What to put in your first aid kit to be ready for anything
Dressings and consumables
This is all that may be requiredwith cuts, calluses, burns and other similar injuries:
- patches of different sizes;
- bandage;
- small, medium and large sterile gauze pads;
- tourniquet to stop bleeding;
- antiseptic for washing wounds;
- sterile saline;
- antiseptic for washing eyes;
- aniline dyes (brilliant green, methylene blue, fukortsin);
- alcohol wipes;
- hand sanitizer;
- elastic bandage in case of sprains or bruises;
- cotton wool;
- sterile needles ;
- syringes of different volumes;
- rubber gloves;
- antibiotic ointment;
- healing ointment;
- ointment with heparin from bruises;
- pantothenic acid preparations in burn spray ;
- anti-burn wipes;
- cooling packs (or gel pads for cooling, but these need to be stored in the freezer);
- antiseptic dressings;
- liquid patch.
It is not necessary to collect the entire list, see according to your needs.
Painkillers
For pain relief, you will need some over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antispasmodics.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
NSAIDs acceptfor joint, headache, dental, menstrual, and other types of pain, they will also help bring down the temperature. Usually these are drugs based on paracetamol or ibuprofen. They can be in the form of tablets or capsules, and if you have children, you will also need medicine in the form of syrup. In addition, NSAIDs come in the form of creams and ointments, they are used for sprains, bruises and other injuries.
But acetylsalicylic acid is not the best option for an anesthetic, if only because children, people with allergies and problems with clotting cannot drink it. But keeping it in the first aid kit is still worth it, because it can save the life of an adult.
Antispasmodics
Antispasmodics relax smooth muscles in the internal organs, so they help with colic and spasms. For example, with pain in the stomach, intestines, or an increase in the tone of the uterus. This group includes drugs based on drotaverine.
Cold remedies
In addition to the antipyretic NSAIDs listed above, it is desirable to have other drugs for colds. They won’t helprecover faster, but may improve slightly.
Nasal wash solution
These are usually sterile saline solutions that flush out pathogens and mucus. They may be in the form of a spray or drops for newborns.
Vasoconstrictor from the common cold
Decongestants in nasal sprays and drops, such as those based on oxymetazoline, relieve congestion and improve the condition. Remember that they cannot be used for more than 5 days. Further addiction may develop and without them the nose will not breathe at all.
Throat Lozenges
Sucking on cough drops can soothe a scratchy throat. In principle, it is not necessary to use pharmacy products; ordinary sucking sweets with menthol are also suitable.
cough syrups
These can be sputum-thinning drugs or drugs that suppress the cough reflex. They also do not cure, but they can alleviate the condition.
Allergy medicines
To alleviate allergies , you need to interrupt contact with the allergen. But you can also to accepttake medicines that will accelerate the disappearance of unpleasant manifestations.
Antihistamines
Over-the-counter antihistamines can relieve allergy symptoms. There are drugs that cause drowsiness, for example, based on chloropyramine or clemastine, and those that do not, based on cetirizine, desloratadine, levocetirizine and other substances. Be sure to consider this if you drive a car or work in a position that carries a high risk of injury.
For children, you can use antihistamine drops.
artificial tear
If your eyes often itch with allergies or seem too dry after taking antihistamines, then you can drip them with artificial tears. It is absolutely harmless and helps to relieve unpleasant symptoms.
Antipruritics
It can be a chatterbox based on zinc or calamine. You will also need an antihistamine gel and a soothing cream, such as calendula or aloe .
Steroid ointment
For example, based on mometasone, betamethasone and the like. They can help with a mild rash or irritation. You can also use combined ointments, which also have antibacterial and antifungal components.
Try not to apply them to the face and genital area without consulting a doctor, and do not prescribe them yourself to children.
Emergency medicines for anaphylactic shock
They are especially important for those people who have already had similar attacks . Suitableepinephrine or automatic epinephrine injectors. Please note that the latter are not registered in Russia, so you won’t be able to buy them here. Any emergency funds should be prescribed by a doctor, he will also teach them how to use them.
Remedies for problems with the gastrointestinal tract
Often problems with the gastrointestinal tract required consult a doctor, but again you can help yourself a little before getting medical help.
Enterosorbent
Sorbents are needed in order to bind toxins in the intestines and remove them from the body. Therefore, they help with poisoning and intestinal infections. The most famous sorbent in the CIS is activated carbon. But now there are more modern drugs on the market, for example, based on silicon.
Heartburn Remedy
Even healthy people can develop heartburn. In this case, it is better to have in the medicine cabinet products that bind acid and protect the stomach and esophagus from damage. But if you are forced to drink them regularly, then most likely it’s time for you to see a gastroenterologist.
Rehydration solution
With vomiting and diarrhea, there is a risk of dehydration, so fluids must be replenished. Since the body loses more than just water, just drinking is not enough. In case of poisoning or infection, you need to have a powder for preparing a solution of electrolytes – these are ions that are in our body. They will maintain the water-salt balance.
mild laxative
A laxative can be in the form of suppositories or microclusters. Usually they are not absorbed, so they can be used from the first days of life.
Diarrhea medicine
In general, it is better not to use drugs for diarrhea. Diarrhea is the body’s way of getting rid of something harmful to it, such as toxins and infectious agents . So obviously it’s better for them to come out with feces than to get into the blood. But if you want to add loperamide preparations in an emergency, at least do not take them without consulting a doctor.
Medicines for chronic diseases
If you have chronic diseases and you constantly or periodically take some medicines, then they should also be in your first aid kit. For hypertensive patients, these will be anti-crisis drugs, for people with angina pectoris, drugs that improve blood flow in the heart, and for cancer patients, antiemetics and prescription painkillers. In this case, you will agree on a set of medicines with your doctor.
Auxiliaries
These items are best putin the first aid kit, so as not to look for if necessary throughout the house:
- thermometer;
- tonometer;
- pulse oximeter ;
- scissors;
- tweezers;
- spatula or spoon;
- torch;
- film with a valve for artificial respiration;
- note paper;
- a pen and a felt-tip pen to sign the time of the tourniquet or write down something important;
- emergency phone numbers, especially if the first-aid kit can be used by schoolchildren;
- first aid memos, where you need to write down the procedure in an emergency – in a panic, knowledge disappears somewhere, so you should not rely on memory.
Do not forget to regularly check the expiration dates of medicines and the charge of batteries in devices. Store medicines in a cool, dry place away from children.