Medicine Cabinet

Below is a list of useful medicines and dressings for your medicine cabinet.  These items are available from any pharmacy without prescription and will help you deal with minor illnesses.  Keep them in a safe place away from children.

• Soluble aspirin* or paracetamol tablets (for adults): Useful for headaches, colds, sore throats, temperature and pain relief.
• Paracetamol mixture (for children): For relief of pain and fever.
• Dioralyte: Fluid replacement for children with vomiting and diarrhoea.  Most useful under 18 months.
• Antihistamines: For insect bites and itchy rashes.  Careful may cause drowsiness.
• Calamine Lotion: Soothing to bites, rashes and sunburn.
• Cough Linctus: For dry coughs.
• Menthol: For steam inhalations, dry coughs and catarrh.
• Vapour Rub: Useful for children with stuffy noses or dry coughs.
• Antiseptic – solution and cream: Treating cuts and grazes.
• Ephedrine Nose Drops: For runny noses in children over 1 year old.  Use before meals and at night but not for more than one week.
• Cotton Wool: Cleaning cuts and grazes.
• Skin Closure Strips: For minor cuts.
• Plasters: For minor cuts and abrasions.
• Thermometer: To check temperature.
• Gauze pads: For dressing
• Also: Non-allergic adhesive tape, Non-adherent dressings, Scissors and tweezers.

NB: *Aspirin should not be taken if the patient has had any previous allergic reaction or if the patient is under 10.

Generic and brand name medicines: Every medicine has two different names, the generic name and the brand name.  The generic name is the proper chemical name of the preparation and when appropriate your doctor is encouraged to prescribe using this name.  The brand is the name used by a manufacturer specially to advertise its particular version of the medicine.  Your doctor may choose to prescribe a branded product only in specific circumstances.  For example the generic name of a commonly used medicine is paracetamol.  Several brand names of this same medicine include Panadol, Hedex and Disprol.

 If you have any questions about the medicine you are taking please ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice.