Diving Safety Kits by Doctors?

[BillP]

Hi Dee:

The 800mg twice a day of ibuprofen that you take is only 2/3 the maximum prescription dose. If it doesn't irritate your stomach, you don't have kidney disease, etc. it should be fine to take NSAID's for more than 10 days if you should need to. Some people have to take the maximum dose of an NSAID for years at a time. It's the Tylenol that you don't take the maximum dose of for more than 10 days in a row.

But hey, you worked in a pharmacy, so I know that you already know that. I was just trying to make it clear for other readers.

BTW, I saw on your RSD profile the you're a "housewife" now. Are you retired?

Bill

 

[Dee]

I'm now retired from my pharmacy technicians job and living the life of boring leisure! As you might know, the pharmacy I worked in all those years was one of the last owner/operator pharmacies in the Houston area and had been in business for ober 35 years. There at the end, my boss was having lots of medical problems and I had not only the business end to deal with but also alot of the counciling. The majority of my customers were senior citizens, most I'd known and worked to help for over 20 years. By the time we closed the store I was mentally and emotionally drained! It's so hard to watch so many people get sick and die on a daily basis. And to have to tell them their meager insurance coverage would not be doing anything to help them just broke my heart. Of course, I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about.

So I decided not to go back to work, at least not in the pharmaceutical field. I do miss the challenge of the medical knowledge but this old soft heart can't take any more cracks!

My job now is planning our dive trips and spending Beast's money. I'm getting very good at it, too. ;^)

 

[Ladydiver]

Hi BillP,

I didn't realize you could take the acetaminophen and NSAID's together. Nice to know they are safe together and can even possibly have an additive effect.

I learn something new every day on this board.

Cheers,

 

[BillP]

Hi Dee, I had heard the story of your pharmacy closing but didn't know the path that your career change took. Congrats!

Glad to help Ladydiver. Often (but not always) medicines in different families with different mechanisms of action can be used together even if they have the same end result. For example, we will frequently use two different antibiotics with different modes of action to kill particularly virulent bacteria. It wouldn't do to use two antibiotics that both "strangle" the bacteria, but if one holds the bacteria down in a strangle hold while the other stabs it in the back...

On the acetaminophen (Tylenol) / ibuprofen subject, I somehow managed to get some "patient education brochures" sent to me several years ago. The brochures went into great detail about how acetaminophen is better because ibuprofen alters the body's chemistry at the site of injury affecting the production of natural inflammatory products- inflammatory products that are used in the healing process. Acetaminophen works centrally to relieve your pain without affecting the body chemistry at the site of injury. Sounds good, no? I got curious to see who would put out a "patient information brochure" with such a perspective. In very small print on the back of the box that the brochures were to be displayed in (in my waiting room, of course) it said that the brochures were distributed by McNeil- the maker of Tylenol. Hmmm, wouldn't it be just as easy for Bristol-Myers- the maker of Nuprin- to distribute a "patient education brochure" that says that ibuprofen works at the site of the injury to stop the pain before it starts whereas acetaminophen affects your BRAIN function and alters the chemistry of your mind? Funny thing is, I didn't get any more "patient education brochures" from McNeil after they decided to start marketing their formerly-by-prescription-only drug Motrin over-the-counter to compete with Nuprin and Advil.

Anyway, point is even though acetaminophen and ibuprofen are both taken for pain and/or fever they work by completely different mechanisms of action and are complimentary when taken together.

 

[King_Neptune]

Doc,

If one can take them apart with no problems is there any possible negative effects associated with taking acetaminophen and NSAID's together?

=-)

 

[BillP]

"...any possible negative effects..."?

Yes, of course there are. It looks like you're absorbing my mantra!

Whenever you take any drug-- whether by prescription, over-the-counter (OTC), or "all-natural"-- you should educate yourself on what's in it, what it is supposed to do for you, and what it can do to you. Remember, any drug that is supposed to have effects can also have side effects.

