As many complicated things do, it started with a simple question. What should I have in my medical kit? Well yes……….But what if?..............Is it enough? And so on.

Final “challenge”: Medical supplies for 10 people for 2 years.
Assumptions: 4 couples ages 18-30, 1 couple over 55
No preexisting health issues
No medical training beyond CPR and 1st aid
Little or no chance of resupply
Little or no chance of outside medical or surgical care


The following is my initial try at this request. Your input is appreciated. Most of the quantities were derived by WAG theory (wild assed guess), so input here especially sought.

If this seems too TEOTWAWKI, I apologize in advance.
Marty: if this belongs elsewhere – please move it.




Medical Supplies – 10 people for 2 years



Drug DOSE(usual regimen) Stock available

Allergy:
Diphenhydramine 25mg (1 or 2 PO q 4-6 hours) 100 x 3
EpiPen 4
Methylprednisilone Dose-Pak 2


Antibiotics:
Cephalexin 500mg Tabs (QID x 7-14 days) 100 x 2
Ciprofloxacin 500mg Tabs(BID x 3-14 days) 500 x 1
Doxycycline 100 mg Tabs (1 BID 7-21 days) 100 x 2
Levofloxacin 500 mg Tabs (QD x 5-28 days) 100 x 2
Metronidazole 500 mg Tabs (1 BID 7-14 days) 100 x 1

GI:
Bismuth subsulfate 130mg Tabs (2 q 1 hour – max 32/day) 500 x 2
Bonine or Dramamine
Glycerin suppositories
Loperamide 2mg Tabs (Max 16/day) 100 x 1
Metamucil or Citrucel
Promethazine suppositories 12.5 mg ( 1-2 q8-12 hours)
Ranitidine 150mg Tabs (1 BID indefinitely) 100 x 1


Hygiene:
Birth control pills (1 pkg/female/month) 96 pkgs
Clotrimazole 200mg vaginal suppositories
feminine sanitary napkins
Soap (2 bars / month) 48
Shampoo (1 Qt/2mo) 3 gal
Toilet paper (1 roll/person/week) 1000
Waterless Hand Cleanser (1 Qt/ 2mo) 3 gal

Ocular:
Eye Pads
Eyewash
Flourescein eye stain
Blue light (for use with flouriscein stain)
Diclofenac solution 0.1%( 1 drop QID up to 5 days)
Gentamicin oint. 0.3% (1/2” oint. TID x 5 days)
0.5% Moxifloxin drops (1 drop TID x 10 days) 2 bottles
Patanol (1 drop BID up to 6 weeks) 4 bottles
1% prednisilon acetate drops (1 drop TID x 10 days) 2 bottles
Prescription and Reading glasses (spare)
Sun glasses (spare)

Oral/Dental:
Cavit G 40gm x 2
Dental First Aid Kit (www.dentalkitfortravelers.com) 2
Dental mirror 5
Toothbrushes (3/person/year) 60
Toothpaste


Pain and Inflammation:
Acetaminophen 500mg Tabs 100 x 1
ASA 325 mg 1000 x 1
Codiene 30mg.Tabs (1-2 PO q4-6 hours) 100 x 2
Ibuprofen 800mg. Tabs 100 x 10
Oxycodone 10mg Tabs 50 x 1


Topical:
Blist-O-Ban
Clotrimazole 1% cream
Gold Bond Powder
1% Hydrocortisone Ointment
Moleskin
Sun Screen

Wound Care:
Adhesive tape – 1”
antibiotic ointment
band-aid bandages
bandages-knuckles and fingertips
butterfly bandages
Kling roller gauze
4x4 gauze
non-adherant dressing
Povidone Iodine 10% solution
Spenco 2nd Skin
Sterile Saline
"super glue"

Misc:
Elastic roller bandage – 4” 12
Gloves – nitrile
Gloves - Sterile
Kendrick Traction Device (KTD) 1
SAM splints - XL 2
SAM splints – Standard 2
SAM Splints – Finger 2
Thermometer – oral 6
Saline Nasal Spray
Trauma Shears
Multi-vitamins (1/person/day) 7500

References:
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Merck Manual
Where Women Have No Doctor
Where There Is No Dentist
Where There Is No Doctor
Wilderness Medical Care
WMS Flashcards




Surgical Kit:
Mayo or Small Standard Needle Holder 1
Mosquito Curved Hemostat 1
Iris Scissors or Small Surgical Scissors 1
Tissue Forceps with teeth 1
Disposable Razor 1
#10 Disposable Scalpel 10
#11 Disposable Scalpel 10
Suture 3-Pack 3-0 Silk or Nylon w/ Curved Cutting Needle 10
Surgical Staple Gun (optional) 5
1% Lidocaine Hydrochloride Injection USP with preservative
Needles, variety pack including
ten 18ga x 1.5, ten 22ga x 1.5, ten 25ga x 1.5, and ten 27ga x 1.5
5 cc plastic syringes 20





Thanks in advance. Let the stones and opinions fly!

