The home medicine cabinet is important
What you need to know:
Generally, self-medication is not encouraged. However, there are some essential medicines that you should have in your house at all times.
Fever
Having medicine that treats fever is crucial to have in the home all the time, especially for people who have young children. Fever can be managed using medicines such as paracetamol, which can be administered to the child as first aid before they are taken to the health facility. Paracetamol can also be used to manage fever that is associated with immunisation. A clean sponge should also be kept around which can then be used when the child’s temperature is high.
Pain
Besides being used for fever, paracetamol can also be used to relieve pain. Keeping drugs such as ibuprofen, and diclofenac is also recommended as they are good source of pain relief. However, these two medicines need to be taken with caution and only after a person has had a proper meal especially if they suffer from ulcers.
Wounds
Having medicated gloves in your medicine cabin is highly recommended as you do not want to pick or introduce infections to wounds that you have. However, you can only treat the wound by yourself if it is minor. If the wound covers a large area or has injured many layers of tissue thereby creating a deep wound, it is advisable to seek the services of a qualified medical practitioner.
Stomach discomfort
Activated charcoal is the main treatment used to manage stomach gas which can be quite uncomfortable.
The treatment can also be used in cases when a person is intoxicated from taking an excess amount of certain medicines. It works best if it is taken within the first 24 hours of being intoxicated.
