master medical supply list

waterboy15

So has anyone got a supply of medical supplies that would be needed for a family plus extras for bartering? , maybe a years supply with no underlying conditions.

Sticky_Fingers

We only really have the basics in our house, A few boxes each of Aspirin, Paracetamol, Lemsip and some Nurofen plus that I got up North to avoid being subjected to the third degree by the pharmacist.

We also have a few courses of a wide spectrum antibiotic (Augmentin) that was obtained over the counter whilst on holiday (and at a third of the cost then back home).

Luckily no one in my family suffers from any chronic illnesses that require regular medication as I would suspect most GP's would refuse point blank to write prescriptions for someone who was going to stockpile say a three month supply of meds.

A point to note when buying medication, as with everything don't buy all at once, where possible spread your purchases out over 6 months - year. If like me you live in a household what very rarely uses such products it will minimise the chance of all your supplies going out of date at around the same time.

Also make sure to store plenty of band aids, bandages, burn ointment, suncream and loads of disinfectant to take care of minor cuts and scrapes.

Most important of all is a good medical book. Here's a link to a downloadable free one, I've only skimmed through it but it seems pretty comprehensive (over 700 pages).

I'm sure it doesn't need to be said but ensure all your medication is locked away securely out of reach of tiny hands, there may not be a hospital around to preform a stomach pump should the worst happen.

Tabnabs

It would probably be useful to have some training too, somewhere like http://stjohn.ie/first-aid-courses would be a good place to start.

meathstevie

Let's see :

- wide spectrum antibiotic, preference for non-penicilin
- puritabs
- general purpose disinfectant ( alcohol, bleech tablets... )
- suturing thread ( fishing line ? ) and needle
- good quality knife style single blade victorinox pen knife ( making splints,
cutting out foreign objects etc )
- plenty of bandages
- paracetamol and ibuprofen ( fever and painkiller )
- safety pins

Delancey

Broad spectrum anti-biotics are definitely the most important item.

Grizzly 45

Keep It Simple Stupid! [KISS]
Most doctors who are of a survival mind will tell you this.
People tend to freak out when it comes to medical supplies in a prepardness /survival situation.
If you are on some kind of medication.IE diabetic,heart patient etc.You can ask your doc for extra supplies no problem .Tell them you are going on an exotic holiday or whatever,and might be out of contact of civilisation for awhile.
If you use specs or contacts,maybe a couple of extra pairs of specs or a years worth of contacts are in order??IOW you SHOULD go to Specsavers.

And of COURSE all your shots are up to date as well!!IE tetanus,Hepatitis A&B,etc:)

A great bandage is simply duct tape and a sanitary napkin.Its designed to catch blood and duct tape will secure it very well to a wound.
You can use honey or Cayenne chill pepper powder as antiseptic clotting agents as well

Soap,plenty of, with water is still the best and mildest disenfectant which deals with 90 % of all germs,and whatnot.A can of Jeys and big bottle of Ammonia is good to have as well,ditto a big bottle of bog standard chip vinegar,its Ascetic acid in vinegar,which is one of the more powerful
natural surface antiseptics around.[Handy if your kitchen table might have to serve as an operating table!:D:eek:]
Couple packs of alcoholic swabs and a box of latex disposable gloves are worth having too,

Aspirin the most basic pain killer,cheap and plentiful,a good sub ,if taken right for those on Warfain blood medicine.

Sutures and stuff like that...Unless you know how to use such,and how to clean a wound out,maybe leave well alone.You can sew an infection into the cut,and create all sorts of problems from sepsis to gangrene.Thats what happened to a lot of Argentine soilders in the Falklands war.Their medical staff was badly trained and sewed up wounds with dirt in them. We heal from the inside out and the most important thing is stopping blood loss.Use pressure and bandages to stop blood loss and if need be a tourniquent.Again you need to know how to use.Thats not to say you should not have this stuff,as maybe you might bump into a doc who can do this for you.
Sooo a basic first aid course should be on alot of peoples agendas this Winter:P
If you really want to be well trained out and can afford this and have an inclination to this.Id recommend an EMT/first responder course that will cover alot of intresting and usable stuff.But it wont be recognised as a qualification in Ireland.however When The SH*T Hits The Fan.I'd say that point might be a tad academic.:rolleyes:

Fallschirmjager

where can you get antibiotics like that? i cannot see a doctor here giving them. last time our son needed some, the doctor treated it like it was gold dust..not saying it should not be limited but getting access for disaster prep i would imagine will be near impossible in ireland.

Delancey

I agree that getting a prescription here in these circumstances is almost impossible - buying online is way too risky ( in any event I think boards.ie policy does not permit discussion of the purchase of medication online ).

Useful to know what supplies are important even though getting them may prove very difficult.

Fallschirmjager

oh crap...apologies dude, dont want to start this great forum off with trouble...i will edit

St. Leibowitz

One thing to note on medication with expiry dates.

