BootsnAll Travel Community

If you were heading around the world for a while (6+ months) what would be in your pill kit (not first aid kit). In other words, what over the counter (or prescription) drugs would you be sure to have at least a little of for your journey????

Some Benydryl creme. Some Immodium AD. Some Exedrin PM.

Lots of those chewable Pepto Bismol pills, lots of Immodium, 1 course of Cipro, some Advil, Benedryl, Sudaphed & seasickness tablets if you're prone to that. I use the Sudaphed for diving and plane journeys and the Benedryl is for strange allergies I didn't know I had and for getting to sleep in noisy dorm rooms.

Think about putting some Pepto and/or Immodium pills in your daypack or purse since you won't always have your first aid kit with you when you most need it. I learned that one the hard way.

Top of the list would be immodium (loperamide is the actual name of the drug rather than the brand - you can buy it under the drug name in some shops and it can work out A LOT cheaper), nurofen (Ibuprofen pain killer), some sort of anti-histamine, anti-indigestion tablets (gaviscon or the like), some senna based pills in case the oppposite of the need for immodium arises and travel sickness tablets (ginger tablets are a cheap alternative). I took all of these with me and used most of them!

Both aspirin (for headaches and fever) and Advil (ibuprofen) for muscle aches.
antihistimines
Dayquil/Nyquil cold medicine
Motion sickness
Something for both diarrhea and constipation
Dose of Diflucan Rx for yeast infections
Rx for antibiotics for strep throat and UTI if you are prone to getting them.
Rx Sleeping pills

Also, remember that they have these things called "drugstores" pretty much everywhere.
(Except on nightbuses; it is sometimes difficult to acquire Immodium while on a night bus....)

I'd rather bring a small supply of things I'll probably need, than hope I don't get a yeast infection in the middle of the jungle somewhere. No thanks.
They also have stores selling other things like clothes and shoes. I guess you could just show up with nothing. But I think most people would agree that is unrealistic for them.

You are correct. There is a happy medium, hopefully.

We are going not going on a survival course, yet we don't want to be unprepared.

I carry the basics, but I try not to carry too much.

What is too much? The guy sitting across from me is carrying too much. My pack is "just right". The guy sitting behind me thinks that I am carrying way too much and that his pack is just right, and so on.

Exactly. Everyone is different. I'm one of those people that would rather carry around a pack of cold medicine or bottle of aspirin and never use it, than have a raging headache at midnight in a strange city and try to find a drugstore or whatever. Whereas some people just don't think about that kind of stuff and deal with it when and if it happens.
I don't know what kind of person DanikaD is, so I gave her my suggestions. She can do with it what she wants.

I do appreciate the advice given by Emeraldeyes and everyone else for that matter. I'm def with Eeyes in saying that you'd rather be with than without...I just want to make sure that I don't go too far overboard with the meds. Thanks again for the input!

Well you should also keep in mind that MANY countries outside of the US have no such thing as behind the counter drugs, so you really only need to pack certain items for long rides and certain legs of the trip.

Danika:

I have been watching this thread for awhile, so now I'll give my 2 cents worth. With respect to Joe, many of the places I travel do NOT have drug stores (or drugs), and if they do, they may or may not be open (or have what you need). So in part, it depends where you are heading.

I will begin by saying that over the course of my travel life I have personally doctored around 40 travelers who DID NOT take what they needed, everything from people close to death because of respiratory infections to a guy who needed temporary stitches so he could hike out of Torres del Paine. Remember this: if you are traveling in developing nations, you can (and should) leave your prescription meds behind at the local clinic. If you state this intention to your doc, they will usually give you samples to take with you (I have done this for many years). My list:

* Antibiotics, usually Cipro or Augmentin, plus a serious anti-splat drug like Tequin
* Pain pills: Codeine or Percocet
* Anti-inflammatories: Aleve or script like Xanaflex
* Basics: aspirin, ibuprofin, Immodium, Excedrin PM, thread or floss w/needle for emergency stitches
* Sleep aids: Xanax or some other medication
* Cold meds: I think Theraflu is best
* Antihistamines: This is for more than sniffles, it is for allergic reactions as well
* Package of various size band aids, gauze, tape, moleskin, anti-bacterial (like Neosporin)

Just me.
R

Jesus. Do I know how to kill a thread or what?

No such thing Salmo!!!
Thanks for the words of wisdom I have an appointment with my doctor later this week and along with vaccination talk, I plan to ask him about samples with the intention of leaving them behind...So I think that you gave me some great advice!!

D

I'd add an anti-emetic (anti-vomit) to the list, depending on where you're travelling. If you get food poisoning, it doesn't always come from below... if you know what I mean. Chewable Immodium really helped too. The taste isn't great, but if you're having trouble keeping things IN it is really hard for your body to breakdown the pills before it passes it out.

I prefer to buy painkillers overseas instead of bringing them from home since you can usually get stronger or more for a lot cheaper. In Canada you can get Tylenol 3 OTC, but not here in the States. Muscle relaxants are also by prescription now. After a looooong bus ride followed by a looooong schlep around with the pack on my back can get really tight and the relaxants can help a lot, especially if you're sleeping on a "bed" made out of nails.

Instead of ExcedrinPM or other sleep aids, I just bring extra Benedryl or other antihistamines. You might also consider bringing topical antihistamine (ie, a cream).

Moleskin and stretchy/water resistant bandaids are hard to find. But, I wouldn't keep a lot on hand unless you're going to very remote areas. And, you can always stock up on things before you get to more remote areas if your schedule allows for it.

If you're not lugging "The Book" around, it is good to keep symptom descriptions in your kit (or a pocket travel first aid book). That way you have it in an easy to find place and can more easily self diagnose if you're ill. You might also include info on CPR and the foreign language words (written and verbal) for asking for medical assistance.

Along the lines of getting better drugs overseas... my anti-itch cream, Dysentro (I think that was the name, it's a stomach med, kills the bacteria like an antibiotic instead of just blocking it all up in you like immodium) from Thailand and cough medicine from Belgium were all fabulous. Granted I rarely take anything ever, so my comparison is limited, but these worked well. Oh, and the bandages I bought and natural aloe I picked for a major injury in Oz left me with an (almost)scar-free face, which is amazing. Sometimes I wonder why we don't have these things in the States...

Another note: Immodium is still a good thing to have, so if you get your doctor to write a scrip for the Immodium your insurance will cover it, even if you just grab it off the shelf and hand it to the pharmacy guy. This may be good or bad depending what your scrip plan is on your insurance and how much you have to pay for meds.