During the Spring Festival, many people will choose to travel with their families. On the one hand, they can get along well with their families; On the other hand, they can enjoy the beautiful scenery in different places and relax themselves after a year of exhaustion.
Travel is mostly a happy thing, but it is very common for you or your family to have a headache and brain fever when you suddenly change the familiar living environment and rhythm.
It is very difficult to get medical treatment in time when going out, especially when going out of the country. In order to be prepared for emergencies and reduce troubles, it is essential to deal with some medical problems by preparing drugs.
The travel kit is a portable version of the home kit
Common medicines in the family medicine cabinet also need to be carried during the trip. However, attention should be paid to simplicity and only the most needed ones. Too much preparation is inconvenient to carry, and it is also easy to cause waste or the risk of taking expired drugs.
The drugs we need to bring include:
1. Antipyretic and analgesic drugs: ibuprofen, acetaminophen
These two drugs are familiar to everyone. Apart from reducing fever, common headache, toothache and dysmenorrhea can be dealt with.
Attention should be paid to the preparation of dosage forms for adults and children respectively.
2. Relieve cold symptoms such as nasal congestion and cough: Physiological seawater nasal spray
It can be used by both adults and children. It is suitable for mild nasal obstruction and runny nose, and can also relieve cough symptoms caused by drip stimulation with nasal mucus.
3. Diarrhea medication: oral rehydration salt and montmorillonite powder
The most important thing after diarrhea is to prevent dehydration. Oral rehydration salt drinking can well correct the lack of water and electrolyte and is the first choice for diarrhea.
As for montmorillonite powder, as an adsorbent, it also has slight antidiarrheal effect, relieves diarrhea symptoms and is relatively safe.
4. Constipation medication: Kaisailu
Kaisailu has a good relieving effect on temporary constipation. For short-term use, there is no need to worry about dependence and other issues.
5. Drugs for relieving heartburn and stomachache: hydrotalcite and aluminum phosphate
For short-term heartburn and acid regurgitation discomfort, you can try to use antacids to neutralize gastric acid. The commonly used ones are hydrotalcite and aluminum phosphate.
6. Antiallergic drug: cetirizine
Allergic rhinitis, urticaria and other allergic diseases can be relieved by using the second generation antihistamine cetirizine.
7. Trauma treatment: mupirocin ointment, ice bag, band-aid, iodophor cotton swabs and dressings
Sprain, etc. can be applied externally with ice bags in advance. Small bleeding wounds need to be washed with clean water in time. If they cannot get clean water, they can also be disinfected with iodophor and then bandaged with Band-Aids. If the wound is not very clean and has signs of infection, mupirocin ointment can also be applied externally.
8. Skin care drugs: erythromycin eye ointment, hydrocortisone butyrate
Pruritus caused by mosquito bites and various dermatitis can be treated with hydrocortisone butyrate for a short period of time.
In addition to the commonly used drugs in these family medicine boxes, attention should be paid to carrying the usual commonly used drugs according to their own health status during travel.
The travel kit is an upgraded version of the home kit
Family medicine boxes are prepared for emergencies. To deal with some situations temporarily on the basis of ensuring the safety of medication, most medical problems should still be treated for help or further medication after being evaluated by doctors. Therefore, it is not recommended to reserve prescription drugs for family medicine boxes.
However, during traveling abroad, due to local conditions or communication problems, we may face difficulties in seeking medical treatment and may not be able to obtain medical assistance in the first place. In this case, we need to be appropriately flexible.
1. Standby compound cold drugs are recommended for dealing with symptoms such as colds, such as [white plus black]
Cold is a common self-limited disease. We advocate a single drug for symptoms, such as runny nose, sore throat, cough, etc. There are different symptomatic treatments. During travel, you can consider using common cold combinations on the market, which contain a variety of therapeutic ingredients and simple drugs to relieve symptoms.
2. Alternate antidiarrheal loperamide is recommended to deal with diarrhea.
Diarrhea in normal days is reasonable as long as oral rehydration is guaranteed and dehydration does not occur. Antidiarrhea needs to be used under the guidance of doctors and is only suitable for acute diarrhea without high fever and hematochezia.
During the trip, if diarrhea is serious, it is only fluid infusion and pulling too many times, which will have a great impact on the quality of life. Loperamide for antidiarrheal can be used when necessary.
3. Standby desloratadine for allergic symptoms in infants
OTC’s antiallergic drugs cetirizine and loratadine both have age limits and are limited for infants. For babies over 6 months old, desloratadine may be used if necessary.
There are also some special circumstances.
1. Traveler diarrhea
If our travel destinations are South Asia, Southeast Asia (except Singapore), South America and Africa with poor sanitary conditions, we may also face the problem of diarrhea among travelers.
This is related to the improvement of our sanitary conditions and the fact that we have not seen so much [the world] in the gastrointestinal tract. Many of them are bacterial infections, which are different from our usual diarrhea and require antibacterial treatment. However, these areas are also short of medical resources and may not be able to give prescriptions easily and in time.
Therefore, we suggest standby related drugs. Azithromycin is standby in Southeast Asia and levofloxacin is standby in other regions. If acute diarrhea accompanied by fever and hematochezia occurs, use it in time.
Special emphasis
We do not advocate the abuse of antibacterial drugs. Especially for acute diarrhea in China, most of them are viral infections that do not require antibacterial drugs. The above suggestions are only applicable to travel abroad.
2. Altitude sickness
Sometimes we will travel to high altitude areas. If the altitude rises rapidly in a short period of time, altitude sickness may occur, endangering health and even life.
Of course, the best way to prevent it is to climb slowly. If there is a special need, please reserve acetazolamide under the guidance of a doctor and prevent it at the right time. Acetazolamide is the only effective drug to prevent altitude sickness.
3. Tropical forests
At the end of the year, you may also go to low latitudes or hot areas in the southern hemisphere, which may require the preparation of some anti-mosquito drugs. This aspect is relatively mature, DEET is safe and effective, and it is worth having.