Rx For Medicine Chests

You never when you or a loved one will get sick or hurt and need some at-home first aid.

On The Saturday Early Show, Dr. Mallika Marshall named many must-haves for well-stocked medicine cabinets.

She also pointed out that the labels on most products typically found in medicine chests say to store in a cool, dry place. As we all know though, bathrooms get wet and hot. Still, if you have a medicine cabinet that has a good seal and you have proper ventilation in the bathroom, you should be safe.

If your bathroom always tends to be moist, you may consider storing the items on a kitchen shelf and make sure they're high enough that kids can't get to them. Also, buy products with safety caps.

In addition, it's probably not a good idea to store prescription medications in a medicine cabinet. They can degrade more quickly and can make kids very sick if they get their hands on them.

One more thing: All medications have an expiration date, so go through your medicine cabinet at least once a year and throw out anything that has expired.

What should you have on hand?

Allergy Medicines

Such as Benadryl, antihistamines, Claritin

As any allergy sufferer can tell you, many parts of the country are in the middle of one of the worst allergy seasons in years. Everyone seems to be sneezing and have scratchy eyes. So, it's a good idea to an over-the-counter allergy remedy on hand for the days when the pollen count is high. Have several different types available, since some people find some medicines more effective than others.

Pain Relievers

Such as acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen

Different aches and pains require different remedies. Acetaminophen is a wonderful pain reliever and fever reducer. But you should probably also keep an anti-inflammatory medication around, such as aspirin or ibuprofen. These medications can reduce fevers, treat pain, and reduce swelling. So they can be particularly helpful if you twist your ankle or strain your back. But remember, never give a child with a fever aspirin: That can lead to Reyes Syndrome.

Cold and Flu Formulas

Such as cough medicines, cold formulas and flu formulas

We may not be in the cold and flu season, but people can get colds even during the summer, so it's a good idea to have several remedies around that treat a variety of symptoms, including coughs, runny noses, and sore throats.

Antiseptics, such as hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol

Q-Tips and Cotton Balls

It's a good idea to keep your ears clean, which you can do with Q tips, but remember to never put a cotton swab in the ear, just around it. And you want to have cotton balls around to apply the various healing ointments you have. You should avoid touching the tips of these containers where the ointment comes out, so you don't spread germs.

Ointments

Such as Bacitracin, Neosporin, Cortisone Cream, Calamine Lotion

It really is important to have all of these, because you never know when you could get a minor cut, burn or rash or when you may get stung by a bee or contract poison ivy. For the segment, Marshall uses large sizes, which would be hard to fit into a cabinet, but you can always buy smaller sizes.

Bandages

Such as Band-Aids, Liquid Band-Aids, Ace Wrap, tape

Traditional Band-Aids are very effective at covering and keeping clean minor cuts and burns that are on easy-to-get-at places such as your arms or shins. But liquid Band-Aids are very good for hard-to-get-at places. You also want to have an Ace bandage and tape around in the case of a minor sprain.

Digestive Track Aids

Such as Maalox, Mylanta, Pepto-Bismol, Imodium, Ex-Lax

You want to be prepared for any malady including heartburn, indigestion, constipation and diarrhea. Marshall uses brand-name products for the segment, including Imodium, but you can always get the generic products if you are looking to save money.

Tweezers

You can use them to pluck your eyebrows, but you also want them on hand to remove splinters and ticks. But remember to be very careful when using tweezers: Try not to break the skin.