When traveling on vacation, please keep this list of essential medicines!

Entering the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, I believe many friends have or are preparing to travel. During the trip, in addition to bringing the necessary daily necessities, you may also experience headaches, fever, diarrhea, etc. If the destination happens to be relatively remote, it is particularly important to have the corresponding medicines with you.

In today’s popular science article, we will summarize a list of medicines to prepare and some precautions for taking medicines. We hope it will help you spend a safe and healthy holiday!

External disinfection

When you are out, it is very common to accidentally bump into things, especially when there are wounds on the skin. If they are not disinfected in time, they may cause inflammation, abscesses and other problems. Subsequent treatment will be more complicated and it is easy to leave scars that affect the appearance.

It is recommended that you should bring some Band-Aids (available in various sizes), iodine cotton swabs, sterile gauze and other external medicines when going out, so that when abrasions or minor wounds occur, they can be disinfected and initially bandaged in time.

Image source: pixabay

It should be noted that the iodine disinfectant of the iodine cotton swab is stored in the middle plastic tube. Break one end open from the red line, and the medicine will flow into the cotton swab head below. Be careful not to touch the cotton swab head at the other end with your hands when breaking it open to avoid contamination. When disinfecting the wound, also pay attention to performing preliminary debridement before disinfecting with the cotton swab .

Here I need to remind everyone that it is okay to wipe your hands with alcohol, disinfect your skin and daily necessities, but it is not recommended to disinfect external wounds directly with medical alcohol because it is very irritating, especially for children . In addition, there are restrictions on the alcohol you can carry when riding some means of transportation, so we should prepare some iodine in advance.

Cold and fever

When traveling, climate changes and crowds will increase the possibility of viral infection. Colds, influenza, new coronavirus, respiratory syncytial virus, mycoplasma infection, etc. may occur. These pathogens will cause respiratory infections. To deal with some common colds, fevers and other problems, it is also necessary to always have some medicines on hand during travel (wearing a mask in crowded places also has a good preventive effect).

Image source: pixabay

We do not recommend prescription drugs for treating viral infections, as these drugs should be prescribed by a doctor after consultation. If you have symptoms such as fever, runny nose, and cough, you can consider using these common drugs.

1. Ibuprofen or acetaminophen

Both of these antipyretics are safe and effective. If you have children at home, you can prepare an oral suspension. Children aged three to six months can use acetaminophen, and children over six months can use both drugs. You can use only one of the two drugs, and they cannot be used together.

2. Compound cold medicine

This type of medicine often contains antipyretics, antiallergic drugs, cough suppressants, mucosal decongestants and other ingredients, which are effective in improving cold symptoms. Commonly used ones include acetaminophen granules and compound acetaminophen tablets. Note that this type of medicine is generally not suitable for children under 2 years old. Since the medicine contains antipyretics, it cannot be taken together with the aforementioned antipyretics to avoid overdose and adverse reactions.

The above-mentioned drugs are all symptom-relieving drugs. If the high fever persists and the medication is ineffective, you need to seek medical attention immediately.

Digestive problems

When traveling, eating and drinking can easily lead to health problems. Indigestion caused by overeating, diarrhea caused by unclean food and other problems are very common. Therefore, it is necessary to carry some medicine with you.

For indigestion, you can consider taking Jianwei Xiaoshi tablets, lactobacillus tablets, etc. If there is intestinal flora disorder and pediatric diarrhea, lactobacillus tablets or probiotic preparations can also be used for conditioning and improvement.

Image source: pexels

A relatively common drug for treating diarrhea is montmorillonite powder, which can form a protective film in the intestines to absorb pathogens, reduce the severity of diarrhea, and also has a certain analgesic effect. Due to its high safety, it is widely used by people, and is generally a safe antidiarrheal drug for both children and adults. It should be noted that this drug may affect the absorption of other drugs. If you need to take other drugs at the same time, you should take them at intervals as much as possible. In case of severe diarrhea, you can also consider taking oral rehydration salts to supplement electrolytes to reduce the risk of electrolyte disorders.

Anti-allergic, skin protection

If you are going to a place with strong sunshine, even in the golden autumn season, you must pay attention to sun protection. Strong sunshine will not only tan your skin, but also damage your skin, increasing the risk of skin damage. You can choose sunscreen with SPF30 or above, or you can take physical protection. In short, whether you are a man or a woman, you should pay attention to protecting your skin and avoid excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun.

Image source: pexels

Diet, temperature changes, pollen, etc. may cause allergic problems. For people with allergic constitution, while taking precautions, it is recommended to bring some anti-allergic drugs such as loratadine and cetirizine . It should be noted that some anti-allergic drugs may cause adverse reactions such as drowsiness after taking them, so you should avoid driving a vehicle after taking the medicine .

Chronic disease medication

Friends who have chronic diseases and need to take long-term medication should also take medication as prescribed by the doctor during the trip. You should carry enough therapeutic drugs with you before departure, and control your chronic diseases so that you can enjoy your trip better.

We need to remind you that if you miss a dose of chronic disease medication, you can make up for it if the time is short. If it is time for the next dose, just take the regular dose directly. There is no need to make up for the previous dose to avoid excessive medication and safety risks . In this regard, you can consider using a portable medicine box with compartments and markings according to your own situation, so that you can see at a glance whether you have taken the medicine.

For some of the common medicines mentioned above, you can consider preparing them appropriately when going out according to your actual situation. Most of the medicines introduced are over-the-counter medicines, which can relieve and improve mild problems. For unfamiliar medicines, you must carefully read the instructions before taking them and use them strictly according to the instructions. If there are more serious problems or sudden emergency health conditions, you should seek medical attention in time and never miss the opportunity for treatment. In addition, I would like to remind friends who drive themselves again that some medicines may affect driving safety. If you have any questions, be sure to consult a doctor.

Finally, I wish you all a happy National Day.

I hope that all the medicines you prepared will not be used, will never be used!

Planning and production

Author: Li Jin, deputy director and pharmacist, deputy leader of the Youth Studies Group of the Medical Committee of the China Science Writers Association

Review丨Liu Guiyang, Chief Pharmacist, Fourth Medical Center, PLA General Hospital

Planning丨Ding Zong

Editor: Ding Zong