Help me choose prescription meds for a long remote trip

smlobx

Adventurist
Hi folks-
We’re planning on a 3 month long trip to some rather remote places this summer and want to upgrade my med kit to add some prescription meds for unforeseen issues that may arise. My GP, whom I’ve known for 30 years, has agreed to write some prescriptions and I’d like to have a somewhat intelligent conversation with him to discuss what particular meds to get.

I am SOLO WFR certified so I should be able to handle most situations we might encounter (Assuming I’m not the one affected!).

Anyway, as a start I’m thinking of the following:

1. A couple of Z Paks
2. Upgraded pain meds (not Oxy but am looking for suggestions)
3. ???

Any comments or suggestions are appreciated.
 
Brains are funny, the way they look at the whole page and makes assumptions. Every time I see this post my brain reads your screen name as smallpox. Sorry for the thread drift, I just had to say it. Great topic, btw. :coffee
 
The Mrs is a pharmacist of some 40+ years and she agrees with the above suggestions. Cipro is at the top of her list for antibiotics. 800 mg Ibuprofen is most easily accomplished with buying over the counter 200 mg pills, preferably the gel type and taking 4 at a time. Next level up for pain would be Tramadol which is prescription only.

Prescription steroid dose-paks would be good for allergic reactions and if not available, Benadryl is the go to. Hydrocortisone 1% cream for skin issues, OTC. Triple antibiotic cream for cuts and scrapes, also OTC.
 
While digging around on this subject, I ran across something I hadn't heard before that I found interesting:

"Acetaminophen (TYLENOL) combines well with an NSAID – like the Naproxen (ALEVE) to provide superior analgesia to either the NSAID or Acetaminophen alone – WITHOUT the sedative effects of an opioid narcotic like the hydrocodone in VICODIN. When the patient is assisting with the rescue, or the person being treated for pain is a team member, avoiding the sedative effects of a narcotic may be important."

Source: http://www.conovers.org/ftp/ASRC-PA-Personal-Wilderness-Medkit30a.pdf

Because I, personally, am on Warfarin, I only keep Tylenol around the house. I may have to add a small bottle of Aleve for extreme use only.
 
Water, Socks, Motrin. Cures everything!!!

But in reality most things can be handled without prescription medications

Do research. Some things not available by prescription are available at feed stores for livestock.

I carry:
Motrin
Naproxen
Tylenol
Simethacone
Benadryl (Diphenhydramine)
Tripleantibiotic ointment or Neosporin

Some Suggestions:
Cough drops
Zinc oxide ointment
Technu poison oak/ivy lotion,
Calmoseptine (poison oak/ivy)
Vaseline
Celox rehydration solution
Boudreaux’s butt past x3 (heat rash)
Afrin (runny/stuffy nose)
Tums (acid reflux)
Advil 200mg (anti-inflammatory)
Aspirin 325mg (Headache/Pain)
Tylenol 325mg (fever/headache/Pain)
Benadryl 25mg (itch/allergy)
Pepto bismol liquid
Diotame (peptobismol tabs)
Alamag (upset stomach)
Dramamine (motion sickness),
Gas-X strips
Simethacone
Loperamide 2mg (diarrhea)
Hydrocortisone cream
Burn Gel or Aloe Vera
(topical anesthetic, lidocaine)
Loratadine 10mg (allergy)
Visine
 
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I firmly believe that washing your hands a lot, clean water, and watching what goes in your mouth are the most bang for the buck when it comes to avoiding unnecessary misery in remote areas.

The past few years I've been travelling for work in less developed countries about 2 weeks every month. I'm not doctor, but this is what is working for me.

I have had very good luck with Z-paks for everything from stomach bugs to sinus infections and the flu. I carried Cipro for a while as well, but I didn't find it as effective the one time I tried it. (not a knock on the drug, I was in Egypt and who knows what it was that had ahold of me).

Everything else I carry is OTC. My greatest hits are:

Immodium
Benedryl
Advil
Neosporin
heartburn stuff
Tylenol
Sudafed
Tylenol Cold & Flu
Cortizone cream

This is the drug bag that stays in my pack/carry-on/Magic Bag. Depending on the chow situation, the immodium often stays in my pocket.

Drug Bag.jpg



I know that I'm preaching to the choir here, but the best thing you can take with you is training. Getting your WFR is outstanding and makes me jealous. Getting someone else with training to come with you is even better. Cause you just don't know which of you is going to get hurt. Susanne and I prefer places where cell phones don't work, so we both take a refresher WFA every 2-3 years. (just booked the next one for April) I'd really love to squeeze in a WFR, but 80 hours is tough to find.

For what its worth, the instructor on my last WFA offered some pretty practical advice on what to carry. With the understanding that you will never be able to carry everything you might possibly need, he advised that you prioritize things you can't, or won't have time to, improvise. I thought it odd at first, but his number 1 drug to carry was Benedryl (to mitigate severe allergic reactions), followed by immodium (head off dehydration).
 
See if he will write you a script for an epi-pen. There have been multiple times I've been around someone who didn't know they were allergic and went into anaphylaxis.
 
Just to close this thread out.

We came back from our almost 15K mile trip and had a great time. Covid was a non issue in AK so it was a nice respit but we were boondocking for most of the time anyway.

As far as the medical side was concerned the only time we broke out out kit was to get some moleskin for my wife after some longer hikes in Yellowstone NP on our return home..but better to have it and not need it then...
 
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