Home medicine cabinet essentials

I'm curious about what everyone keeps in their medicine cabinets—everything from standard meds to those natural remedies people swear by for when things go sideways.
I was checking my own stash yesterday and realized I’ve mostly got sterile gauze, Band-Aids, aspirin, Tylenol, St. John's Wort, aloe vera cream, rubbing alcohol, Voltaren, and about a million different kinds of tea.
Is there anything else a person actually needs to have on hand?
To be clear, I'm not talking about prescriptions for specific illnesses—just the general stuff you keep around for prevention or minor mishaps.
🙂

I make it a point to always keep Tylenol and some ibuprofen tucked away in my bag; experience has taught me that having them on hand is far superior to leaving them sitting uselessly at home. 😬

Beyond that, I’ve got some lavender oil, some antifungal cream (if you know, you know), DayQuil, and some antiseptic spray that I salvaged from a first-aid kit—it works wonders for minor scrapes or blisters. As for everything else, I carry a massive assortment of herbal teas, honey, and even some high-quality bourbon, which does wonders for my mother's throat 😬 along with about a billion different types of creams for just about any ailment imaginable. 😁

Oh, please... preventive meds actually work too...😁 I mean, it depends on whether you have kids, allergies, if you're pregnant... it’s not like a medicine cabinet is some static thing you just check once a year.🤷

I’ve got some Tylenol, Advil, and a throat spray on hand.

That’s about it—I'll just pick up more if things actually get bad.
I always keep tea and honey stocked up, though; I drink that even when I'm feeling perfectly fine.

Where on earth did you find me? 😁
I honestly have everything I could possibly need—though, to be fair, I end up tossing most of it out because it hits its expiration date before I can even get around to using it. 🙄
I'm using some effervescent aspirin—it keeps things pretty steady—and Reglan, though I only take that every now and then... you know, if I run out of bourbon. 😬I've got some Allegra for when things get a little much—just a bit here and there, I guess—some eye drops for those occasional moments, Septolete, maybe some Mucinex lozenges, and a little tube of Canesten cream... you know, just for my "little" issues now and then. 😁...and then there's Detralex.

It’s actually pretty rare to see them being used—nasal drops for snoring. 🤣Voltaren, Voltaren cream, that one specific flu thing—maybe DayQuil?—standard aspirin, some Sudafed drops, those steroid ear drops, all kinds of cough syrups, various laxatives... there’s probably more, but I can’t quite think of everything off the top of my head. 🤷

Grab some Advil for the aches, Tylenol for any fever, 2 x Halls for that scratchy throat, and Rennie for heartburn—those are absolute essentials!! Oh, and don't forget the Tylenol!

There’s a ton of stuff here... honestly, I think half of it is probably expired by now.😁 But I still have this nagging need to carry some meds around just so I can feel secure. For instance, I always make sure I have some painkillers on me, just in case.😬

My medicine cabinet is stocked with aspirin, Tylenol, and more Tylenol. I also keep some DayQuil effervescent tablets on hand. Occasionally, I’ll grab some Voltaren, too. For topical stuff, I have burn cream, Cortizone-10 (for when my skin acts up), and some Vicks eucalyptus balm.
Then there's the basics: bandages, gauze...
I also keep plenty of teas and vitamins.

I always have:

Painkillers—you know, Ibuprofen, Advil, Voltaren... depends on what kind of misery you're dealing with.

I usually just grab some Voltaren or maybe Deep Relief—honestly, I just go with whatever happens to be on sale at CVS that week.

Is it Bepanthen or whatever that wound cream is called again?

I don't know about you all, but I’ve reached that point in the week where everything feels like a massive uphill battle. Just one of those stretches where you feel like you're constantly fighting a losing game against your own body. It's exhausting.

Honestly, I can never decide which one to grab when my stomach starts acting up. It’s always a toss-up between Gastal or Peptoran for me.

I need something to fight off this flu. It always seems to hit me right on Saturday night, just when I’m finally ready to relax. 😁

Magnesium Citrate... honestly, I could probably find some kind of laxative to keep things moving if I really wanted to... 🤔 I don't count teas, honey, or any of that herbal stuff as actual medicine.

