Some questions along the lines of "If you had to choose just one..."
Aleve Vs Advil: Apparently Aleve is generally preferable as it does the same thing and has a longer duration of effect. Any reason to carry both or prefer Advil?
Zantac vs Prilosec: Prilosec is the new hotness. Are there serious side effects or interactions that would point towards Zantac being better for EDC?
Dramamine vs Bonine: Bonine does what you want but with less drowsiness. When is Dramamine preferable?
Pepto-Bismol: Fluid vs chewable tablts vs swallowed caplets: The best-tasting one is probably the caplet... how much slower/less effective is it compared to the other types?
Without any arguments to the contrary Aleve, Prilosec, Bonine, and Pepto caplets sound like the way to go.
Here's a distillation of what I've learned recently. Please let me know if I'm off base:
Tylenol (acetaminophen) 350mg or 500mg tablet: Safe-ish pain relief for kids, nicer to the stomach, good for fevers and headaches
Aspirin (ASA) 81mg chewable: General pain relief (usually 320-500mg ... take 4-6 chewables?) and aid for heart attacks. Do they have larger doses in chewable form?
Aleve (naproxen)/Advil (ibuprofen): Good for aches and pains (musculoskeletal)
Generic Caffeine (Caffeine) 100mg: Pop a few to stay awake, or take 1/2 to 1 along with the above for extra help against headaches. Lower dosage is intended to help with this second use while avoiding jitters
Benadryl (Diphenhydramine HCl) ?mg: Speaking of sleep, use this to get it. Also great for acute allergies (bee stings etc.) and can be good against seasonal allergies (but makes you sleepy)
Alavert (loratadine)/Zyrtec (cetirizine): Not really an EDC/emergency thing, but while we're on the subject they're apparently good against seasonal/pet allergies
Imodium (loperamide): The king against diarrhea
Dramamine (Dimenhydrinate)/Bonine (Meclizine): Anti-motion sickness
Zantac (Ranitidine)/Prilosec (Omeprazole): heavy duty antacid
Pepto-Bismol (Bismuth subsalicylate): Anti anything else that makes your tummy upset. Are swallowed caplets a decent alternative to the chalky chewables?
There we go: 10 OTCs to almost rule them all. Any suggestions? Where two are listed, which would you choose? Thanks!