Do you know how important it is to have a home pharmacy? If you stock up on the right medications and supplies, you can make sure to treat different ailments and issues from home.
While you may still need to visit the doctor’s office for specific problems, such as a severe cold or ear infection, having the right medication at home will allow you to get some relief until you can get to the office.
Not only should your at-home pharmacy consist of any medications prescribed to you or other people living in the home who need to take them, but it should also consist of over-the-counter products that work well.
When you have a fully stocked medicine cabinet at home, you will feel a sense of relief, knowing you have something to ease the pain and increase comfort right from home.
Make a List of the Over-the-Counter Essentials Worth Adding to Your Medicine Cabinet
Start the process of stocking your home pharmacy by creating a list of the essential medications you would like to get and add to your medicine cabinet. These are a few of the over-the-counter products that are worth purchasing:
- Acetaminophen. Whether you choose Tylenol or an off-brand that works just as well, this medication is suitable to have when you need relief from pain. It can help with toothaches, headaches, and even menstrual cramps.
- Ibuprofen. Always have ibuprofen, or the brand name Advil , in your home pharmacy. It is another type of pain reliever that works wonders to help people reduce or fully eliminate the discomfort they might be feeling.
- Bismuth Subsalicylate. Commonly known as Pepto Bismol, this medication is one to have at home if you have an upset stomach. It works well for those with diarrhea, nausea, and indigestion.
- Cough Syrup. It would be best if you always had some cough syrup at home. You never know when you might come down with the common cold and need relief from all the coughing you are doing. Many cough syrup brands are highly effective at stopping the cough and treating the illness. Make sure that you have an adult cough syrup and a children’s cough syrup (I like Zarbee’s Naturals for kids).
I do highly recommend Fisherman’s Friend cough drops! - Anti-Diarrheal. It is good to have this type of medication at home if you end up with the runs and would like to stop feeling like you need to run to the bathroom every few minutes.
These are only some of the many medications that you should include on your list of at-home pharmacy essentials. You never know when you might need to put these medications to good use because you have an upset stomach or are feeling under the weather for some other reason. After creating your list, you may want to start looking for the products you want to put in your medicine cabinet.
Cut Coupons and Try to Catch Medicine While It Is on Sale
Start looking through weekly advertisements for different drugstores to see when they have sales on some of the various medications you would like to purchase and have at home. You can find deals on some of the best over-the-counter products, including Aleve, Advil, and Tylenol.
There are different variations of these and other products that help with a variety of different issues, including back pain, migraines, and menstrual cramps. If you can catch these medications while they are on sale or find some good coupons for them, you can get what you need for your at-home pharmacy for such low prices.
Also consider keeping some natural remedies around as well.
Gather Both Generic and Name Brand Products to Add to the Medicine Cabinet
There is nothing wrong with grabbing generic products from time to time. While you may have specific brands that you prefer when it comes to taking medication, many of the generic products work just as well.
If you happen to see a sale on some generic over-the-counter medications, or if you notice these products are listed at drastically lower prices than the name brands, you may want to start purchasing a few of the generic products.
Even if you are not sure how well they will work, you can try them out when you need them to see if you like these different medications. It is a good idea to have a combination of both name brand and generic over-the-counter medicines in your home pharmacy.
Make Sure You Have Medicine For Everyone in the House to Take When Needed
Always make sure to gather medicine for everyone in the house. If you have small children at home, they cannot use the same medication that you or your partner would use to get relief from headaches, coughs, and even congestion. For that reason, you should purchase age-appropriate medicines for each person in the household.
Depending on your children’s ages, you may also find some homeopathic products designed to treat symptoms of the cold and flu for children naturally. No matter which types of products you decide to get, it is necessary for you to have medication that your loved ones can take if they need it.
Keep All Your Medication Neatly Organized in a Medicine Cabinet
After you start collecting different products for your home pharmacy, make sure to keep these items in order. You should put the oldest products at the front of your medicine cabinet and the newer products in the back.
The reason to do this is to ensure that you are using the older stuff first because there are expiration dates on most over-the-counter medications sold at drugstores.
Although it is possible to continue taking medication after it expires, the medicine may no longer be nearly as effective as before it expired, so it is better to toss it out at that point.
Other Items to Consider for Your Medicine Cabinet
- Eye Drops
- Eye Wash
- First Aid Kit with band aids, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, antibiotic cream, etc to treat burns, cuts and wounds
- Nasal Spray and other medications for allergies
- Creams for diaper rashes
Stocking Your Home Pharmacy
Follow these steps to start the process of stocking your home pharmacy. If you make a list of what you need and may use it often, you can purchase them from different places.
You can search for the medications at different stores while on sale and even use coupons to get them for a much lower price. Stocking up on these essential items will come in handy for you and your loved ones in the future.
Call your doctor with any specific questions about medications, prescription medications and treating yourself or family.
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