Spring Break
Ease aches with stock of medicine
DREW HALL For The Red & Black
Issue date: 1/30/07 Section: Variety
Do you enjoy driving to the pharmacy every time you've got a little headache or a cut on your knee? Most people don't, and keeping a well-stocked medicine cabinet in your home will help you avoid such cases.
Registered Pharmacist Edward Reynolds offers a few suggestions for medications to keep on hand for likely situations.
"I like to use Tylenol for headaches because you don't have to worry as much about interactions with other medications as you would if you took other over-the-counter pain medications," Reynolds said.
Cuts and scrapes can also happen so you should always have plenty of bandages and first aid supplies.
Reynolds advises cleansing the wound with Peroxide and then applying a triple antibiotic ointment, such as Neosporin, before covering it with a bandage. The antibiotic ointment will help fight infection, and the bandage will protect the wound from future debris.
But headaches and cuts aren't the only problems that happen at home. What if someone has an allergic reaction?
"I would suggest Benadryl capsules for allergic reactions such as food allergies," Reynolds said. "If a skin allergy occurs, you would also want to use an anti-itch cream such as Hydrocortisone."
Everyone hates to be up all night with a nagging cough, and Reynolds suggested Robitussin DM to help ease the cough. If you are suffering from cold symptoms, Reynolds suggests Tylenol Cold to treat minor issues.
Now that the medicine cabinet is stocked, it needs to be safe and easily accessible. Reynolds says a bathroom isn't always the best place to keep your medicine because certain medications could be affected by humidity.
Instead, he suggests storing medications in a kitchen or other room away from humidity.
You should also keep the Poison Control number near the medicine cabinet in case of accidents. Georgia's Poison Control center telephone number is 1-800-222-1222.
Contact your physician before taking any medications not directly prescribed to you.
Registered Pharmacist Edward Reynolds offers a few suggestions for medications to keep on hand for likely situations.
"I like to use Tylenol for headaches because you don't have to worry as much about interactions with other medications as you would if you took other over-the-counter pain medications," Reynolds said.
Cuts and scrapes can also happen so you should always have plenty of bandages and first aid supplies.
Reynolds advises cleansing the wound with Peroxide and then applying a triple antibiotic ointment, such as Neosporin, before covering it with a bandage. The antibiotic ointment will help fight infection, and the bandage will protect the wound from future debris.
But headaches and cuts aren't the only problems that happen at home. What if someone has an allergic reaction?
"I would suggest Benadryl capsules for allergic reactions such as food allergies," Reynolds said. "If a skin allergy occurs, you would also want to use an anti-itch cream such as Hydrocortisone."
Everyone hates to be up all night with a nagging cough, and Reynolds suggested Robitussin DM to help ease the cough. If you are suffering from cold symptoms, Reynolds suggests Tylenol Cold to treat minor issues.
Now that the medicine cabinet is stocked, it needs to be safe and easily accessible. Reynolds says a bathroom isn't always the best place to keep your medicine because certain medications could be affected by humidity.
Instead, he suggests storing medications in a kitchen or other room away from humidity.
You should also keep the Poison Control number near the medicine cabinet in case of accidents. Georgia's Poison Control center telephone number is 1-800-222-1222.
Contact your physician before taking any medications not directly prescribed to you.
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