Portable Medication Kit

I nearly always keep a small stash of medications on me. Most of the time I won’t need them, but I’d rather sacrifice a small bit of weight in a bag than get an allergy attack or migraine and not have any of the medications on me. I hate pain! Obviously, what I carry is specific to my needs and where I live. I’m sure you know your own medical conditions and what you should keep on you. You can always ask a question at your GP if you don’t know what would suit you to carry with you.

 

 

Having a handbag medication kit in one place is really handy, because you can easily swap it to a camera bag, car kit, in flight kit, camping or hiking kit…the key being portability so it really suits any situation.

 

I keep my kit in a small purse/pouch that came with a bag I bought with my lotto winnings.

 

 

As you can see, it’s a fairly small pouch, but it fits everything I need. Keeping it small also encourages you to not carry anything excess to your needs. The point of medications I carry is very much simple first aid, but without going into bandaging. Having said that, I do have slightly dodgy ankle tendon, so if it has been bad recently, I add a wrap bandage to my bag in case I need it.

 

 

Contents of my medication kit:

• Polaramine. I don’t take daily antihistamines because I find they don’t work very well for me, so I carry a fast acting one on me to use as needed.
• Painkillers. Mix of ibuprofen, paracetamol and both or either of those with codeine. Chop out 2-4 tablets from the pack so you don’t have to carry bulky packaging.
• Tampons. Because no one wants to be caught without a tampon when they need one.
• Pseudoephedine. I keep this one in its original packaging because although it’s legal and my GP prescribes it for me, it’s a contentious drug due to people using it to cook up other drugs. Or something. I’m not all up on the specifics, I just know it’s now a pain the the ass for me to get it.
• SM33 gel. I had some wisdom tooth pain, then an infection, the other year and found that this stuff was great to numb the pain while I waited for painkillers to kick in. I really hate wisdom tooth pain!
• Dettol antiseptic cream. I’m rarely brand loyal but this stuff is kick ass. It covers pretty much anything you could need. From the back of the tube: cuts, scratches, abrasions, insect bites, minor burns, sunburns, sore lips, minor skin infections, chapped roughened hands and cracked itchy skin. Seriously, this stuff is great. Buy it. Living in mozzie-infested Brisbane I keep this in my pocket at BBQs in summer.
• Bandaids. Ok, they’re not in there because I’ve run out, but a few bandaids for cuts or blisters is a basic. I prefer the fabric kind because they stay on better (even for new, rubbing shoes) and I can be mildly allergic to plastic ones.

 

 

Other things that you may want:

• Tissues. If I get an allergic reaction (or someone smokes within a few metres of me) I can start sneezing and take a while to stop. Needless to say, I usually have a few portable packs of tissues in my bag.
• Hand sanitiser. Sprays, gels, wipes – the method is up to you but a good thing to carry around in flu season.

 

Note: If this is something you want to use for an in-flight/travel medication kit, then make sure you comply with country regulations on medications. I’m not an expert, but some things to consider are:

• needing letters from your GP regarding medications that may be illegal or more restricted in other countries,
• needing to keep the medications in their original packaging.

 

How do you keep your medications organised on the go?