OK, some possible negative effects. Taking two different medicines at the same time when one alone will do unnecessarily risks the side effects of each of the medicines when you only needed to risk the side effects of one. Taking two different medicines at the same time when one alone will do is more expensive. If you try to take two Extra Strength Tylenol and two Advil all at the same time, you could choke. If you try to take acetaminophen and an NSAID across a frontier together in an unlabeled bottle you could get the attention of a border guard and be taken away to a little room for a, er thorough, search.

OK, to really answer your question, acetaminophen is primarily known for its liver toxicity, but it can also be toxic to the kidneys. NSAIDs are much better known for their kidney toxicity than their liver toxicity, but they can damage both. The risk of developing clinically signficant toxicity from either of those those drugs to either of those organs is low (very low over the short term at recommended doses), but possible, and it's not impossible for the negative effects of the drugs to be additive.

For some people it is possible to die from taking a single aspirin. Others should never take Tylenol. But in otherwise healthy people with no contraindication to either drug, the risk of taking acetaminophen and NSAID's together is quite low.

HTH,

Bill

 

[Merlin]

I'm no doctor and I don't play one on TV, but I did take rescue diver and medic/first aid. I don't dive on boats very often and most of my diving is out of the way or not near normal diving locations. Here's what I have in my kit:

Diphenyhydramine
Tums
Antibacterial soap
Sewing kit
razor blades
waterproof matches
lighter
Alkaseltzer PLus Cold medicine
Individually wrapped antibacterial handwipes
Butterfly bandages
Cotton swabs
Pencil, pen, paper
100% Aloe Vera gel
bandage tape
1% hydrocortizone
cough drops (those ones called N'Ice)
space blanket
penlight
ear plugs (the ones that block noise)
Handsanitizing gel
scissors
2nd Skin Moist Pads (for burns)
Adhesive bandages (finger size and extra wide)
4 x 4 general use gauze sponges
4 x 3 non-adhering dressing
Finger splints
Mycitracin Plus ointment
tweezers
Thermometer
nailfile
metal microspatula
cable ties
cyalume glow stick
50 latex gloves
3 Squirt bottles (empty, water, and isopropanol)
Sterile conforming wrap bandages
sterile wrapping gauze
Acetominophen
Plastic cups (for eye injuries)
Instant cold packs
wide athletic tape
cotton balls
betadine solution
clean wash cloths
Ace type bandage
vinegar solution (when I'm doing salt diving)
hydrogen peroxide (if it lasts w/ the boat rocking)
pocket mask

I also have an O2 kit with two D size O2 bottles. I also make sure I bring my cell phone with me, but then who doesn't nowadays

And NOW I'll be adding the shaving cream as well (good advice to know).

Merlin

 

[AllenP]

Dee

Is the inflamation in your knees from osteoarthritis? This is the most common form of arthritis. It is not actually caused by inflamation though so maybe this is not what you mean.

If it is osteoarthritis you might also try glucosamine sulfate. It is a non-prescription nutritional supplement that is sold everywhere at least in the US. Many people I know have had great success with it, at doses of 500mg twice a day. Chondroitin is another product but there is little or no evidence that it is effective. You should let your doctor know before you try this.

Back to the kits....

I like Wound Wash Saline, which is sterile saline irrigation in an aerosol can. It will keep the contents sterile until use. It does not require a prescription.

You can get disposable instant cold packs for under $2, not as good as a well-stocked cooler with drinks and lots of ice, but useful in places like the UK (Sorry Scubababy, couldn't resist ) where they don't seem to keep ice around as much.

WalMart sells hot packs during hunting season that are "rechargable" in a microwave, but can be stored and "triggered " when needed.

Please keep in mind many things in these kits could be damaged by the extreme heat they might encounter unprotected in the sun. Store them in a cool place in the shade and/or in an insulated container.

Lest this post be mis-construed, I am NOT a doctor.

 

[Dee]

Allen, my knee problems are not caused from arthritis. Just old injuries from horseback riding and basketball. (Yes, BillP, I used to play!) Stairs and dive boat ladders take their toll after a few days. The Ibuprofen makes all the difference in the world.

 

[BillP]

Hey Dee, AllenP pointed out to me that I misspoke on the max prescription dose of ibuprofen. It is 3200mg per day (or 800mg 4 times/ day.) The max dose recommended by the OTC manufacturers is 1200mg/ day.

Bill