My tea collection is easily my most vital resource—I’ve actually cataloged 24 different varieties now 🤣—we go through them quite rapidly, and there are always at least a few that serve a truly therapeutic purpose. 😍
A little bit of essential oils and some Tiger Balm.
Natural cough syrup. Propolis spray.
Those ear hygiene swabs we picked up back in the summer and still haven't actually gotten around to using.
Bepanthen and things of that nature.
An Ocean spray nasal mist that I really ought to just toss out.
Some Aktivin H that nobody ever actually touches.
Rhodiola extract, which I constantly forget to take.
Acidosalus, depending on the cycle—though it's a bit of an expensive habit to maintain it constantly.
Pepto-Bismol or just plain baking soda.

Adhesive bandages. I don't have any gauze, though I do have that first aid kit I keep in the car. 😁 I try to ensure we have rubbing alcohol on hand, but currently, I am without it; I only have those hand sanitizers, and as for disinfecting objects... well, I'm completely out.

I make every effort to avoid medications, yet it seems we have amassed quite a substantial collection. We tend to stock up all at once, only to discard everything when the expiration dates pass. On our current "menu" of classic junk, we have:

aspirin, Voltaren, Tylenol, Lupocet, and those lidocaine lozenges.
Imodium.
Amoxicillin that was prescribed just in case—it was never actually taken, it was just picked up from the pharmacy to have it on hand, heaven forbid—much like the Dalacin cream, the Gyno-Daktarin, and the Canesten vaginal tablets.
His blood pressure pills; aside from the analgesics, they are the only true essentials.
Some Betadine left over from a bout of tonsillitis back in 2008.
Beloderm cream, which is also destined for the trash.

And please, just spare me if you approach me regarding Jeremiah! 🙂 😁

Oh, it would be wonderful to have some Bivacin; I recently threw out the old stuff, and I can't even remember if it's still available for purchase—I recall there being some sort of shortage... 🤔 and that silver-based ointment for burns... but honestly, who has the energy to keep buying all this? Heavens, it's too much trouble...

Gauze and Band-Aids are total lifesavers—I learned that the hard way after a nasty fall at home where I had to move fast with some antiseptic and gauze to stop the bleeding..
🙂

Haha, our fridge is basically a pharmacy, packed with everything from aspirin to heavy-duty stuff; yet, nobody in this house will actually touch any of it. We’d honestly rather just lie here in agony than deal with the hassle of swallowing a pill. Weird People

I’ve got just about everything you could possibly need, honestly; if I tried to list it all, we’d be here forever—it’s practically like having a mini pharmacy right in my house. 🥳

Don't go looking for morphine, though.

I usually pick up those white "sensitive" bandages because they don't stick to your skin so aggressively that you can't get them off later.

coppergardener said:Man, I really wish I had some Bivacin on hand—I tossed my old stash recently, and honestly, I can't even remember if you can still find it. I think there was some kind of shortage a while back... 🤔

They don't make the powder or the spray version anymore, just the cream.

If you're really desperate for it, though, I actually have some of the powder left over. 😁

copperbadger36 said:they don't carry any more of that Bivacine powder or spray anymore, just the cream version

if you’re really desperate for it, I actually still have some of the powder stashed away at home 😁

if you’re looking specifically for the spray, you could try ordering it through that pharmacy over near the downtown plaza; they might be able to special order it for you. 😳 honestly, using the ointment version can be a total nightmare because the grease can sometimes make an injury or a wound flare up even worse (plus, you definitely shouldn't be putting it on anything that's still weeping or wet). isn't it much better to just use the spray if you want quick disinfection and faster healing?

when you look at all those other sprays that seem similar and are available in our local drugstores, none of them actually act like Bivacine; you'll find plenty that disinfect, sure, but they won't help speed up the healing process. and the whole point of Bivacine is that it does both jobs at once, doesn't it?

are we really supposed to just suffer now that the Bivacine spray is gone! 🙂

copperbadger36 said:It appears that the Bivacine—both in its powder and spray forms—has been completely phased out of circulation... leaving us with nothing but the cream version available now. Isn't it curious how these things shift? One day you're reaching for a specific delivery method, and the next, everything has changed!

If you find that you absolutely require more—and I mean truly, desperately need it—don't worry; I still have a bit of a stash of the powder left over. 😁

Ah, well—it’s certainly different when you aren't right here in the heart of the city! 😢 Well, I find myself contemplating a bit of a trade—is anyone else feeling the urge to swap some essentials? I am offering various vaginal health products—you know, the necessary supplies—along with some Target gift cards! Does anyone have anything interesting to barter? 🤣

Maria Roberts said:Honestly, I would much rather just lie there and writhe in agony—really, truly suffer through it—than actually swallow a pill! Is that so hard to believe? It sounds absolutely absurd to some, I know, but for me, it's a non-negotiable. Weird People, right?

