From Cleveland Clinic
Leave it to the Cleveland Clinic folks to help us sort through all those sticky cough syrup bottles and packages of cold medicine. Here’s what a Clinic doctor says about what we should have in our medicine cabinets and what we can skip.
Neha Vyas, MD, family medicine physician for Cleveland Clinic, says adhesive bandages are a must, but if they’re always falling off, you may want to try the liquid kind.
“They actually make liquid bandages, which are really good for those cuts that are somewhat annoying and don’t seem to hold very well with the adhesive bandages,” says Dr. Vyas. “They seem to hold up under water much better than the adhesive bandages.”
It’s also a good idea to have some type of pain reliever in your medicine chest. And if you’re prone to achy muscles, pain-relieving patches may be useful. Antacids can come in handy for the occasional bout with heartburn, upset stomach or diarrhea. For itchy insect bites, hydrocortisone cream may provide relief.
Speaking of itch, people who suffer from allergies will want to stock up on some antihistamines.
“Those are great to have around if you have the seasonal allergies, or right as you’re starting to develop a respiratory infection and you have that runny nose or the sneezing, or the itchy, watery eyes,” Dr. Vyas explains. She recommends checking your medicine cabinet every six months to toss and replace expired items.
