a nurse's medicine cabinet

[NurseNature]

What do you all have in your medicine cabinets? I'm not talking about personal prescriptions, but rather OTC meds and supplies to always have on hand.

[ebear, BSN, RN]

Half used HEPARIN???????

[Indy, LPN, LVN]

The half used heparin was probably IV flushes or whatnot. We used to flush with heparin instead of saline, from what I hear. And half-used saline bottles occasionally stay in my pocket instead of going right in the trash, too. I just throw it away when I get home.

So. I don't have pepto bismol! That stuff makes me puke, so I guess I'll just have to die of cancer. I got the normal aspirin, tylenol, ibuprofen (generics all) stock. We keep mucinex, benadryl and chlor-trimeton for cold/sniffly nose. Again, generic. There's my stock of singulair and nasocort that nobody is allowed to touch. My hubby has leftovers of his dental prescriptions from years ago and I keep meaning to throw those out. Expired painkillers don't really help anyone.

Superglue, bandaids, tape, scissors. HealthSmart $1 bottles of this supplement crap pill thing. It's like a vitamin with a bunch of echinacea and herbal stuff thrown in for when you're starting to get sick. Prilosec, pepcid, pepcid complete. That's all for my hubby and his reflux. It's the most expensive part of the cabinet. There are probably 4 boxes of varying kinds of cold medicine. The hubby forgets that the benadryl is in a bottle and buys it in a box... then he forgets that I won't take ephedra meds and buys a box of that crap and doesn't take two pills out of it... etc. etc. Once in a long while I have generic claritin on board and that works.

There is also a box of those little heat pads that stick on your back or joints. I keep one of those in my purse with the little bottle of ibuprofen for really horrible nights when I gotta have pain relief on the way home.

[DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN]

I have 6 plastic boxes in my kitchen cabinet next to the sink, above to the left. Each one is labeled:

Aches & Pains: Motrin, Tylenol, Aspirin, Bengay, Stick on heating pads, toothache stuff, abreva, etc

Cough & Cold: Robitussin, NyQuil, Sudafed, Vicks 44 Rub, Afrin, Claritin, etc...

RX's: Anything we don't take on a regular basis but don't want to leave out.

First Aid: Neosporin, Cortisone cream, band-aids, coban, alcohol wipes, tweezers, etc.

Stomach: Pepto Bismol, Imodium, Glycerin suppositories, Desitin cream,

a fleets enema, hemorroid suppositories, tucks wipes, etc

Misc: Suntan lotion, sunburn lotion, samples, matches, lighter, safety pins, bobby pins, etc...

I know there's more in those boxes but can't thing of everything just now. It works well for me because it stays organized and when dh or ds wants something they know exactly where to get it. They never put the box back in the cabinet but I expect that. I have 3 full bathrooms in my home and not one actual medicine cabinet.

[ebear, BSN, RN]

OH! I forgot about those "alcoholic" pads!!!

I have never in my life heard of anybody from Ga. who didn't think Pepto- Bismol was the bomb!! :lol2: Good Lord, Dutch!! I think you got it covered!!!! heeheehee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

Same as y'all but in my pantry.

Also, I wash my kids owies with soap and water.

My 6 year old jumped up on the sink a few weeks ago and met up with the open metal medicine cabinet corner and punctured his head. Lots of blood. Soap and water and pressure.

I have old antibiotics from last summer in Vietnam.

Used to have a bottle of phenergan with codeine . . what a lifesaver that is. Wish I had more.

steph

[EmmaG, RN]

For a nurse I have to have the worst stocked medicine cabinet I know of.

I could give you a run for your money. I'd be hard pressed to find a bandaid in my house LOL. There might be a tube of neosporin floating around here somewhere... However I do have some sterile peroxide and saline and dressing supplies left over from my surgery a few years ago. I guess I should just toss them, but it looks impressive, so what the heck.

I have some naprosyn I carry in my purse.

Oh, and yes--- I have a bottle of pepto bismol in the cabinet :)

[rngreenhorn]

A bottle of Wild Turkey.... and a bottle of pepto-bismol... and a shot glass.

[sharona97, BSN, RN]

Do you work in cardiology?:icon_roll

[antidote]

Aches & Pains: Motrin, Tylenol, Aspirin, Bengay, Stick on heating pads, toothache stuff, abreva, etc

Cough & Cold: Robitussin, NyQuil, Sudafed, Vicks 44 Rub, Afrin, Claritin, etc...

RX's: Anything we don't take on a regular basis but don't want to leave out.

First Aid: Neosporin, Cortisone cream, band-aids, coban, alcohol wipes, tweezers, etc.

Stomach: Pepto Bismol, Imodium, Glycerin suppositories, Desitin cream,

a fleets enema, hemorroid suppositories, tucks wipes, etc

Misc: Suntan lotion, sunburn lotion, samples, matches, lighter, safety pins, bobby pins, etc...

Ditto. All of that of course plus a few more gizmo's and gadgets.

In addition, I also have a fully stocked trauma bag with all kinds of dressings mainly. Next to that, I have my ambu neck collar, my backboard (just picked that up about ~2 weeks ago), and a case of 5 single use BVM's.

Perhaps I'm a little insane... no?

[ebear, BSN, RN]

What--are you going to Iraq????

[LiverpoolJane]

Half used HEPARIN???????

I know - I wish I hadn't confesed to that. The satellite unit I worked at used the multi dose bottles - the one with the rubber tops, like the insulin bottles and when I would be doing a tidy up at the end of a shift and they were on the tops of machines etc I would just slip in my pocket while I cleaned the machine - the idea being when I reached the end of the ward they would be disposed of, inevitably I would end up taking some home. Not wanting to put them in the bin they have sat in the so called medicine cabinet.

[husker_rn, RN]

Pretty much what everyone else has but I also have the misc stuff that I put in my pocket at work and forget until I'm home. Currently have a lifetime supply of alcohol wipes and several 10 cc IV flushes...and the tape....