The US Army Medical Corps have literally billions of dollars worth of drugs stockpiled throughout the world. They have done some studies on these stockpiled drugs. The standard expiry date on aspirin for example is two years after the date of manufacture. Stockpiled aspirin which was twenty years expired was tested, and there was no degredation in potency. The conclusion of the review board was that aspirin should have an expiry date well beyond twenty years. Drug manufacturers are required to put expiry dates on their products. Many are arbitrarily set, whereby the drug is tested two years after manufacture, found to be fully potent, and so that is set as the expiry date.

This could be a minefield (no pun intended), as there are many drugs which do expire and have valid expiry dates. Some lose potency after their expiry date. Some decompose and are dangerous to use when expired.

I'll try to dig up links to the tests, and would recommend concentrating on the drugs which are safe and active well beyond their expiry date. Aspirin is definately safe, once stored correctly. It's also a bit of a wonder drug, and has many applications beyond its analgesic effects, although, as with all drugs, it should it should be used with caution, particularly when bleeding is involved, and also it shouldn't be given to children under 12.

http://www.upmc-biosecurity.org/website/resources/publications/2009/2009-03-27-max_st_local_med_cntr.html

Delancey

St. Leibowitz wrote: »

One thing to note on medication with expiry dates.

The US Army Medical Corps have literally billions of dollars worth of drugs stockpiled throughout the world. They have done some studies on these stockpiled drugs. The standard expiry date on aspirin for example is two years after the date of manufacture. Stockpiled aspirin which was twenty years expired was tested, and there was no degredation in potency. The conclusion of the review board was that aspirin should have an expiry date well beyond twenty years. Drug manufacturers are required to put expiry dates on their products. Many are arbitrarily set, whereby the drug is tested two years after manufacture, found to be fully potent, and so that is set as the expiry date.

This could be a minefield (no pun intended), as there are many drugs which do expire and have valid expiry dates. Some lose potency after their expiry date. Some decompose and are dangerous to use when expired.

I'll try to dig up links to the tests, and would recommend concentrating on the drugs which are safe and active well beyond their expiry date. Aspirin is definately safe, once stored correctly. It's also a bit of a wonder drug, and has many applications beyond its analgesic effects, although, as with all drugs, it should it should be used with caution, particularly when bleeding is involved, and also it shouldn't be given to children under 12.

http://www.upmc-biosecurity.org/website/resources/publications/2009/2009-03-27-max_st_local_med_cntr.html

+1 , I have a relative who is a Pharmacist and she says the dates are mainly of value as stock control but in some cases the meds are very sensitive to the dates - sounds like a real minefield.

Funnily enough condoms are something where the date does matter - I once made the error of trying to use one that was 3 months gone - bloody thing fell apart in my hands ( a profoundly frustrating experience ).

Tigger

Delancey wrote: »

Broad spectrum anti-biotics are definitely the most important item.

hard to get

whens the looting section?

Grizzly 45

Let you in on a little secret..

<snip>

MOD EDIT
NO MEDICAL ADVICE, PLEASE READ THE CHARTER!!

Delancey

Tigger wrote: »

hard to get

whens the looting section?

Hit the nail on the head there - plenty of items that one would like in a survival situation but really not obtainable unless you go helping yourself.

Misty Moon

Tabnabs wrote: »

It would probably be useful to have some training too, somewhere like http://stjohn.ie/first-aid-courses would be a good place to start.

And something that's worth looking into is findng a course that is more than the usual 'at work' type of first aid course so many do. Where the basic plan essentially always depends on an ambulance arriving within ten to fifteen minutes - at least that what the two first-aid courses I've done at work (then in Dublin) involved.

I really need to do this and would be very interested in hearing anyone's experiences with more intensive courses.

As for the main topic, I have a stockpile of basic painkillers, plasters and bandages in various shapes and sizes, anti-bacterial gel/fluid, burn gel (plus several aloe vera plants, which I actually find more effective in dealing with burns), witch hazel, surgical spirits, calamine lotion and sudocreme. So just a basic first-aid kit really.

Morag

Tweezers and needles and thread, upholstery needles esp for larger wounds on curved parts of the body.

krissovo

In a survival situation without alcohol I would not attempt sutures unless I had a very clean environment.

Super glue & steri strips would be my first choice or even using hair to tie the wound together with a blob of superglue depending on the area of the body.

My kit looks like this:

5x British Army field dressings
5x Shemagh's (we all have one), great substitute for triangular bandages
Assortment of Bandages
Oil of cloves (tooth ache)
Flamazine cream (burns)
Assorted airways
Aspirin
Neurophen
Alcohol wipes
Plasters
Tape
Gauze
Paraffin gauze
Arret (lots)
Suture kit
Gloves
Antibiotic cream
Scalpel blades
Super Glue
Iodine

Doc Ruby

Fallschirmjager wrote: »

where can you get antibiotics like that? i cannot see a doctor here giving them. last time our son needed some, the doctor treated it like it was gold dust..not saying it should not be limited but getting access for disaster prep i would imagine will be near impossible in ireland.

You'd be a fool to try it, SNIP

Yes you would be a fool to try that. Please note that posting medical advice is against the charter

Sticky_Fingers