Here's another link about antibiotics that might be of interest too http://www.prepperwebsite.com/tag/antibiotics/

Thank you Knuckle!

Remember that there are some common side effects to using antibiotics as they will kill even the good bacterias you body needs for proper functioning. This may cause to gut problems (try to eat yogurt, kefir or fermented foods during and for a few days after your treatment) and yeast infections for both men and ladies. Make sure you have some Canesten cream on hand.

Finally, don't forget another important antibiotic : Polysporin!!! In a world where medical care isn't readily available, treat every little cut and scratch as though it could kill you. Wash the wounds regularly and treat with an antibiotic ointment.

This is why I started this thread. I figure we should nail down exactly that which folks should stock up on and why and how much to take.
It's time to take the guesswork out of this stuff and show all aspects, step by step instead. I'm still formulating how this can be done on a forum and I'm hoping others do the same in turn.

Is there anyone got info on herbs or alternative on drugs?
Example:
We can find caffeine in coffee, but where can we find paracetamol?

I visited various website but still can't find a systematical list.

Do that list and this page will be used by many preppers as reference.

Is there anyone got info on herbs or alternative on drugs?
Example:
We can find caffeine in coffee, but where can we find paracetamol?

I visited various website but still can't find a systematical list.

Do that list and this page will be used by many preppers as reference.

We'll get there yet!

What Causes Antibiotic Resistance?

Antibiotics normally work by killing germs such as bacteria. Or, if they do not kill the bacteria, they severely retard the bacteria from growing. They are also used as an effective medicine to fight or prevent infections caused by certain parasites and some types of fungus.

But sometimes things go wrong and not all of these bad boys are stopped or killed. Alas, sometimes the strongest ones are left to grow and spread. When this happens, the person being treated can get sick again. And this second time around, the germs become harder to kill.

This becomes a never ending cycle. The the more often a person uses a particular antibiotic, the more likely it is that bacteria will resist it. And at the end of the day? The illness or disease becomes difficult to control, keeping you sick for a longer period and requiring stronger and stronger drugs.

Plus guess what? The stronger the drug, the more costly the drug. And the more costly, the greater the likelihood that your drug insurance plan will require a large co-pay (that is, if they pay for it at all).

Antibiotics Do Not Have Any Effect on Viruses

Now here is the tricky part. Germs come in two major flavors: bacteria, as mentioned above, and viruses. Antibiotics, used sparingly and only when medically dictated, can be effective in killing and stopping bacteria but they are ineffective and do not work in treating viruses.

Repeat after me: Antibiotics do not have any effect on viruses.

Part two of that equation is that the common cold is caused by a virus or viral infection and not bacteria!
Just to refresh what you may already know, viruses are the typical culprit in the following maladies:

• Colds
• Coughs
• Sore throats
• Flu
• Sinus problems
• Bronchitis
• Ear infections

Why is this important? Because in taking an antibiotic for one of these ills, you are increasing the chance of making yourself antibiotic resistant. Besides, they won’t work and might even harm you since each time you take one, you increase the possibility and probability that bacteria in your body will begin to resist and become ineffective against bacterial infections just when you need them most.

If We Know This, How Does Antibiotic Resistance Occur in the First Place?

That is a great question and fairly easy to answer. Patients ask for antibiotics they don’t need. For example, they ask for antibiotics to treat a cold. And doctors, whether too busy, too lazy, or simply worn out by the system, give in to the patients request.

Something else that happens is that after securing a legitimate prescription of antibiotics for a bacterial infection, patients fail to take them in the manner prescribed. A good example is when they stop taking the drug before all the pills or capsules are used. Think about it. The weakest germs (bacteria) get killed right off but the drug is discontinued before the strongest germs are eliminated. Stop the drug and these strong germs continue to grow. And then they mutate and grow some more.

Adding to the problem, some folks hoard the antibiotics so they have them available the next time a sniffle or cough or sore throat occurs. They do this not realizing the antibiotics are useless for those ailments.

The worrisome part of this is that if you take antibiotics that cannot fight the bacteria they are intended to kill, your infection can last longer. Instead of getting better, your infection may get worse. This will result in multiple visits to the doctor or clinic and an eventual Russian roulette of drug treatments to finally knock out the germs. Worst case, you may end up in the hospital in order to have an even stronger antibiotic administered intravenously.

While all of this is going on, family members, co-workers and others you come into contact with will be exposed to the same resistant bacteria you have. And so the cycle continues.