Intriguing....My first reaction is that for a group that size for that length of time, someone (or two) should get training beyond First Aid. Where will they will be living? The kit should probably reflect special demands imposed by the environment. I think I would want to consult with a physician with specific knowledge of the individuals involved, e.g., how many might require appendectomies or something similar during the ensuing two years of isolation? Any chance for phone/radio consultations?

Make friends with a local ER doc and his DW; invite them to join your group; when SHTF he can raid the ER stash before joining you.

If you have the staples, have the staple remover.

Maybe add clindamycin? You know sometimes they double dose with metronidazole, or if docs are worried about toxin production.

I would double, or triple, the 4" roller gauze. Add maybe 12-24 2" or 3" too, b/c the 4" is sometimes too much.

More tape - it goes fast (ask a nurse)

Doculax?

Albuterol MDI?

WHO oral rehydration salts? Missouri doesn't exactly have nice dry summer-time temps.

Interesting thought on the Traction splint. You plan on leaving a person in that for 6-12 weeks? Maybe some sort of splinting supplies for stabilization, not just traction. Plus, lots of EMS and fire dept's will put a cardboard splint around a traction splint anyway.

OB kit.

1 or 2 packs of bloodstopper product (Celox, etc).

1 Asherman chest seal

First up, right off the bat, that means no antibiotics. They are very specific as to what responds to them, they are expensive, and many of them get scary if they go south. And nothing injectable. If you think you are going to stitch with a book propped up on their leg, torture some oranges now.

In fact, nothing Rx. All your meds should be OTC, simply because most OTCs have a MUCH longer shelf life than the legal department at the manufacturer says they do. It also means you can get them easily, without raising too many eyebrows.

And if you ask for three years off the pill, I want to know your physician and pharmacist's reactions.

I'm just going to brain storm here:
LOTS of dressing materials, sterile. Splinting materials. Home birth supplies. Iodine, rubbing alchohol and saline. Rehydration salts, or just baking soda, lite-salt (mix of magnesium and sodium clorides) and some sugar. A good anti-fungal, both for atheletes foot and jock itch. Talcum powder. Cough suppresents and anti-allergy meds. Toenail clippers. Lice shampoo. Razors and hairbrushes and combs. A good mulitvitamin and sprouting jars to get you fresh greens (yes, I consider this to be medical).

I agree with Ironraven, you want more of the stuff that everyone can use. How many bandaids do you go through per day with a little cut while you're working in the yard or keep getting your hands wet? LOTS, if you're anything like me.

Yes, antibiotics aren't one-kind-for-everything. If you want to have something that is general-purpose and has a long shelf live under most conditions, talk to your doctor and explain what you're trying to do. Emphasize that this is for a Haiti-like situation, you're not just trying to self-medicate.

Sue

Just my .02

I agree with everything said so far. Just an FYI: for example Minocyline can be toxic if out dated. If I was going to ask for antibiotics from a Dr., I would ask for very stable gram + and Gram - antibiotics - such as amoxicylin. Not the best for everything but great for a lot of things. It is all a trade off. One thing is going to be a reality: the longivity of human life span will decrease without the chemical and technical advancement of our current medical treatment.

If I was to go as far as you are going with the long term medical supplies - I would stock up on the following:

More advance knowledge. The more you know the more you can do
Knowledge of herbs and homeopathic treatments and what is available in your area.
I would also get (and this is from way out in left field) some casting supplies. You break a bone even in todays world and you need a cast. Not having the ability to set a bone correctly in post TEOTWAWKI would almost be a death sentence.

I have been doing some thinking on this as well and I have been trying to get my supplies in order:

This is my last purchace: http://www.medstarsutures.com/servlet/the-MEDICAL-SUPPLIES-cln-Skin-Stapler/Categories

I have no offiliation (?spelling) other then researched the best price for the product offered.

I also found a casting kit for a reasonable price but I cannot find the link. I will have to post it later when I find it again.

Perhaps this would be more useful in long term/TEOTWAWKI and worthy of its own thread? Has it been done already? There are a few threads already on medicinal herbs. How about a thread that combines herbal remedies and other home remedies. I believe there are also several books on home remedies that would warrant inclusion in a survival library.

I have a tough time imagining a situation where two years of medical supplies wouldn't be either too much or too little. Any disaster that eliminates outside medical care for two years seems likely to last quite a bit longer than that.

For this reason, it may make more sense to get a couple months worth of medical supplies and otherwise concentrate on training. Maybe you could look at an Outdoor Emergency Care or Wilderness First Responder course. They may be better-suited for longer-term care with limited resources than an EMT-B course, which assumes you have a working healthcare system to back you up.

It may be worth looking into herbal remedies, which frequently have an active ingredient that has been tested for efficacy. You do need to be careful though, since "The dose makes the poison." Homeopathic remedies, on the other hand, have consistently failed to show any effect beyond placebo in well-structured clinical trials.

I like the idea that you are stocking up like this though probably for different reasons than you. The Haiti earthquake showed how quickly medical supplies can be used up. It seems you are located well within the New Madrid fault zone which, when it goes will dwarf what is going on in Haiti.

Remember, there's no such thing as too much gauze.

-Blast's $0.02