Author Topic: Tylenol and Ibuprofen for first aid - packet vs bottle  (Read 2245 times)

jeromedawg

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Tylenol and Ibuprofen for first aid - packet vs bottle
« on: August 28, 2018, 10:51:42 AM »
Hey all,

For those of you who are on top of updating your first aid kits, etc, I was curious if you just concede to buying the box of individual packets (usually containing two pills per packet) or if you just buy the bottles of bulk pills (500 pills or whatever) and then create smaller packets from that (with those small pill bags, etc). I'm assuming the latter is more 'economical' but would the individual packets be better in the sense that they're 'sterile'?
« Last Edit: August 28, 2018, 10:59:24 AM by jeromedawg »

lbmustache

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Re: Tylenol and Ibuprofen for first aid - packet vs bottle
« Reply #1 on: August 28, 2018, 11:25:30 AM »
I would just buy a container of Tylenol or the individual packets. I personally just have a generic Target first aid kit which comes with some medication.

Re-packing them into new bags doesn't really make sense to me... are you going to write the expiration date etc. on each baggie? Also seems like a waste of time...

Cranky

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Re: Tylenol and Ibuprofen for first aid - packet vs bottle
« Reply #2 on: August 28, 2018, 11:30:02 AM »
Why do you need ibuprofen to be sterile? I feel like I don't understand this whole question.

We buy the giant bottle of ibuprofen for the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, and a small bottle for our go bag.

jeromedawg

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Re: Tylenol and Ibuprofen for first aid - packet vs bottle
« Reply #3 on: August 28, 2018, 11:32:50 AM »
I would just buy a container of Tylenol or the individual packets. I personally just have a generic Target first aid kit which comes with some medication.

Re-packing them into new bags doesn't really make sense to me... are you going to write the expiration date etc. on each baggie? Also seems like a waste of time...


Did you mean "I would just buy a container of Tylenol *OF* the individual packets." ?

Yea, it seems easier that way; and good point about the expiry date. I'm building out multiple first aid kits for CERT, car, home, etc - pre-packed first aid kits are easy but may not have everything I'd want for a given situation. So I've been finding building customized kits is best in my case.

jeromedawg

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Re: Tylenol and Ibuprofen for first aid - packet vs bottle
« Reply #4 on: August 28, 2018, 11:36:38 AM »
Why do you need ibuprofen to be sterile? I feel like I don't understand this whole question.

We buy the giant bottle of ibuprofen for the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, and a small bottle for our go bag.

Sorry, I phrased the question in a weird way using "sterile" - I guess I was just trying to know if it's better to buy a large bottle (and repacking pills in individual pouches) for the purpose of building smaller first aid kits versus just using individual packets. Guess it depends on the overall need. The other thought is that you could always just throw a dozen or two dozen ibuprofen and Tylenol into a small ziploc and write the expiry date on that. The bigger question is what the biggest benefits are of individually packaged tablets and the situation(s) that you would want to have those over a bottle or bag with a bunch of pills in it.

letired

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Re: Tylenol and Ibuprofen for first aid - packet vs bottle
« Reply #5 on: August 28, 2018, 11:45:52 AM »
I like the little cylinder plastic bottles for things like painkillers. They're more expensive per-pill to buy initially, but you can easily refill them and they keep things from getting crushed or beat up. That's what I use for my purse. You'd probably want to write the expiration date on the bottle when you refill it, if that's a concern or you don't use them with any frequency. If you use sharpie, you can wipe it off with alcohol and re-write it the next time you refill it. Bonus points if you buy the right bottle for the drug you're putting in it. Don't be me with the Tylenol bottle containing generic ibuprofen. Or just pull the wrapper/label off when you're refilling it. The single use packets annoy me because they're impossible to open even in a non-emergency and are more waste plastic.

Sailor Sam

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Re: Tylenol and Ibuprofen for first aid - packet vs bottle
« Reply #6 on: August 28, 2018, 11:48:13 AM »
I stock my first aid kits with small bottle of Ibuprofen. The travel kind, with 15-20 pills per bottle. When the bottles expired, I dumped any remaining pills and re-filled from the main giant bottle. In my experience, the packets of 2 don't withstand crushing very well, and take up lots of room. The small bottle sizes seem like the best compromise.

You can also re-purpose empty prescription bottles. Just make sure to peel the label off.

ETA: crosspost w/ @letired

Frankies Girl

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Re: Tylenol and Ibuprofen for first aid - packet vs bottle
« Reply #7 on: August 28, 2018, 12:16:38 PM »
Pills/prescriptions don't instantly go "bad" on their expiration date. They are not guaranteed to have the same efficacy after a certain time, but studies show that most all of them are still good for what they do even years after the arbitrary date.

And Tylenol is a brand name for acetaminophen. There is not reason to buy brand names for OTC meds.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/drug-expiration-dates-do-they-mean-anything

Quote
What they found from the study is 90% of more than 100 drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date.

And I buy the largest bottle of whatever that is the best deal price/unit, and refill a small bottle for my purse (I use an old small sized pill bottle for portability). I don't bother labeling it; it has a childproof cap and the label peeled off. I know what is in it, but I'd likely label it if more than myself was accessing it.
« Last Edit: August 28, 2018, 12:19:34 PM by Frankies Girl »

jeromedawg

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Re: Tylenol and Ibuprofen for first aid - packet vs bottle
« Reply #8 on: August 28, 2018, 12:45:31 PM »
Thanks all. Small bottles seem like the way to go in this case :)

What about stuff like Bacitricin/Neosporin, Burn Gel/Cream, and Hydrocortisone? Do you guys buy larger tubes and then distribute into smaller travel size tubes? Is it worth the extra effort versus just buying the packets of those? I would lean towards just getting/using packets especially for multiple smaller first aid kits. It makes sense having a larger tube in a larger kit of course. But distributing all that seems like a task that may not be worth the time.

Boganvillia

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Re: Tylenol and Ibuprofen for first aid - packet vs bottle
« Reply #9 on: August 28, 2018, 12:57:33 PM »
With medicines (as with cleaning products and other chemicals), there is the safety argument against decanting. Kept in their original containers, their identity and expiry is known.

Cranky

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Re: Tylenol and Ibuprofen for first aid - packet vs bottle
« Reply #10 on: August 28, 2018, 02:28:40 PM »
Thanks all. Small bottles seem like the way to go in this case :)

What about stuff like Bacitricin/Neosporin, Burn Gel/Cream, and Hydrocortisone? Do you guys buy larger tubes and then distribute into smaller travel size tubes? Is it worth the extra effort versus just buying the packets of those? I would lean towards just getting/using packets especially for multiple smaller first aid kits. It makes sense having a larger tube in a larger kit of course. But distributing all that seems like a task that may not be worth the time.

I would just buy a regular sized tube - not the giant economy size and not the teeny travel size - unless I was backpacking. In an actual emergency, I don’t want to worry about not having enough or dropping the last pill. The regular size is not all that unwieldy, and the store brands are not expensive.

The hardest part is laying hands on some actual antibiotics.