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!).