The situation is even worse following a disaster or disruptive event. Healthcare workers, if they exist, may be overwhelmed and medical supplies may be non-existent. This will lead to self-medication

9 Tips For Preventing Antibiotic Resistance

Here are some tips for helping insure that you do not promote antibiotic resistance in your own body.

1. Do not ask for or demand an antibiotic when your doctor says you don’t need it.

2. Don’t take an antibiotic for a virus (cold, cough, or flu).

3. Take your medicine exactly the way it was prescribed. Finish the complete dosage and do not skip doses. Yes, you may feel better but that does not mean you are cured.

4. Ask questions. If a doctor prescribes an antibiotic, or any drug for that matter, ask what it is and why he or she is prescribing that particular medication. If you don’t understand the answer, say so and do not leave until you are satisfied.

5. Also talk to your pharmacist about drug interactions, and recommended food to eat (or not eat) along with the drug. Also discuss common side effects since many antibiotics have annoying side effects including dizziness and gastrointestinal distress. This is not the time to be bashful.

6. Don’t take antibiotics left over from a previous illness unless you are confident that you are dealing with a bacterial infection.

7. Self-dosing with fish antibiotics should be reserved for true emergencies that may occur when the stuff hits the fan.

8. Practice healthy hygiene. Wash your hands with soap and water before you eat and after you use the bathroom. Try your best to keep your hands away from your face and mouth after being exposed to anyone that is sick or showing symptoms of illness.

9. Learn about using herbs (nature’s antibiotics) and essential oils to combat viral infections without the use of drugs.

The Final Word

Another issue, while not an explicit topic of this article, is the use of antibiotics in our food stock. Did you know that it has been estimated that eighty percent of antibiotics sold in the U.S. are given to food animals? Furthermore, the drugs are often given non-therapeutically to promote growth and to compensate for the effects of unsanitary and overcrowded conditions.

Many of the antibiotics used in food animal production are similar or identical to the antibiotic drugs used in human medicine to cure serious diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, because these classes of antibiotics are similar, bacteria resistant to antibiotics used in animals also will be resistant to antibiotics used in humans.

I am not a health industry professional but I can connect the dots and this concerns me. I suspect that if bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, and it is spread by the handling or eating contaminated meat or produce fertilized by contaminated manure, we are all at risk

For those preppers who want to know how to make their own penicillin....

Penicillin is rapidly becoming an obsolete drug due to very high levels of resistance.

Either amoxicillin, doxycycline, clindamycin or cephalexin will cover all of the pathogens, and then some, that penicillin can cover with only
variable success. Some may argue that this drug is used to treat gangrene, but if you are self treating gangrene you may have other
problems. Still in a world where drugs may get hard to find someday, keeping the following info tucked away may still become of use someday.

CULTURE OF PENICILLIN

USE ASEPTIC TECHNIQUE THROUGHOUT THIS PROCEDURE

Step 1
Prepare a penicillium culture by exposing a slice of bread or citrus peel to the air at 70 deg. F until a bluish-green mold develops.

Cut two slices of whole wheat bread into ½ inch cubes and place in a 750ml Erlenmeyer flask with a cotton (non-absorbent) plug. It is important that the bread does not contain any mold inhibitors such as “mycoban”. Sterilize the flask and contents in a pressure cooker for at least 15 minutes at 15 pounds. An alternate method is to place in an oven at 315 deg F for one hour.
Using a sterile transfer loop (flamed) transfer the spores from the bread or peel into the flask containing the bread cubes.
Allow the cubes to incubate in the dark at 70 deg F for 5 days. After incubation, store in the refrigerator for not longer than two weeks.

Step 2
Prepare one liter of the following media:

• Lactose Monohydrate 44.0 gm
• Corn Starch 25.0 gm
• Sodium Nitrate 3.0 gm
• Magnesium Sulfate 0.25 gm
• Potassium Phosphate Mono 0.50 gm
• Glucose Monohydrate 2.75 gm
• Zinc Sulfate 0.044 gm
• Manganese Sulfate 0.044 gm

Dissolve in order in 500ml of cold tap water and add sufficient cold tap water to make one liter.

Adjust pH to 5.0-5.5 using HCL. Fill a series of milk bottles with a quantity of this media. Use only enough media so that when the bottle is placed on its side the media will not touch the cotton plug.
Sterilize the bottles and media in a pressure cooker or stove as previously outlined. When cool, inoculate with spores from the bread cubes. Use approximately the equivalent of one tablespoon.

