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#248222 - 07/09/12 07:01 PM Re: First Aid - Neosporin/Polysporin [Re: Frankie]
Kuzushi Offline
Stranger

Registered: 01/21/03
Posts: 22
IIRC Neosporin Opthalmic Ointment is a sterile packaging of regular Neosporin. It is much more expensive than regular neosporin and (again iirc) it requires a prescription. Regular single use packets of neosporin may be more cost effective, and fit your space requirements just as well. OTOH, if you already have Neosporin opthalmic and are just wondering if it will work on regular wounds, since the formulations are the same, it should work as regular neosporin.

Edited to add: the opthalmic ointment is in a petrolatum base just like the regular ointment.

http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/fda/fdaDrugXsl.cfm?id=2262&type=display



Edited by Kuzushi (07/09/12 07:04 PM)

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#248224 - 07/09/12 07:11 PM Re: First Aid - Neosporin/Polysporin [Re: haertig]
nursemike Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 11/09/06
Posts: 870
Loc: wellington, fl
Originally Posted By: haertig
Originally Posted By: Arney
...the concentration of the antibacterial ingredients appears to be equivalent between the regular and opthalmic versions...

It's not just the drug, it's the delivery agent as well. A petroleum-based delivery agent may be just fine for your skin, but not so good for your eyes. While it may not harm your eyes (I don't know this), it may be uncomfortable or not disolve well in tears and you then end up looking through a smeared haze for a while. I would recommend using medicines as they are intended to be used by the manufacturers in cases like this.

Eye drops are less effective than eye ointments, which are petrolatum based, cuz the medicine sticks around longer. Eyes are a special kind of skin, and usually heal up remarkably well...until they don't, in which case, stubborn infection in one eye is sometimes best treated by enucleation (removal) of the infected eye, to prevent transmission to the healthy eye...Be careful when treating eyes. ER docs mostly don't treat eyes unless the problem is real simple: they call for a specialist consult early and loudly, cuz eyes are tricky, delicate, and highly regarded by their owners. I heartily endorse the final thought: use medications cautiously and as directed, watch the patient with cat-like intensity for worsening symptoms, and get skilled help sooner rather than later.
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#248225 - 07/09/12 07:22 PM Re: First Aid - Neosporin/Polysporin [Re: nursemike]
haertig Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 03/13/05
Posts: 2322
Loc: Colorado
I remember back when I was a paramedic - we had an ophthalmic anesthetic we were allowed to use per protocol - Opthane (I'm not sure if that's the correct spelling of the drug). However, our standing orders were that we NOT administer it until the patient was already IN the ambulance and we were DRIVING down the road to the ER. This was because it is very effective at taking the pain away, so then the patient might say "I don't need an ambulance", walk off, and start rubbing their newly anesthetized eye and causing all kinds of problems that they wouldn't realize because they couldn't feel it.

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#248226 - 07/09/12 07:43 PM Re: First Aid - Neosporin/Polysporin [Re: Frankie]
clearwater Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 03/19/05
Posts: 1185
Loc: Channeled Scablands
An eye ointment for infection that worked well for me in the backcountry was mercuric oxide. I bought it over the counter and
took it in my first/second aid kit.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2344168

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#248228 - 07/09/12 08:02 PM Re: First Aid - Neosporin/Polysporin [Re: haertig]
Arney Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 09/15/05
Posts: 2485
Loc: California
Originally Posted By: haertig
It's not just the drug, it's the delivery agent as well. A petroleum-based delivery agent may be just fine for your skin, but not so good for your eyes.

Oh goodness, I would never recommend using regular Neosporin in your eyes! But the OP was questioning whether the opthalmic version could be used on general wounds. I'm assuming that the OP finds the small packaging of the opthalmic version to be convenient for him and that's why he's asking.

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#248229 - 07/09/12 08:05 PM Re: First Aid - Neosporin/Polysporin [Re: Kuzushi]
Arney Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 09/15/05
Posts: 2485
Loc: California
Originally Posted By: Kuzushi
IIRC Neosporin Opthalmic Ointment is a sterile packaging of regular Neosporin.

Ah, I hadn't realized that Neosporin Opthalmic comes in both an ointment and a solution. I had only found info on the solution first when I was looking up the concentrations of the active ingredients.

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#248230 - 07/09/12 08:50 PM Re: First Aid - Neosporin/Polysporin [Re: Glock-A-Roo]
Frankie Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 09/19/03
Posts: 736
Loc: Montréal, Québec, Canada
Yes the situation would be a bushcraft training session where I would be at risk of getting cut injuries from a knives, tools, branches etc. I would use everything as soon as possible, cleaning, benzalkonium wipe, polysporin and telfa pad etc. I would really want to use everything to avoid sepsis (blood poisonning).

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#248231 - 07/09/12 10:25 PM Re: First Aid - Neosporin/Polysporin [Re: Frankie]
haertig Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 03/13/05
Posts: 2322
Loc: Colorado
We use a lot of "colloidal silver" spray on cuts and other wounds. This often times works better than the antibiotic ointments. It worked a treat on a recent dogbite I had on my hand. We use it on our horses when they get the inevitable gashes and gouges, and also on ourselves. You can buy it for humans, but the horse stuff is the same and about half the price.

We use horse bandaging materials ("cohesive bandaging wrap") on ourselves too. Same stuff, but tons cheaper than the identical product sold in human pharmacies. Plus, the horse bandages come in lots of flashy colors, not just the drab muted tan of the human variety.

But if you want something that can double as fire paste, you need one of the antibiotic ointments with a petroleum base.

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