Rx - What should you carry?

Talk about a thread that ought to be a sticky...

I have a lot of good stuff in my kit but I can see I need to add a few things.
 
I believe thousands of people die in third world countries for lack of antidiarrhea medicine or knowledge of home remedies for it. It's a serious thing, and I think the OP brought up the most important, generic life-saving RX to carry. Aspirin or Tylenol or OTC pain killers would be next in my list, and anitbiotics. I guess these all are equal priorities. Deworming medicine for stomach or intestinal parasites is important, if available OTC. Antibiotic cream for wounds, snake bite kit, etc.
 
ironraven said:
Alright, I know how Hog Feet does it, but how do people get a doc to give them an Rx for a kit?
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Most of the meds listed can be gotten OTC.

For certain prescription meds, I would suggest talking to your family doctor (who you know well) and discuss your concerns and ask their advice.

Epinephrine is not something that you should administer unless you know what you are doing. You might get a prescription for an Epi-pen if you have a history of serious allergic reactions.

Narcotic pain medications are also not something you should administer to yourself in a survival situation. If you are alone, they can alter your thinking and the brain is more important than being comfortable in a real survival situation. Pain can keep you alive. I only carry narcotics for other people I may have to help, or myself if someone else is taking care of me.

If anyone is serious about bringing any medications into the wilderness, I must tell you to consult with your doctor and the two of you should make educated decisions together.

Carrying prescription drugs can get you into trouble if you do not have prescriptions for yourself. Do not get your uncle's painkillers or your sister's epi-pens!

My wife and I have very stocked kits for big emergencies, but it is not recommended or safe for most people to use these without training.
In a real SHTF scenario the best thing to do is find someone who is trained or knowledgeable (even if you have your own supply of meds and stuff).
 
One big problem with medicines is that your kits will have to be replaced or refreshed from time to time. It can be very expensive to keep a non-expired kit on hand.
 
asfried2 said:
Here is a list of my basic kit meds:

Ibuprophen
Benadryl
Immodium
Levofoxacin
Azithromycin
Epinephrine
Injectable benadryl
Ofloxacin opthalmic drops
Marcaine
Ambien (the only Rx sleep aid that has been demonstrated to be OK with altitude)
Prednisone
Triamcinolone 0.1% cream
Oil of cloves (in tiny dental 1st aid kit)
Aspirin (4 325mg tabs for MI tyle symptoms. NEVER to be used in kids)
Hydrocodone/acetaminophen 10/325 tabs
Claritin
Pepcid

When I am travelling with children, I include the following meds:

Ceftriaxone
Dexamethasone (inj)
Lidocaine 1% (cause ceftriaxone stings like a mother when mixed only with sterile water)
Pepcid AC (pepcid in a nice chewable strawberry form).
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Prednisone? Decadron? Why? Ambien? These seem like answers to some sort of very specific problems.
 
A timely topic. I had a visit and lengthy conversation with a good friend of mine who is on a Maine Hot Shot crew and is certified as a wilderness first responder. He said that the most common emergency on fire lines is anaphalactic shock due to bee stings. He further stated that each five man crew in Canada carries two Epi-pens, whereas crews are prohibited from carrying them here in the US. Typical US nanny-state BS. Pretty hard to misdiagnose when a guy has a hundred bee stings and can't breathe. He also noted that bee sting allergies can develop at any time during one's life.
 
kr1 said:
I think this might be a typo. Our protocol is one 325mg tablet or four 81mg chewables for suspected MI.

Either your protocol is different or this is a mistake. More is definetly not better with aspirin from what the studies have shown.

KR
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I carry 4 just in case I drop a few in the grass as I am frantically rummaging around in the dark :D
 
nemoaz said:
Prednisone? Decadron? Why? Ambien? These seem like answers to some sort of very specific problems.
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Prednisone is an oral corticosteroid and is extremely useful for all kinds of situations. Just to list a few: allergic reactions, high altitude pulmonary edema, poison ivy, asthma attacks. In fact, it is probably quite important to follow epinephrine use for allergic reactions with prednisone as there can be a quite dangerous late reaction that can occur several hours after the exposure.

