Family Medicine Chest
General Points
- Keep all medicines in a box or cupboard with a lock or store them well out of the reach of children
- The following list is not exhaustive but will help you to cope with most minor illness
- A description of their uses is included for each item
- All are quite cheap and available from your local chemist
- Remember that your local chemist can give you advice about medicines
Useful Medicines and
Dressings
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- Antiseptic solutions can be used for cleaning cuts and grazes
- One teaspoon can diluted in warm water prior to use
- Antiseptic cream is useful for treating septic spots, sores in the nose and grazes
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- Soluble tablets for adults and older children
- Typical uses: headaches, colds, sore throats and painful bruises
Warning: not suitable for children under 12
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- For dabbing on insect bites, stings and sunburn
- Useful for relief of itching in chicken pox
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- Simple linctus or sedative cough linctus
- For dry or painful coughs - but not caused by common cold
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- These contain essential salts and glucose
- Helpful to replace lost fluid and salts in cases of vomiting and diarrhoea
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- Plasters and dressing strips can be useful for minor cuts
- Three inch wide crepe bandage can be used to keep dressings in place and to support sprained or bruised joints
- Cotton wool is useful for cleaning cuts and grazes
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- Useful for runny noses in children over 1 year old
- Use before meals and at night but not for more than 4 days
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- Tablets for adults and older children
- Syrup for younger children
- Useful general pain-killer, and especially for joint/muscle pains
Warning: may cause indigestion, and occasionally may aggravate asthma
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- Add to hot water to make steam inhalations
- Useful for treating catarrh and dry or painful coughs
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- Soluble tablets for adults and older children
- Mixture for young children
- Useful for pain relief and lowering temperatures
- Typical uses: headaches, colds, sore throats and painful bruises
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- Useful to estimate temperatures
- May give readings in centigrade/fahrenheit/colour change or visual scale
- Different readings may be obtained from different sites (mouth, ear, armpit)
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- Useful for removing foreign bodies such as splinters
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- For use with steam inhalations
- Also useful for children with stuffy noses or dry coughs
- Rub on the chest and nose
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