View Full Version : Best adhesive plasters
What's the best adhesive plasters for first aid kits? I've found that so many are just plain rubbish and fall off after a few minutes.
Op-Site is pretty good but it should be for the price - however, they are big and cumbersome and not suited for some cuts. Band-Aid stuff isn't too bad but they are badly affected by sweat or water.
Me, I'm leaning towards the old Elastoplast roll ... gets wet through but it stays on.
What do you use?
mine favorite are the betadine plasters, they can stretch, will stay on you and don't leave adheisive on you wenn you remove them. Haven't had problems with it wenn wet. The disinfective betadine is a plus, but ot suitable for long periode's.
I wonder if we have those in the UK? Who makes them?
mine favorite are the betadine plasters, they can stretch, will stay on you and don't leave adheisive on you wenn you remove them. Haven't had problems with it wenn wet. The disinfective betadine is a plus, but ot suitable for long periode's.
i think the brand name is betadine, i don't know who sells them in the UK. They are quite easy to find in holland, though
The best ones I have used are made in china and are not sold in the UK
they are increadably sticky and wont come off when wet (infact they are difficult to take off even when you want too :shock: )
when i was out in reunion island these were the only plasters that stayed on in the humidity
Elastoplast strips for the most part or some sterile dressing and a load of micropore stays put in most circumstances, particularly if you can wrap the micropore right round and back over its self.
David
Aha, something I know a bit about. Elastoplast fabric roll gets my vote. All you need it for is a little protection from dirt 'n muck for 24 hrs or so. Elastoplast stays put, even when wet. I find the plastic types make your skin sweat if they manage to stay on long enough. Strapple is a good adhesive tape, I use it a lot in hospital in preference to micropore for securing bandages etc. It's a fabric tape with better adhesive properties than micropore, but micropore is better for sensitive or delicate skin areas.
My first aid kit...
1x roll of strapple
1x roll of fabric plasters
1x small scissors
1x surgical tweezers
4x steret alcohol swabs
1x tampon
1x 5ml bottle of betadine (povidone/iodine mix)
2x 30mg codeine phosphate
4x 450/10/30 mg Syndol (paracetamol/codeine/caffiene) :biggthump
1x 2.0 silk suture
1x scalpel blade
1x medium guedel airway
2x sterile cleansing wipes
1x small vial potassium permanganate (great antifungal)
2x 5cm x 5cm none absorbant dressings
1x bandage roll
1x blood stopper bandage
1x pair of latex gloves
You can fit this lot into a small pack, about the size of a packet of cigarettes and it weighs in at just 200g.
Is this something I can buy without setting off alarm bells in a pharmacy?
1x 5ml bottle of betadine (povidone/iodine mix)
I'll have to try and pick some of this up ... thanks!
1x roll of strapple
Thanks for the info Martyn!
C_Claycomb
14-03-2004, 21:46
I like the Elastoplast in the UK and Bandaids in the US. Both in flexible fabric. Neither stick if you try to put them on damp skin, and will fall off if you get them wet shortly after they are put on, but once they are properly stuck they stay that way!
For the times when I really don't want a plaster to move I use the Elastoplast zinc tape over the top.
Justin Time
14-03-2004, 22:06
Is this something I can buy without setting off alarm bells in a pharmacy?
[quote=Martyn]1x 5ml bottle of betadine (povidone/iodine mix)
quote]
you might find you have to buy 500ml rather than 5ml and you'll probably have to order it but you shouldn't have a problem.
I got a bottle in Boots, brill antiseptic only draw back is I cant catch my kids when I get it out of the kit, they run as thay have had it before, and STING!!!!!. :yikes:
Got to be cruel to be kind,(he he he) :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D
Is this something I can buy without setting off alarm bells in a pharmacy?
1x 5ml bottle of betadine (povidone/iodine mix)
Hmmm, dunno, you should be able to, it's a general purpose antiseptic, though like JT says, you might have to buy a big bottle and decant it into a portable container. It's used a helluva lot in hospital, by the gallon, so I cant see you having a problem. It's no better as an antiseptic than bog standard iodine though, but the addition of povidone, takes that insane sting out of it. It still stings a little, but nothing near the evil pain of neat iodine. Strangely, I got my little 5ml plakky bottle of the stuff from Thailand.