Decadron: pretty much the same as prednisone except injectable for kids (or adults who can't stand the pretty horrifying taste of prednisone tablet dust)

Ambien: Super great sleep aid. And sleep is important :D. I have found that insomnia is one of the most common reasons people have a bad experience in the outdoors. At altitude, it is hard to sleep unless you are well acclimated. Also, even fit people tend to get achy and uncomfortable in the outdoors unless they are out there a lot.
 
x39 said:
A timely topic. I had a visit and lengthy conversation with a good friend of mine who is on a Maine Hot Shot crew and is certified as a wilderness first responder. He said that the most common emergency on fire lines is anaphalactic shock due to bee stings. He further stated that each five man crew in Canada carries two Epi-pens, whereas crews are prohibited from carrying them here in the US. Typical US nanny-state BS. Pretty hard to misdiagnose when a guy has a hundred bee stings and can't breathe. He also noted that bee sting allergies can develop at any time during one's life.
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Please forgive my multiple posts here, but I wanted to respond the these issues comprehensively as I came across them.

x39,

I am not sure where the restriction on epi-pens for your friend is originating from, but there is certainly no blanket restriction on anyone carrying epi-pens in the US. In fact, none of the wilderness medicine doctors I know would bat an eye at helping an outdoor professional secure epipens for their kits. I guess if I were your friend, I would get together with a wilderness medicine doc and simply get my own Rx filled. For everyone out there, you can get 2 epipens for the price of one (as well as a dummy to practice with) by asking your doctor to write the Rx for an epi-pen 2-pak instead of just for a single epipen. Instead of epipens, I actually carry a couple of ampules of epinephrine. I get 4-6 doses at about 5% the weight and bulk of epi-pens that way. If you are comfortable drawing up meds in a syringe and injecting them, that might be a nice alternative.
 
asfried2 said:
Prednisone is a... corticosteroid ...
Decadron: pretty much the same as prednisone ...
Ambien: Super great sleep aid.
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I know what they are, just, I guess, questioning how likely they are to be necessary.

I must say that is a very complete kit. Looks like an SF's medics RX kit. :)
 
nemoaz said:
I know what they are, just, I guess, questioning how likely they are to be necessary.

I must say that is a very complete kit. Looks like an SF's medics RX kit. :)
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I would guess that they would also have morphine and some coagulative agents as well as a few other drugs such as atropine. Having IV fluids is probably a given for them.
 
nemoaz said:
I know what they are, just, I guess, questioning how likely they are to be necessary.

I must say that is a very complete kit. Looks like an SF's medics RX kit. :)
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Well, I need sleep aids whenever I go backpacking and on lots of other days as well:D

As far as the corticosteroids go, you just have to decide for yourself. Professionally, I would bring predinosone anytime you are bringing epi. The chance of a life-threatening follow-on reaction is quite significant in bee stings, for example. Also, I have used it very successfully for bad poison ivy, etc. I think my total med weight is approx 3 oz, so I feel pretty good taking a complete kit. Again, judge for yourself what you need/want to bring and what your experience qualifies you for.
 
asfried2, I should have been more specific. My friend splits his time between Florida and Maine and has been told in both states that he is forbidden to carry an Epi-pen for other than personal use while on state time. In fact, he has done as you have suggested and carries one in his kit that is prescribed to himself.
 
Ginger is a good motion sickness cure--- speaking of nausea. I carry foil packets of common over-the-counter stuff like Ibuprofen, Benedryl, Neosporin, Immodium, NoDose, Dramamine, hydrocortisone cream, sunscreen, bug repellent, etc.

I found this outfit for all kinds of travel-size stuff: http://www.minimus.biz/
They offer free shipping if you spend $20 and it's not hard to find $20 worth of goodies.
 
Great thread!

There is a fine line between having the drugs you need, obtaining and possesing them legally. I always err on the side of caution and take what I need 100% on the up and up or not, but thats me.

Minimum kit:

Tylenol
Chewable ASA
Benadryl
Ibuprophen
Immodium
Gravol

Tier 2 kit ADD:
2, 1ml amps of EPI (more often than not in deep bush several EPI injections are needed, the pens only provide 2 at most).

Heavier pain meds, vidodin etc..
Nitro spray
2.5% cortisone cream
Clove oil
Tea tree oil

Tier 3 ADD:

Azithromycin
Cipro
Depo-medrol or Kenalog Injection


You can kill someone with much of this stuff, if you dont know what its for get trained or dont carry it.

Skam
 
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