The rainy season is upon us and the air is dry and cold. This is the time of the year where, common colds, seasonal flu, and Allergic rhinitis are prevalent. Illnesses and accidents may occur unexpectedly during this time. You don’t want to run around town looking for a pharmacy at the middle of the night or searching the internet for a list of drugstores in the Philippines that are open 24/7. You’ll never know what will happen which is why it’s important to be prepared and store medicines for emergency purposes.
But what prescriptions and supplies would you store in your medicine cabinet? Here is the list of things that you must store in your medicine cabinet.
Medications
- Headaches, fevers, and muscle pain are common during the cold season. They will stop you from doing your daily tasks but they can be easily cured. That’s why it is important that you keep aspirin, paracetamol, and ibuprofen in your medicine cabinet.
- Coughs and nasal congestions usually occur during this time as well. You need to store medicines like bromhexine, butamirate, and carbocisteine for cough and diphenhydramine and phenylephirine for nasal congestions.
- Some things might trigger your allergies unknowingly. Allergies can be deadly, especially if not taken care of immediately. If you have allergies, better to keep antihistamines ready.
- There are instances when you feel bloated after eating too much. Your stomach might ache and you’ll have a hard time releasing your stool. There are times too that you might release more than what is necessary. In short, you’re suffering from constipation. Medicines like bisacodyl should be always at your home.
- Kids are prone with insect bites, rashes, and skin problems because they always play outside. Insect bites can make the skin swell, turn red, and become itchy. Meanwhile, rashes have the same symptoms but this one occurs all over the body. On the other hand, skin problems can make your skin dry and chap. All you need are medicines like benzoic acid and clotrimazole.
- Accidents happen in the kitchen; that’s why it’s important to store hydrocortisone cream at your medicine cabinet.
Tools and Medical Supplies
- Thermometer
It is very important that every house have this tool. Thermometers are used to measure the body temperature if someone has a fever or not. Also, it indicates how high the fever of a person is, helping you determine whether you need to bring them to the hospital or if a night’s rest and a paracetamol will do.
- Tweezers
These are usually used to pluck hair in armpits and eyebrows but it can also be used to remove debris from wounds like glass and splinters.
- Scissors
There are different types of scissors for a variety of purposes. The one you need for the medicine cabinet is a small one for cutting bandages and gauge pads.
- Antiseptics
Before applying bandage or gauge, apply antiseptic first. Antiseptics are for cleaning wounds, scrapes, cuts, and abrasions. Â It disinfects the wound killing the germs on the process.
- Bandages and Gauze
Bandages and gauge have the same purpose and that is to protect the wound from infection. They are used to cover the wounds. A small cut will just need a bandage but if the wound is bigger, then a gauge pad is needed. Bandages are also used to hold the gauze in place.
- Elastic Wrap or Elastic Bandage
This is a stretchable bandage used to create pressure on a sprained and strained muscles to reduce the blood flow and restrict the injured area to swell.
- Antibacterial Ointment
This ointment is smeared in the wound after antiseptics are applied. It prevents infection caused by bacteria. Putting antibacterial ointment in your wound helps it to heal faster.
- Cotton Swabs and Cotton Balls
These are used to help clean the wounds that has blood and dirt. Cotton balls and swabs are also used in applying ointment in the wounds.
It is important to keep the mentioned items above in your medicine cabinet so that you will be ready in case of emergencies. Remember that accidents can happen anytime and you can develop various illnesses during the cold season. So be ready and equip yourself with the necessary tools to and medicines that would help you during these moments.
About the Author:
Laurel Santos is a 24 year old grown up woman whose kid at heart. She lives in the city and works as a freelance photographer. She also manages a small pet shop inside their village. She loves traveling so much because she believes that one should not just die staying in without exploring the world. She got a big heart for animals especially those stray dogs. Despite her busy schedule she always finds time to do one thing that she is very passionate about which is writing