Oh, btw, in case anyone hasn't tried em, for over-the-counter analgesic, get Syndol. IMO, they are the strongest and most effective bar none. I'd even give em first shout over some prescription analgesics. Dont take em at work though, cos they have a tendancy to make you quite drowsy.
Could I carry Martyn, carefully wrapped in the bottom of a bergen, as my first-aid kit? :lol:
Thanks for the Syndol tip, but what are the codeine phosphate tabs for? They're a type of analgesic as well right? Stronger?
Super advice Martyn ... many thanks!
MartiniDave
15-03-2004, 08:46
I'd like to add my thanks for this brilliant information. Cheers Martyn
Dave
Thanks for the Syndol tip, but what are the codeine phosphate tabs for? They're a type of analgesic as well right? Stronger?
Yeah they are, or rather they should be, but to be honest, I think syndol are better, even though they contain less codeine. It's the mix of ingredients in syndol that seem to do it. I take the codeine along, because they're tiny and also because you can "top up" with them if you're in real pain (broken limb etc). There's a limit with syndol, because of the paracetamol content. A paracetamol overdose is one of the nastiest, it's very bad for your liver and suprisingly easy to do real liver damage. If you've ever seen anyone die from a paracetamol overdose, & the multiple organ failure secondary to it, you'd understand why I give it a lot of respect. Although to be lethal, you'd have to take quite a lot, you can do damage with a relatively small overdose.
I seem to remember a lecturer once telling me that if paracetemol was "invented" now, it wouldn't be allowed to be released! :-?
larry the spark
15-03-2004, 11:32
I thought codeine on its own was illegal to buy over the counter without a presciption unless mixed with paracetamol/aspirin. How did you acquire your 30mg codeine phosphate, was it a previous presciption?
Martyn - your comment on PP as a good antifungal is interesting - are there any specific advice on what concentration to use for this and for antiseptic uses - like 1 gram per litre - rather than the pale pink, medium pink sort of rules.
Thanks, great advice :-D
Codeine and dihydrocodeine on their own are presciption only medicines, as far as I know. Amongst the over the counter analgesics, Paramol (Paracetamol plus 7.5mg dihydrocodeine) and Solpadeine forte (Paracetamol plus 12mg codeine) are probably about the strongest. Codeine on its own can be useful as a cough supressant, and for symptomatic control of diarrhoea. You might be wise to get a covering letter if carrying it across international borders.
Codeine and dihydrocodeine can cause drowsiness, so 'strongest' may not be 'best', particularly if you are in wilderness on your own. Syndol contains paracetamol, codeine and a sedative antihistamine too, plus caffeine - presumably to try and wake you up a bit.
Codeine and dihydrocodeine do have significant potential for causing dependence. Indeed, injectable codeine is subject to the same level of regulation as diamorphine (heroin).
Codeine has one other use as well as a painkiller... its better than immodium for bunging you up !!! :shock:
Oh, btw, in case anyone hasn't tried em, for over-the-counter analgesic, get Syndol. IMO, they are the strongest and most effective bar none. I'd even give em first shout over some prescription analgesics. Dont take em at work though, cos they have a tendancy to make you quite drowsy.
For me it is co-codamol (paracetomol and codine) as an over the counter analgesic. No probs with drowsyness and if somthing is going to knock anyone out it tends to be me!
Cheers
David
Les Marshall
15-03-2004, 18:32
I find that the run of the mill plasters you buy at Boots work well if you put Friars balsam on the sticky part of the plaster, this makes it stick like the proverbial to the blanket. I have used it to great effect in the field.
I thought codeine on its own was illegal to buy over the counter without a presciption unless mixed with paracetamol/aspirin. How did you acquire your 30mg codeine phosphate, was it a previous presciption?
Yes, it's a prescription only medicine, and yes it was "left over" from a previous prescription of my own, and as others have mentioned, it bungs you up and it can cause dependance. But it has it's uses, the tablets are tiny so a couple find thier way into my kit (the list is what I carry, not necessarily a recommendation for what you should carry).
