Your medicine box

We all have of our own making a small box or a pouch at home or even at office that contains certain medicines. Also called as medicine chest, your medicine box (MB) is your own creation created unknowingly. Having a MB is not recommended by anyone and hence no one knows what the contents should be. Mostly the contents are left-overs of a previous treatment.

Your medicine box will also have some medicines that you regulalry take as prescribed by your doctor, like for high blood pressure, high blood sugar, etc.

The author has tried to create a list of medicines that would come handy for some conditions like fever, chest infection, gastrointestinal infections, diarrhoea, vomiting, acidity, common cold, headache, muscle sprain, minor cuts, etc. especially if you are unable to establish a contact with a doctor, or are traveling, or in the middle of the night or middle of nowhere.

1. Metacin / Crocin – 20 tablets. For fever
2. Vicks lozenges – 20 lozenges. To soothe the throat
3. Vicks vaporub – 1 small bottle
4. Tablet Cifran 500 mg – 20 tablets. It is an broad-spectrum antibiotic used for chest infections and some kinds of diarrhoeas
5. Tablet Doxy 1 L-DR FORTE – 10 tablets. It is a broad-spectrum antibiotic used during chest infections and some kinds of diarrhoeas
6. Tablet Brufen – 20 tablets. For muscle sprains, bodyache
7. Tablet Avil – 10 tablets. For running nose, skin rash, Do not drive as it causes drowsiness
8. Tablet Deriphyllin Retard 150 mg – 20 tablets. For breathing difficulty as in asthma or during chest infections
9. Tablet Bromhexine – 20 tablets. Useful to help bring out thick phlegm during chest infection
10. Tablet Loperamide – 10 tablets. Used to stop diarrhoea. If no fever, take only one dose, else strongly recommended to consult a doctor
11. Electral powder – 6 sachets. Used to replace salts in case of diarrhoea
12. Tablet Domstal  (dispersible) – 10 tablets. Used to stop vomiting
13. Syrup Zecuf – 1 bottle. It is a ayurvedic non-sedative cough syrup
14. Tablet Zinetac 150 mg – 20 tablets. It is used for acidity
15. Relispray – 1 can. For muscular pain on uncut areas.
16. Band-aid – 10 strips. For minor cuts

Although it is self-medication, but a fairly safe one with a strong suggestion to take only a day’s dose and try to establish a contact with a doctor, even it is a telephonic contact, to make sure all is going on well. Any delay can lead to a catastrophe.

If it is a medical emergency or if the person intending to take these medicines appears to be sick and sinking, it is strongly suggested to take a single dose and rush to a medical centre.

Now, check your medicine box and see how many of these medicines are in it; if not replenish with these rather than having those of which you don’t know the use.

Dr. Ajay Sati.