Items to Keep in Your First Aid Kit and Medicine Cabinet

Have you opened your medicine cabinet lately? It may be time to reorganize.

If you don't have a medicine cabinet, you could start by getting a first-aid kit, according to Shannarose Guma, M.D., a board certified primary care physician with Mercy Personal Physicians at Ellicott City.

For pain and fever, Dr. Guma recommends having acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Some other things that might be worth stocking include eye drops, ointment for cuts or burns and medicine for an upset stomach.

It's also not a bad idea to get tools like tweezers, a thermometer and maybe even a pill cutter.

"I would have some Benadryl on hand. If you have children or anyone who has difficulty swallowing pills, I'd have some liquid," Dr. Guma said. "Also, liquid gets absorbed a lot quicker, so if you're having an acute allergic reaction, it's easier to swallow the liquid real quick."

She added that if you're cleaning up your medicine cabinet and find some expired medicine, usually it will not be harmful to use, but it might not be as affective or strong. And, with antibiotics, Dr. Guma noted, if it's expired, it has to go.

View Mercy primary care physician Dr. Shannarose Guma's interview.