While the advice we give here is not comprehensive, it may help you to keep you and your family healthy and safe.

Five Basic Medicine Rules

These five basic medicine rules should keep you and your family healthy and safe.

1. Always finish prescribed courses of medication, or dispose of any leftovers safely
2. Never take medicine prescribed for someone else
3. Make sure all medicines are safe especially from small children
4. If you don't know what something is for get rid of it
5. Don't keep medicines past their sell by date

Medicine Cabinet

The list below is an indication of the sort of items that should be in your families medicine cabinet.
As a rough guide, pick from the following items things that would be most suited to your families needs.

• Pain Killers, both for adults and children. Remember all pain killers do not work in the same way. So it is useful to have a selection in small doses
1. Paracetamol
2. Ibuprofen (as an anti-inflammatory)
3. Aspirin
4. Codeine combinations
• Antihistamines. Sedative ones may be useful for treating itchy conditions, stings, sunburn, etc
• Decongestants, especially nasal drops and herbal oils for inhalation
• Cough Medicines. Have various sorts to hand
• Loperamide, to slow down gastro upsets
• Rehydration solutions for children suffering with diarrhoea
• Cirtrate Treatments for cystitis in women
• Creams or other treatments for thrush
• Antiseptic creams or lotions
• A rub-on cream for muscular injury
• Indigestion medicines

Simple First Aid Kit

As well as medicines, it is useful to keep a first aid kit in the house and car. This list is a good starting point for any such first aid kit.

• Two cotton bandages and two crepe bandages of different widths
• Wound dressings and a pack of gauze swabs
• A variety of plasters
• An ice pack
• Thermometer
• Safety pins
• Surgical tape
• Scissors
• An eye patch
• A large triangular bandage suitable for making a sling
• Eye bath and eye wash

Other Sources Of Advice

The following websites also offer lots of helpful advice and information, including patient information leaflets to download.

• NHS Direct
• Patient UK
• BBC Health
• Net Doctor
• Medic 8
• BUPA Health factsheets
• MedInfo
• The Patients Association

Please note that Westbury Group Practice cannot accept liability for the accuracy or content for any external links.

While we try to ensure that the links are still active and relevant, of you find that any that no longer work, please let us know using the feedback form.