Maybe this has been asked before, but not a bad time to revue. What meds do you keep in your BOB? Here's my list: Pepcid AC, Imodium AD, Pepto-Bismol, NoDoz, Benadryl Alergy, Advil cold and sinus, asprin, and Medi-Lyte. I only have single doses except for the Imodium which I have 2. I would hope between that and the Pepto I'd be able to get well. This is just for my BOB that I can carry. In my car kit I have more doses. Any other meds I may have forgotten that would be useful?

Charles

Here's what I carry in my PSK:

- 3 Ibuprofen
- 3 Aleve
- 3 Benedryl
- 4 Immodium AD
- 3 Sudafed
- 3 Protonix (Rx GIRD meds)

The analgesics are those that work on specific problems for me. Your addition of No-Doz seems like a good idea.

I'd also like to mention that I've repackaged all the pills into a single, tiny ziploc bag. I added instructions for all the meds to my cheat sheet. The pills are identified by shape and color. Example:

Immodium AD: Pale blue tablet: For diarrhea. Take with water. Two tabs at onset and 1 tab after each subsequent loose stool; but no more than 4 tabs in 24 hours.

That's both for me and for the novice who's using my kit while I lie unconscious -- and evidently striken with diarrhea. Ugh.

Bear

Here's what I carry in my outdoor kit:

Aspirin-4
Benadryl-2
Ibuprophin-4
Immodium-2

I have them labeled per color, but that's about it. They are all generics.

Regards, Vince

I try to carry an assortment (in FAK):
Tavist sinus & headache
Tylenol (generic)
Tums (generic)
Imodium (generic
Benedryl (generic)
ibuprophen
cough drops
Pepto (generic)
I will have to check for anything else.

Dale

I keep Children's Advil (or Tylenol or Motrin) and Children's Benadryl in all my kits, with dosage instructions by weight.

Not directly on point re: the BOB, but in larger kits I added an over the counter inhaler (Primatine Mist) because we had a situation where one of our house guests forgot their son's prescription inhaler on one occasion. My wife suggested we stock the kits appropriately in case something like that happened again.

For headaches, I like Excederin. It has actaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine. I figure that coctail increases the odds of helping a headache. They also have the disolving tablets for taking with no water (although plenty of fluids is always good). The downside to Excederin is that it is expensive. I haven't seen a store-brand version.

Also I like the single-use instead of bottles because they don't rattle, but then you're stuck with the trash.

I prefer to keep my headache meds separate. I do tylenol, advil, and a can of Mt. Dew.

I currently have no real "BOB" however in my PSK I keep 2 Advil, 2 Tylenol and 2 Bayer. If I get a headache I am going to "tuff it out" and save those meds for more important stuff like reducing fever and assisting with a possible heart attack. The idea is that the Tylenol and Advil would be used as fever reducers and the Bayer is in case someone I'm with has a heart attack.

I tend to carry a lot of meds. My theory is that if you need them, you're likely to need them for more than a day or two, so I try to carry a week's worth of dosages. Plus, you never know when you might need to help someone else out, so having a bit extra is a good thing.

First of all is common aspirin. There's no other analgesic that is as versatile as aspirin. Moving up the chain, I also like to keep around something a bit stronger, like oxycodone or the like. When you need a narcotic, nothing else will do. Had I the wisdom/experience/license to use it properly, I'd also carry some morphine for extreme emergencies. Unfortunately, now that my father the physician has passed away, my supply of these things is rather limited.

Next most important category (to me) is antihistamines. For this, diphenhydramine is the best. Also doubles as a sleep aid.

Then, you'll want some common cold remedies. I pack a basic day-time multi-symptom pill that contains acetaminophen (pain relief/fever reducer), guaifenesin (expectorant), dextromethorphan (cough suppressant), and pseudoephedrine (decongestant). While it might be more versatile to carry these separately, I find that if you need one of them, you likely need them all...you could use the night-time version which also has doxylamine (antihistamine/sleep aid), but since the diphenhydramine is always there, I generally use the day-time version.

Loperamide is something that should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Better out than in , I say. Nevertheless, I do carry it.

Tincture of iodine and triple-antibiotic cream are quite helpful, as are a topical anaesthetic (benzocaine or lidocaine), and a non-staining topical antiseptic (hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, etc). A good eye solution is nice to have. I mean the plainer saline ones, not your typical tetrahydrozaline drops.

Oral rehydration mix. I make my own from sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and sucrose, plus a bit of lemon powder. I also carry a bit of temporary filling material.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head that would fit under the category of "meds". Of course, to go along with all of this, I carry a crapload of first-aid supplies--with a nurse mother, a doctor father, a fireman grandfather, and an ambulance corps grandmother, I'd never live it down if I didn't have them when needed!

I seem to recall there being quite a number of posts in the past on this subject. In fact, I just did a search for "vicodin", and came up with a post I made exactly two years ago today with my thoughts on the subject of Tylenol w/Codeine and other FAK meds at that time. In my opinion, nothing works quite like T&C on tooth pain (except maybe another narcotic!).

Oh, I forgot to mention...

It goes without saying that any prescription meds you're currently taking should also be in the BOB. Also, a good broad-spectrum antibiotic (and the knowledge to use it properly) can be a life saver.