Antibiotics

Medical and Healthcare
JonoMathew
Posts: 15
Joined: Tue Sep 19, 2017 11:06 am

Re: Antibiotics

Post by JonoMathew »

Britcit wrote:
JonoMathew wrote:.....

I have a large selection of painkillers such as paracetamol, ibruprofen and asprin. Is it worth stockpiling co-codamol or any others? What other medications would you stock pile? Thanks again
I keep quite a few paracetamol, ibuprofen and aspirin as you do. I do also keep a fair number of boxes of cocodamol, but not so many because it raises a few eyebrows at the chemist if your seen buying to often. I can't spread the purchases around as there not many places here that keep them.

I do have quite a few of the 'extra strength' painkillers that are paracetamol\asprin\caffeine.

I look at it this way.

Paracetamol are so\so as a painkiller but can help with a fever.
Ibuprofen also for pain as an antiinflammatory.
I keep aspirin as I take low doses each day. Not prescribed but I've had a lot of relatives have heart attacks so its what I choose to do.
Extra strength painkillers for back ups to my main painkiller, and I find them more useful in case of bad headaches and the like.
I keep cocodamol in my stocks as a more potent painkiller, and as my wife can't stomach tramadol.
I have a stash of tramadol (prescribed), which I build up stocks slowly in case tshtf.
For major problems, in an emergency I have morphine. Leftovers from when I last collapsed with chronic back pain.

Cold and flu capsules, anti diarrhea pills, anti histamines all form part of my stocks. It could be a never ending shopping list, but don't get to bogged down on it. Balance your preps, pick up a little here and a little there and the pile soon builds up.

I know opinion here is a little divided on the topic of anti biotics. I fall on the side of the fence that is pro keeping some. I do want to get some amoxicillin as my wife is prone to chest infections, and has even had this develop into pneumonia twice. As that's what finally killed off my dad I'd rather get some so if shtf the missus would have a little safety net.
Thanks, that is a great help. I must admit I do have a good few piled up but alot will probably be out of date now. I do need to 're stock and you have mentioned things I never thought of.

I wish I knew a way to get my hands on amoxicillin in bulk but the that of course runs the risk of buying rat droppings off the net.

Over the coming weeks I will be making multiple trips to chemist etc. Thanks again
ParamedicPrepper
Posts: 140
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2016 8:18 pm
Location: Kent

Re: Antibiotics

Post by ParamedicPrepper »

Don't get to hung up on thinking you need loads of antibiotics as, no offence, but you have t a clue what you would use for what reason. If your that sick that it's life or death or sepsis develops then IV antibiotics will be required together with other aggressive treatment. A few amoxicillin won't help you.

Amoxicillin is a broad spectrum so generally will fight a chest infection but will also work for a range of other infections as well. Skin infections require a more suited abx such as flucloxacillin. Urine infections require something along the lines of trimethoprim or nitrofurantoin. Then if your allergic to penicillins you may need a macrolide such as clarithromycin or erythromycin.

Now we have just mentioned several abx for only a few types of infection and the list is much longer. Knowledge is the key in most cases as how would you know if someone had a urine infection? Can you do urinalysis and culture theirburine to see which abx they're sensitive to?

Stick to the basics, stock up on the meds u will use. I have spoke about such meds on a previous thread and 20 to 30 quid on a website like pharmacy first will get you a shed load of OTC meds u will actually use
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Deeps
Posts: 5797
Joined: Sun Nov 09, 2014 8:36 pm

Re: Antibiotics

Post by Deeps »

Britcit wrote: diarrhea pills
As well as the anti poo pills it might be worth getting some to give you a good pull through as well. Potentially your diet might be all over the place and you 'back up'.
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Brambles
Posts: 3093
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2011 8:09 am
Location: West Midlands

Re: Antibiotics

Post by Brambles »

ParamedicPrepper wrote:Don't get to hung up on thinking you need loads of antibiotics as, no offence, but you have t a clue what you would use for what reason. If your that sick that it's life or death or sepsis develops then IV antibiotics will be required together with other aggressive treatment. A few amoxicillin won't help you.

Amoxicillin is a broad spectrum so generally will fight a chest infection but will also work for a range of other infections as well. Skin infections require a more suited abx such as flucloxacillin. Urine infections require something along the lines of trimethoprim or nitrofurantoin. Then if your allergic to penicillins you may need a macrolide such as clarithromycin or erythromycin.

Now we have just mentioned several abx for only a few types of infection and the list is much longer. Knowledge is the key in most cases as how would you know if someone had a urine infection? Can you do urinalysis and culture theirburine to see which abx they're sensitive to?

Stick to the basics, stock up on the meds u will use. I have spoke about such meds on a previous thread and 20 to 30 quid on a website like pharmacy first will get you a shed load of OTC meds u will actually use
Best bit of sensible advice about Antibiotics and medication I've read in a long time. Thanks for that.
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain~anon
Arzosah
Posts: 6323
Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:20 pm

Re: Antibiotics

Post by Arzosah »

Absolutely, thats really useful.

I haven't stocked any antibiotics (new shorthand! "abx", thanks for that :) ) but I have loads of the first aid OTC stuff - ibuprofen, paracetemol, the sort of things that BritCit mentioned. I also have a lot of bandages and dressings - I had a cyst a few years ago, and experienced first hand the number of dressings that even a wound thats only half an inch across will need.

