7 Medicines You Should Always Keep At Home

Emergency situations can arise anytime at home. Taking the right decisions can go a long way in saving lives. One of the key things you will need to effectively deal with emergency situations are medicines. As it may take some time to reach the hospital, medicines given at the right time can increase the chances of survival. Here’s a list of some important medicines that you always need to keep at home.

1. Pain – In an emergency situation, pain can worsen the patient’s condition. You can keep non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to relieve pain. For patients with gastrointestinal problems, a safer option would be acetaminophen (paracetamol).
2. Anti-allergy – Allergy can strike anytime even with people who may never have experienced it before. For quick relief, you can keep antihistamine medication at home. These can reduce a range of symptoms such as itching, hives, swollen skin, and even breathing issues.
3. Aspirin – This has shown to be effective against headaches, body aches and other mild to moderate pain. It can also be useful if taken soon after a heart attack.
4. Antacid – This can come handy when you are having a bad bout of indigestion or acid reflux symptoms. Antacid will neutralize the excess acid in your stomach, thereby protecting it from further damage.
5. Fever – The safest option would be paracetamol for most patients. If left uncontrolled, high fever can complicate the patient’s health condition. With paracetamol, the fever can be reduced. Paracetamol also works as a mild anti-inflammatory drug.
6. Anti-diarrhea – Diarrhea resulting from a bacterial or virus infection can lead to serious fluid loss. To control loss of fluid, anti-diarrhea drugs can be used. These will help till the time the patient gets to the hospital. Antibiotics for diarrhea should be taken only after consultation with the doctor.
7. Cough reliever – Mild cough can be bearable. However, if the cough is more acute, a cough relieving medicine or syrup can be very useful. Some of these will also help you get good sleep.

It’s recommended that you have your doctor’s approval prior to stocking these medicines in your home. Some medicines may cause allergy and other side effects. So it is always better to consult a doctor. Your doctor should be able to tell you about safe medicine options that you can give to the patient in an emergency situation. If the patient has any specific illness, medicines related to that should also be kept at home. Also, make sure you do an annual check on the stocked medicines. If some medicines are nearing expiration, you need to order new ones on priority.