Betadine

Bathroom packed with bottles and tubes of god-knows-what? Instead of trying to organize that medicinal no man's land, just start over. First, grab a trash can and throw away everything you've had for more than six months. Then head to the pharmacy and buy these eight must-haves covering virtually all your home-medicine needs.

PAIN AND SORENESS

Cabinet Member: Motrin

Why: Medications with ibuprofen, such as Motrin, perform triple duty in the body. "Most medications will help to treat pain and inflammation," says William Gouveia, a Tufts University professor of medicine, "but ibuprofen will reduce a fever as well."

COUGHING AND SORE THROAT

Cabinet Member: Robitussin

Why: Buy the DM formula, which packs the dynamic duo of sore-throat drugs: guaifenesin to loosen phlegm and dextromethorphan to suppress coughs. Most other meds contain only one or the other.

CUTS AND SCRATCHES

Cabinet Members: Band-Aid Liquid Bandages and Betadine (povidone iodine)

Why: Betadine decimates just about any germ you can run into when you cut yourself. As for the paint-on Band-Aids, the clear liquid forms a seal over cuts that won't fall off, protecting abrasions while they heal.

CONGESTION

Cabinet Member: Sudafed

Why: These tiny red tablets contain a drug called pseudoephedrine, which helps loosen nasal congestion and relieve stuffy nose. (Nasal sprays only work on the tissue they come into contact with, making them much less effective.)

ITCHING AND RASHES

Cabinet Member: Benadryl Itch-Stopping Cream

Why: This cream contains a drug called diphenhydramine hydrochloride, which eliminates the need to scratch almost anything.

INDIGESTION

Cabinet Member: Mylanta Maximum-Strength Liquid

Why: A swig of Mylanta offers immediate relief from heartburn and indigestion. (Pills are far slower.) And, unlike most medications, Mylanta even works if you're gassy, bursting gas bubbles in your gut and helping to relieve intestinal problems from the inside out.

COLD/CANKER SORES

Cabinet Member: Orajel Medicated Swabs

Why: Instead of spreading gunk on your finger and trying to swirl it around in your pie hole, these benzocaine-packed Q-tips are a better, mess-free option. Just snap the tip of the swab and spread the liquid around the inside of your mouth for immediate relief.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group