Allow bottles to incubate on their sides at 70 deg F for 7 days. It is important that the bottles are not disturbed during this time. At the end of 7 days if your culture is capable of producing penicillin it will be dispersed in the liquid portion of the media.

Filter fermentation media, plug with cotton and refrigerate immediately. Use as soon as possible.

Step 3
To extract the penicillin the following procedure may be attempted. Do the following technique as rapidly as possible.

Adjust the cold fermentation filtrate to pH 2.2 using .01/N HCL. Mix cold filtrate with cold ethyl acetate in a separatory funnel and shake well for 30 seconds.

Drain the ethyl acetate into a beaker which has been placed in an ice bath and repeat the process until all filtrate is depleted.

Add 1% potassium acetate and mix. Permit ethyl acetate (flammable) to evaporate. This can be induced by a constant flow of air over the top of the beaker.

The remaining crystals are a mixture of potassium penicillin and potassium acetate.

WARNING: DO THE EXTRACTION AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE

Medication Expiry Dates

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL March 29, 2000
By Laurie P. Cohen

Do drugs really stop working after the date stamped on the bottle? Fifteen years ago, the U.S. military decided to find out. Sitting on a $1 billion stockpile of drugs and facing the daunting process of destroying and replacing its supply every two to three years, the military began a testing program to see if it could extend the life of its inventory.

The testing, conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, ultimately covered more than 100 drugs, prescription and over the counter. The results, never before reported, show that about 90% of them were safe and effective far past their original expiration date, at least one for 15 years past it.

In light of these results, a former director of the testing program, Francis Flaherty, says he has concluded that expiration dates put on by manufacturers typically have no bearing on whether a drug is usable for longer. Mr. Flaherty notes that a drug maker is required to prove only that a drug is still good on whatever expiration date the company chooses to set. The expiration date doesn't mean, or even suggest, that the drug will stop being effective after that, nor that it will become harmful.

MARKETING ISSUE

"Manufacturers put expiration dates on for marketing, rather than scientific, reasons," says Mr. Flaherty, a pharmacist at the FDA until his retirement last year. "It's not profitable for them to have products on a shelf for 10 years. They want turnover."

The FDA cautions that there isn't enough evidence from the program, which is weighted toward drugs needed during combat and which tests only individual manufacturing batches, to conclude that most drugs in people's medicine cabinets are potent beyond the expiration date. Still, Joel Davis, a former FDA expiration-date compliance chief, says that with a handful of exceptions - notably nitroglycerin, insulin and some liquid antibiotics - most drugs are probably as durable as those the agency has tested for the military. "Most drugs degrade very
slowly," he says. "In all likelihood, you can take a product you have at home and keep it for many years, especially if it's in the refrigerator."

MANUFACTURERS' VIEW

Drug-industry officials don't dispute the results of the FDA's testing, within what is called the Shelf Life Extension Program. And they acknowledge that expiration dates have a commercial dimension. But they say relatively short shelf lives make sense from a public-safety standpoint, as well.

New, more-beneficial drugs can be brought on the market more easily if the old ones are discarded within a couple of years, they say. Label redesigns work better when consumers don't have earlier versions on hand to create confusion. From the companies' perspective, any liability or safety risk is diminished by limiting the period during which a consumer might misuse or improperly store a drug.

"Two to three years is a very comfortable point of commercial convenience," says Mark van Arandonk, senior director for pharmaceutical development at Pharmacia & Upjohn Inc. "It gives us enough time to put the inventory in warehouses, ship it and ensure it will stay on shelves long enough to get used."

But companies uniformly deny any effort to spur sales through planned obsolescence.

and now for Jack Dee's request for info on herbal drugs....

These if from an article I found and is in fact written by a Canadian doctor

A few general words about herbal medicines: they are plant extracts which may contain tens to hundreds of active and inactive substances. Their potency is generally milder and more variable than pharmaceuticals because much depends on the genetic makeup of the plant, the way the plant was grown and the way the extract was obtained. In addition, there may be genetic, environmental and psychological factors in the patient which make some patients more responsive than others to some herbal medicines—but this is also the case with pharmaceuticals. Because there is less funding for research into herbal medicines than pharmaceuticals, the research tends to involve smaller numbers of patients, be less rigorously conducted and the results are less reliable. With those caveats out of the way, here are the lists:

