“What are the best emergency medicines to keep handy for food poisoning?”
I am planning a travel with family and would like to know the best medicines to keep handy for treating food poisoning if it does occur.
5 Answers
Cipro
Pepto-Bismol
Zofran, and ask your doctor for an antibiotic just in case.
Food poisoning is a broad category and there are no go-to medications as causative agents can range from toxins to bacteria to parasites. Prevention is always your best bet when it comes to food poisoning. Onset of food poisoning is generally rapid, less than 24 hours after ingestion of the bad food. In most cases it's also quick to resolve, but in the meantime you can get dangerously dehydrated between vomiting, diarrhea and an inability to keep down fluids.
Bacterial food poisoning is by far the most common type, and while most people will recover without the need for antibiotics, it is a good idea to carry something to treat nausea/vomiting so that you can maintain hydration. Most of these agents are prescription-only, but I do recommend some doxylamine (sold commercially as Unisom) and pyridoxine (Vitamin B6). Give a 10mg dose of each one at the same time, about every 4-6 hours for nausea. It's likely to make you drowsy so don't drive after use. This is a common alternative given to women with morning sickness if they can't take certain prescriptions.
If you are reasonably sure you know the source of the food poisoning and that source is a restaurant or other food vendor, then you are likely the victim of bacterial gastroenteritis. If you can keep down fluids, your best bet is to wait out the illness for 1-2 days and seek care from the nearest urgent care center or emergency room if it doesn't clear after that. GO IMMEDIATELY IF HAVING SEVERE ABDOMINAL PAINS OR IF UNABLE TO KEEP DOWN ANY FLUIDS. If an infant or small child is affected, likewise don't wait as they can get dehydrated faster and may not cooperate with your attempts to hydrate them, and so might need an IV to get their fluids back up.
If you believe the source is something you prepared yourself, especially if it may be from plants or animals you obtained from the wild such as fish or wild game, then you run a risk of more serious illness and should go see a doctor for testing. Most hunters and fishermen know how to properly prepare their meals of this type, but it bears mentioning just the same.
As I said before, prevention is the best policy. If you've correctly cooked and prepared your food or watched someone else do the same then you should be safe. If in doubt, don't eat it.
Bacterial food poisoning is by far the most common type, and while most people will recover without the need for antibiotics, it is a good idea to carry something to treat nausea/vomiting so that you can maintain hydration. Most of these agents are prescription-only, but I do recommend some doxylamine (sold commercially as Unisom) and pyridoxine (Vitamin B6). Give a 10mg dose of each one at the same time, about every 4-6 hours for nausea. It's likely to make you drowsy so don't drive after use. This is a common alternative given to women with morning sickness if they can't take certain prescriptions.
If you are reasonably sure you know the source of the food poisoning and that source is a restaurant or other food vendor, then you are likely the victim of bacterial gastroenteritis. If you can keep down fluids, your best bet is to wait out the illness for 1-2 days and seek care from the nearest urgent care center or emergency room if it doesn't clear after that. GO IMMEDIATELY IF HAVING SEVERE ABDOMINAL PAINS OR IF UNABLE TO KEEP DOWN ANY FLUIDS. If an infant or small child is affected, likewise don't wait as they can get dehydrated faster and may not cooperate with your attempts to hydrate them, and so might need an IV to get their fluids back up.
If you believe the source is something you prepared yourself, especially if it may be from plants or animals you obtained from the wild such as fish or wild game, then you run a risk of more serious illness and should go see a doctor for testing. Most hunters and fishermen know how to properly prepare their meals of this type, but it bears mentioning just the same.
As I said before, prevention is the best policy. If you've correctly cooked and prepared your food or watched someone else do the same then you should be safe. If in doubt, don't eat it.
Mertronidazole