Honestly, when I’m dealing with those cramps—and let me tell you, they can be absolutely brutal—I would much rather just sit there and suffer in silence than take anything at all. Is that crazy? Perhaps. But I have this lingering, slightly paranoid tendency to worry about how my body will react to medication; I’ve always been a bit hyper-sensitive to side effects, if you know what I mean. I'd honestly rather endure the pain than deal with the uncertainty of a reaction. 😳 Honestly—when I have somewhere important to be, I simply refuse to let a little thing like feeling terrible stand in my way! I just take some DayQuil and make sure to pack a few extra doses in my bag—because, really, who wants to face the world feeling like they’re fading away? Isn't it better to be prepared? 😁

thermometer
alcohol wipes
pads
Tylenol, aspirin
throat lozenges; plus some lemon juice
Icelandic moss
DayQuil
clotrimazole
Ketoral, though I never actually take painkillers myself—I just keep them around when I pick up my prescriptions
apple cider vinegar
band-aids
Aquaphor
apipro propolis spray
Preparation H (but specifically for swollen eyes😁)
Aviomarin (for the dog)
Virolex
noise-canceling headphones
sore mouth gel
bacitracin cream
activated charcoal
multivitamins
eye drops
rice powder

Edited post 😁
After a quick (and honestly, a bit surprising) inventory check, I realized I actually have quite a stash on hand: a thermometer, some Band-Aids, Sudafed nasal drops, 2 x Halls, DayQuil, some Voltaren gel that I rarely find a use for, and even some Vaseline 😁 I even have this specific electrolyte mix that’s a lifesaver when dehydration starts creeping up—I picked it up last year after spending an entire week feeling absolutely miserable during a bout of stomach flu 😁 😁 😁

Wait, is Bivacin powder gone for good? :sad:

I basically have a miniature pharmacy right here at home—since I only take pills about once a month, mostly just to deal with period cramps, of course.
Once a year, I do a total inventory cleanout.
It’s all kept in a single drawer, and right now, it contains:
five rolls of Band-Aids, two rolls of medical tape, even those corn callus patches that I don't actually need (they mostly just serve as makeshift shoe insoles), compresses, sterile gauze, bandages, syringes, and stuff like that;
two thermometers;
some gel for hot/cold compresses;
some kind of propolis spray :unsure:
creams and ointments: Voltaren, Bepanthen Plus, chlorphenicol, Burrows solution, Locacorten...
pills based on whatever I can remember: Nalgesin, Voltaren, aspirin, Tylenol, Gastal, Tylenol, Lupocet, Carbomed, Biosept (those are the pricey ones), Apaurin (which is probably expired by now), and that other weaker one starting with an N... 😁
drops: a few different kinds of eye drops—I have no clue what they're called, I just remember the Visine

As for everything else: I've got a handful of dietary supplements and vitamins lying around—most of them were gifts from people who, naturally, didn't need them anymore: Beta-Carotene, Beta-tene, three different kinds of effervescent tablets that I dissolve every leap year (does that count?), plus some others I've lost track of.
The only things I actually buy myself are PMS balance and Neurobion, though I usually forget to take them anyway.

Oh, right—there's also saline, Betadine, Bivacin powder, Octanisept, and Rivanol

I think that covers it.
My excuse for having all this is that half of it comes from my mom just in case, and the rest comes from friends who just love shopping at pharmacies—plus, not everything is meant for me; some of it is definitely for the household pets. 😬

copperbadger36 said:They’ve gone and pulled the plug on the powder and the spray versions of Bacitracin. Now, all you can find is the cream. Just my luck, right?

Look, if you’re actually desperate for it, I've still got some of that powder left in my stash. 😁

So, here’s the deal... I just noticed that Bacitracin spray is finally back on the shelves.
Ranison is out of stock, but honestly? Tyrosur is a perfectly solid substitute.

Honestly, I don't have much else to add to this thread. I keep all my meds at work, so I'm pretty much tapped out on info.🙏
It’s like my bathroom cabinets are nothing but a graveyard for pet supplies... honestly. I don't even use that Daktarin cream on myself—that's strictly for the dogs' skin issues. Then there's the Apipol propolis cream for their little scrapes, plus all the dewormers, vitamin sprays, and those flea ampoules. It's basically a mini vet clinic in here instead of a vanity.😁