Herbal medicines which probably work

1. Harpagophytum Procumbens (Devil's Claw) for pain relief

2. Salix Alba (White Willow Bark) for pain relief

3. Capsicum Frutescens (Cayenne) for pain relief

4. Berberine for Type 2 diabetes

5. Ipomoea batatas for Type 2 diabetes

6. Silybum marianum for Type 2 diabetes

7. Trigonella foenum-graecum for Type 2 diabetes

8. Kava for anxiety

9. St. John's wort for depression

10. Valerian for insomnia

11. Echinacea for common cold symptoms

12. Black cohosh for menopausal vasomotor symptoms

13. Ginseng for angina pectoris and erectile dysfunction

14. Garlic for hypertension

15. Tea tree oil for acne

Herbal medicines which probably don’t work:

1. Colloidal silver for ulcers and wound dressings ( my wife would disagree as she swears by this stuff)

2. Glucosamine for osteoarthritis

3. Cinnamomum cassia for Type 2 diabetes

4. Saw palmetto for benign prostatic hyperplasia

Which Over The Counter Items to Stock Up On

Ibuprofen 200mg (Motrin, Advil): A popular pain reliever, anti-inflammatory, and fever reducer. This medication is useful for many different problems, which makes it especially useful as a stockpile item. It can alleviate pain from strains, sprains, arthritis, and traumatic injury. As well, it can help reduce inflammation in the injured area. Ibuprofen is also useful in reducing fevers from infections. The downside to Ibuprofen is that it can cause stomach upset. Ibuprofen can be used 1 or 2 every 4 hours, 3 every 6 hours, or 4 every 8 hours.

Acetaminophen 325mg (Tylenol): Another popular pain reliever and fever reducer, this medication is known as Tylenol in the United States. It can be used for all of the problems that you can take Ibuprofen for, with the added benefit of not causing stomach irritation or thinning the blood. Unfortunately, it has no significant anti-inflammatory effect. This drug is excellent for treatment of pain and fevers in children at lower doses. Tylenol comes in regular and extra strength (650mg); adults take 1-2 every 4 hours.

Patients with heat stroke receive no benefit from efforts to reduce their body core temperature with Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen; these drugs work best when the fever is caused by an infection, and don’t work as well when infection is not involved (e.g., heat stroke).

Asprin, 325mg: If you have Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen in your medical storage, why consider Aspirin? Aspirin has been around since the late 19th century as a pain-reliever, fever reducer, and anti-inflammatory, but it has blood thinning properties as well, as may be all we have to help those with medical issues that require the use of anti-coagulants It also useful to treat older folks with coronary artery disease. If you suspect someone of having a heart attack, have them chew an adult aspirin immediately. The ingredient in Aspirin can also be obtained by chewing on a cut strip of the underbark of a willow, aspen or poplar tree. Take 2 adult aspirin for pain, fever, and inflammation, 1 baby aspirin (81mg) daily to help with coronary artery disease and as an anticoagulant. In a collapse situation, higher doses may be appropriate to replace drugs like Coumadin, but have not been fully researched. Watch for stomach upset.

Loperamide, 2mg (Imodium): There’s a high likelihood of food and water contamination issues in a collapse situation, so this medication is essential as an anti-diarrheal. By slowing intestinal motility, less water loss and, thus, dehydration, will occur; dehydration due to diarrheal disease killed more soldiers in the Civil War than bullets did. With diarrheal disease, you often have nausea and vomiting, so you will want to have:

Meclizine 12.5, 25, 50mg(Dramamine, Antivert): Mecilizine is a medication that helps prevent nausea and vomiting. Often used to prevent motion sickness, Meclizine also helps with dizziness, and tends to act as a sedative as well. As such, it may have uses as a sleep aid or anti-anxiety medication. Take 1 25mg tablet 1 hour before boarding , or 50-100mg daily in divided doses for dizziness, anxiety or sleep.

Triple Antibiotic Ointment (Neosporin, Bacitracin, Bactroban): In situations where we are left to fend for ourselves, we’ll be chopping wood and performing all sorts of tasks that will expose us to risk of injury. When those injuries break the skin, it puts us in danger of infections which could lead to a life threatening condition. Triple antibiotic ointment is applied at the site of injury to prevent this from happening. It should be noted that triple antibiotic ointment won’t cure a deep infection; you would need oral or IV antibiotics for that, but using the ointment immediately after an injury will give you a good chance at preventing it. Apply 3-4 times a day.

