# Suggestions for an all-purpose medicine kit **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 12, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-an-all-purpose-medicine-kit/605934 "2011-12-12T18:40:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-an-all-purpose-medicine-kit/605934/21 "2011-12-13T18:10:20Z")
Most of these things are duplicated but the contents of my purse’s first aid kit: Gravol Tylenol Benadryl Ibuprofen Tums Alka Seltzer Zantac Moleskin Blister Bandages Bandages Polysporin Anti-itch cream Tweezers Nail Clippers Scissors Tissues ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-an-all-purpose-medicine-kit/605934/22 "2011-12-13T18:18:14Z")
Couple of syringes of Morphine. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-an-all-purpose-medicine-kit/605934/23 "2011-12-13T21:50:21Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Gloves are cheap and easy to carry, catching a lifelong illness is a high price to pay for doing a good dead. I know the drill, I worked as an EMT for 3 years. The chance of a random car accident victim having some chronic easily transmitted disease is tiny. Even then you are more likely to end up with the residue on you from multiple patients being an issue to other immunocompromised patients than them being a threat to you. If you work in health care your dozens of patient contacts make you likely to transmit disease on your skin/clothes that your body can resist but a patient cannot. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-an-all-purpose-medicine-kit/605934/24 "2011-12-14T01:03:22Z")
Eye patch and micropore. Sterile normal saline - can be used to wash out injuries or foreign body in an eye. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-an-all-purpose-medicine-kit/605934/25 "2011-12-14T03:24:30Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > The chance of a random car accident victim having some chronic easily transmitted disease is tiny. All true, but I’m still carrying gloves. ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-an-all-purpose-medicine-kit/605934/26 "2011-12-14T04:22:52Z")
Make sure you adjust the kit depending upon weather. Summers are brutal here, so we carry a gallon of water per person, minimum. They get checked weekly, along with anything else that’s heat sensitive. It’s not really first aide, but an extra pair of shoes is a good thing to have. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-an-all-purpose-medicine-kit/605934/27 "2011-12-14T13:53:32Z")
A little notebook and a pencil. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-an-all-purpose-medicine-kit/605934/28 "2011-12-14T15:27:07Z")
Heavy duty rib-spreaders. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-an-all-purpose-medicine-kit/605934/29 "2011-12-14T15:51:54Z")
I travel around the world a lot, often to developing countries. I carry two medical kits. One is first aid and the other is pharmaceutical. The first aid kit to my memory has bandages, scissors, disinfectant wipes, some safety pins and and I’ve added a couple of packaged syringes and needles. Can’t remember what else - I’ve had it since 2004 and have never had to use it. The pharma kit, which gets dipped into all the time, has: Two full courses of generic antibiotics (amoxicillin) One full course of metronidazole Chlorpheniramine Domperidone Loperamide Aspirin Acetominophen Acetominophen + codeine tablets Ibuprofen Terbutaline sulphate Electrolyte powders White flower oil Topical antibiotic cream Vitamin C Band aids of various sizes ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-an-all-purpose-medicine-kit/605934/30 "2011-12-14T17:21:13Z")
Growing up as a kid, my mother had her medicine kit for us kids in the bathroom: 1. Band-Aids 2. Aspirin 3. Pink Lotion (aka calamine lotion) Years later, we would joke that if we came home with a broken arm and one eye hanging out of the socket, all we needed was to rub some pick lotion on the arm, take an aspirin and use that Band-Aid to hold the eye until it healed. It is a wonder we lived past the age of 6. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-an-all-purpose-medicine-kit/605934.md?page=1)