The other thing I've kept (not bought) - I saw a tip about saving plastic squeeze bottles, like the big tomato ketchup bottles you can buy, or shampoo, come to that. If you need to sprinkle water (I don't really want to use the term "irrigate", because the water might be clean, having been through a filter, but its not medical saline) then use one of these. I just have 3 nice big bottles, empty, in a plastic crate thats half full of other stuff.
JonoMathew
Posts: 15
Joined: Tue Sep 19, 2017 11:06 am

Re: Antibiotics

Post by JonoMathew »

ParamedicPrepper wrote:Don't get to hung up on thinking you need loads of antibiotics as, no offence, but you have t a clue what you would use for what reason. If your that sick that it's life or death or sepsis develops then IV antibiotics will be required together with other aggressive treatment. A few amoxicillin won't help you.

Amoxicillin is a broad spectrum so generally will fight a chest infection but will also work for a range of other infections as well. Skin infections require a more suited abx such as flucloxacillin. Urine infections require something along the lines of trimethoprim or nitrofurantoin. Then if your allergic to penicillins you may need a macrolide such as clarithromycin or erythromycin.

Now we have just mentioned several abx for only a few types of infection and the list is much longer. Knowledge is the key in most cases as how would you know if someone had a urine infection? Can you do urinalysis and culture theirburine to see which abx they're sensitive to?

Stick to the basics, stock up on the meds u will use. I have spoke about such meds on a previous thread and 20 to 30 quid on a website like pharmacy first will get you a shed load of OTC meds u will actually use
That makes sense. Being a smoker I can occasionally get a chest infection but your advice is spot on.
jansman
Posts: 13622
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:16 pm

Re: Antibiotics

Post by jansman »

Deeps wrote:
Britcit wrote: diarrhea pills
As well as the anti poo pills it might be worth getting some to give you a good pull through as well. Potentially your diet might be all over the place and you 'back up'.
I second that! Something I have kept in after a bout of serious sh#ts many moons ago ( and I mean serious) after being lazy about water disinfection in Belize.It weren't pretty! :lol:
In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on.

Robert Frost.

Covid 19: After that level of weirdness ,any situation is certainly possible.

Me.
ParamedicPrepper
Posts: 140
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2016 8:18 pm
Location: Kent

Re: Antibiotics

Post by ParamedicPrepper »

Arzosah wrote:Absolutely, thats really useful.

I haven't stocked any antibiotics (new shorthand! "abx", thanks for that :) ) but I have loads of the first aid OTC stuff - ibuprofen, paracetemol, the sort of things that BritCit mentioned. I also have a lot of bandages and dressings - I had a cyst a few years ago, and experienced first hand the number of dressings that even a wound thats only half an inch across will need.

The other thing I've kept (not bought) - I saw a tip about saving plastic squeeze bottles, like the big tomato ketchup bottles you can buy, or shampoo, come to that. If you need to sprinkle water (I don't really want to use the term "irrigate", because the water might be clean, having been through a filter, but its not medical saline) then use one of these. I just have 3 nice big bottles, empty, in a plastic crate thats half full of other stuff.
I had an abscess a few months ago and that was 6 weeks of dressing changes that impacted on my supplies big time!

There was a study into potable water and saline for irrigation a few years ago and the result was if you can drink it then it's safe to use for irrigation. Saline is generally 0.9% in concentration and that is matched to the eyes salinity level. So if u have saline then use for eyes, if it's a wound use tap water. There was no vast difference between boiled and in boiled water
jansman
Posts: 13622
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:16 pm

Re: Antibiotics

Post by jansman »

Like^^ Very useful information. Thank you.
In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on.

Robert Frost.

Covid 19: After that level of weirdness ,any situation is certainly possible.

Me.
User avatar
Deeps
Posts: 5797
Joined: Sun Nov 09, 2014 8:36 pm

Re: Antibiotics

Post by Deeps »

ParamedicPrepper wrote:
Arzosah wrote:Absolutely, thats really useful.

I haven't stocked any antibiotics (new shorthand! "abx", thanks for that :) ) but I have loads of the first aid OTC stuff - ibuprofen, paracetemol, the sort of things that BritCit mentioned. I also have a lot of bandages and dressings - I had a cyst a few years ago, and experienced first hand the number of dressings that even a wound thats only half an inch across will need.

The other thing I've kept (not bought) - I saw a tip about saving plastic squeeze bottles, like the big tomato ketchup bottles you can buy, or shampoo, come to that. If you need to sprinkle water (I don't really want to use the term "irrigate", because the water might be clean, having been through a filter, but its not medical saline) then use one of these. I just have 3 nice big bottles, empty, in a plastic crate thats half full of other stuff.
I had an abscess a few months ago and that was 6 weeks of dressing changes that impacted on my supplies big time!

There was a study into potable water and saline for irrigation a few years ago and the result was if you can drink it then it's safe to use for irrigation. Saline is generally 0.9% in concentration and that is matched to the eyes salinity level. So if u have saline then use for eyes, if it's a wound use tap water. There was no vast difference between boiled and in boiled water
Thanks for the info, I carry a few of the eye skooshers, as much with irrigation in mind as for eyes. While I'd have used tap water if there wasn't anything else its good to know that its just as good as the saline stuff. I love this place, loads of useful stuff, cheers amigo.