Syndol, as Doc mentions, contains a sedative antihistamine (Doxylamine Succinate 5mg), which does have quite a strong sopophoric effect - although for me, I find that not to be entirely a bad thing. If you've been suffering a banging headache for half a day and take a couple of syndol at night, the drowsiness isnt necessarily an unpleasant side effect - it makes you "feel" better. Just so long as you are aware of it and allow for it (dont operate machinery, dont use an axe, go to bed and go to sleep). It's one to avoid though, if you're one of those folks who hates anything with any kind of sedative effect. I'd much rather take a couple of these, get the job done that be popping paracetamol for days on end.
You can get none prescription analgesics with higher codeine content though (Co-codamol, Solpadine etc), but I dont find them generally as effective as Syndol. ...that's just my personal experience and no, I'm not on commission. :lol:
Martyn - your comment on PP as a good antifungal is interesting - are there any specific advice on what concentration to use for this and for antiseptic uses - like 1 gram per litre - rather than the pale pink, medium pink sort of rules.
Thanks, great advice :-D
Sorry, I have no specifics. It used to be used as a treatment for athletes foot, and I believe is still is used for treating fish with fungal infections, though the dose must be very small as it's extremely toxic in watercourses. I think it typically finds it's way into first aid/survival kits because of it's multitude of uses. In very small amounts, it can make water pottable in an emergency (though I wouldn't like to try it). It can be used as a fire starter - it's a powerful oxidant and kills just about everything, so it can be useful as a bacteriocidal wash, or for treating athletes foot. But i dont think you'd find a pharmacist anywhere who would advise it as a first line treatment for any of the above. As regards athletes foot, it'll turn your feet brown and provbably kill off a layer of skin into the bargain. In some situations, that might be acceptable.
If you do a google search on PP and anti-fungal, you might find some advice for solution concentrations in aquatic scenarios, which might give you some idea. I do know it's very toxic to us, if the powder is inhaled - so be super careful about avoiding that.
Buyer beware. :wink:
Dear Doc I have this.......................... ........... :-) :lol:
On the subject of PP concentrations, I found this on the web...
• Potassium permanganate is the remedy used on this for decades. This is poison, yet used externally, it seems to be one of the best solutions to the problem. Permanganate is a powerful fungus killer! And fungus under the nails demands something very special. The permanganate also stains the skin dark brown, so after soaking your toes or feet in the solution, they will not look very pretty. Formula: Soak the feet for half an hour in a warm 1:5,000 solution of potassium permanganate. Dry the feet thoroughly after use. This is the same formula for athlete's foot, which is a similar fungal foot disease.
• If you need to prepare this solution at home, you dissolve a slightly rounded teaspoon of the crystals in 8 ounces of water. Keep it in a dark-colored glass bottle. A teaspoon of this saturated solution in a pint of water makes a solution of about 1:1,500 strength; a teaspoon in a quart of water makes one of about 1:3,000 strength. With this information, you will be able to prepare about any strength you might need.
I have absolutely no idea how reliable this is.
The British National Formulary lists potassium permanganate 1:10 000 solution as suitable for infected/exudative eczematous areas, warning that it should be stopped when the skin becomes dry.
No mention of it as an anti-fungal. I must admit that I've never prescribed it for either.
Thanks Martyn, cheers doc - just what I needed. Your point about inhalation probably explains why both the tubs of PP I've bought in the past had a slightly "damp" granular texture - it doesn't blow about.
If anyone is interested, here's an american HAZMAT datasheet for KMno4
http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/P6005.htm
No mention of it as an anti-fungal. I must admit that I've never prescribed it for either.
I found it listed here as an anti-fungal, but I think it's "old school" rather than first line.
http://www.aadassociation.org/Guidelines/mucocand.html
Most reliable sources I've seen since, list it as the BNF, as an anti-infective, rather than anti-fungal.
Interestingly, I found a ton of references for watercourse and fishery management which advocate it's use as an anti-fungal.