac) - Drugs at Home

Zipsor is an NSAID used to treat the pain, swelling, and stiffness of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Extended-release tablets and delayed-release tablets are used to treat ankylosing spondylitis. This drug is also used to treat severe menstrual periods.

Of note, patients with a recent history of myocardial infarction shouldn’t take this drug. According to the NIH: “People who take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (other than aspirin) such as diclofenac may have a higher risk of having a heart attack or a stroke than people who do not take these medications. These events may happen without warning and may cause death. This risk may be higher for people who take NSAIDs for a long time.”

Zipsor is anticipated to go generic in 2022. Until then, it costs more than $800 for one hundred 25-mg capsules.

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