Diphenhydramine 25mg, 50mg(Benadryl): An antihistamine that helps alleviate the itching, rashes, nasal congestion and other symptoms of allergic reactions. It also helps drain the nasal passages in some respiratory infections. At the higher 50 mg dose, it makes an effective sleep aid. Use 25mg every 6 hours for mild reactions, 50mg every 6 hours for severe reactions, anxiety or sleep.

Hydrocortisone cream (1%): Speaking of rashes, this cream is used for various types of dermatitis that causes redness, flakiness, itching, and thickening of the skin. It’s a mild steroid which reduces inflammation and, as such, the various symptoms of allergic dermatitis, eczema, diaper rash, etc. Apply 3-4 times a day to affected area.

Omeprazole 20-40mg, Cimetidine 200-800mg, Ranitidine 75-150mg, (Prilosec, Tagamet, Zantac, respectively): In a situation where we may be eating things we’re not accustomed to, we may have issues with stomach acid. These antacids will calm heartburn, queasiness, and stomach upset. Calcium Carbonate (Tums) or Magnesium sulfate (Maalox) are also fine in solid form. These medications are also useful for acid reflux and ulcer disease. Look for my article on these issues and medications in the near future.

Clotrimazole, Miconazole cream/powder(Lotrimin, Monistat): Infections can be bacterial, but they can also be caused by fungus. Common examples of this would be Athlete’s feet (tinea pedis), vaginal infections (monilia), ringworm , and jock itch (tinea cruris). Clotrimazole and Miconazole are examples of anti-fungal medications that would be useful to treat these conditions, which will be just as common in times of trouble as they are now, if not more. Apply twice a day externally, or once daily intra-vaginally. Some vaginal creams come in different strengths. In some, the whole treatment course is over in one day; in others, 3 days or a week.

Multivitamins: In a societal collapse, the unavailability of a good variety of food may lead to dietary deficiencies, not just in calories but in vitamins and minerals. Vitamin C deficiency, for example, leads to Scurvy. To prevent these issues, you should have plenty of multivitamins, commercial or natural, in your medical storage. You won’t have to take these on a daily basis; many multivitamins give you MORE than you need if taken daily, and you’ll just excrete what your body can’t absorb. In a collapse, once a week would be sufficient to prevent most problems.

• Loperamide-In a situation where water and food may not be the most sanitary, Imodium (loperamide) could save lives by slowing down digestion motility and reducing water loss.
• Senna-natural laxative.
• Miconazole cream or powder-treats fungal infections like jock itch, athletes foot, ringworms or vaginal infections.
• Hydrocortisone cream- treats red, itchy rashes like poison ivy, eczema, and diaper rash.
• Temporary Dental Filling-found by most toothbrush displays. Alternatively, clove oil can be used to soothe toothaches.

The good news is that you can probably obtain a significant amount of all of the above drugs for a reasonable amount of money. To retain full potency, these medications should be obtained in pill or capsule form; avoid the liquid versions of any of these medicines if at all possible. When storing, remember that medications should be stored in cool, dry, dark places. A medicine stored at 90 degrees will lose potency much faster than one stored at 50 degrees.

Over the counter drugs are just another tool in the medical woodshed; accumulate them as well as prescription drugs such as antibiotics. Essential oils, herbal supplements, and medical equipment are also important. With a good stockpile, you’ll have everything you need to keep it together health-wise, even if everything else falls apart.

Dental:

Tooth Infection:
Fish amoxicillin 500mg 3x a day 9 days

Ellis No.1 Fractures: This is where only the enamel has been broken and no pulp is exposed. The only problem is there is a sharp edge on the tooth. You can fill in the edge with a mixture of Oil of Cloves(Eugenil) and zinc oxide powder as a temporary cement.

Hello,
Just a quick question, you may know how easy (difficult) it is to import fish antibiotics into Canada...
Did some research online for days, but could not find anything strait forward on that matter in Canada.

Very nice list knuckle! Thanks

Never forget all the critical meds you need for diabetes, asthma, arthritis etc.
Contact solution and spares. Carry what you can and is safe in your car, cottage and office. I recommend ten days worth in the offsite spots mentioned. Your in your car and can’t get home, you will need supplies with you

www.survive.triwolfsecurity.com

My m-i-law caught mrsa in the hospital. After trying to get it under control for over a year the hospital treated some sores she developed with silver dressings. Worked to start clearing it up within a few days and several weeks later it was totally resolved. Silver is a good thing to keep around. Not to be overused but of great value imho.