I’m a pharmacist – I always keep these five products in my house at ALL times

A pharmacist has revealed the five items she keeps in her medicine cabinet.

Dr. Jamie Martinez, who goes by pharmacist Jamie on social media, posted a video in August as part of her educational series on TikTok.

The mother of four said excessive use of the antihistamine Benadryl can increase the risk of dementia, but using it occasionally can stop an allergic reaction.

In addition, the topical wound product MediHoney is “better” than Neosporin, she said.

Ibuprofen works “better than anything” for minor aches and pains by reducing inflammation, she said.

And dr. Martinez never leaves the house without sunscreen to protect against skin cancer such as melanoma.

Below are the five products that Dr. Martinez always has at home.

Benadryl

Benadryl, also known as diphenhydramine, is an antihistamine, a drug used to treat allergic reactions.

Antihistamines block histamine, a natural chemical in the body that causes allergy symptoms such as sneezing, itching, and a runny nose. Histamine is normally released when your body detects something harmful, such as an infection.

Dr. Martinez makes sure her medicine cabinet is always stocked with this.

“Nothing stops an allergic or histamine reaction better than Benadryl,” she said. “So if one of the kids gets stung by bees or bitten by ants or something like that, we have it on hand to get that histamine under control.”

Dr. Martinez also urged users not to take the medication every day because it has been “linked to dementia.”

Research on this topic is mixed. One 2016 study in the journal JAMA Neurologyfor example, compared the brain function of 391 older adults who did not take Benadryl or similar medications with 60 who did. The researchers found increased brain atrophy, a loss of nerve cells in the brain that has been linked to dementia, in those taking these drugs.

A 2019 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine compared more than 58,000 participants who had been diagnosed with dementia with more than 225,000 who had not. The researchers found no link between antihistamines and the risk of dementia.

Typical side effects of Benadryl include drowsiness, blurred vision, dizziness, headache, dry mouth, hives, headaches and, in extreme cases, hallucinations.

MediHoning

Antibiotic ointments such as Neosporin, also known as neomycin, polymyxin B and bacitracin, are mainstays in most medicine cabinets.

These medications are applied to the skin to prevent and treat minor skin infections that may be caused by minor cuts, scrapes, or burns.

Dr. However, Martinez prefers ointments made from honey. ‘I don’t take Neosporin; I use MediHoney,” she said. “I think it works so much better.”

MediHoney is a wound gel made from honey from Leptospermum tea trees. Honey has been used as a natural remedy for hundreds of years and recent research suggests it could be just as effective as gels like Neosporin.

a Study from 2017For example, they discovered that Manuka honey, sourced from bees in Australia and New Zealand, improved wound healing and tissue regeneration.

Ibuprofen

Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) commonly sold under brand names such as Advil and Motrin. These medications reduce the amount of prostaglandins in the body, which are lipids that the body releases when you are injured.

Prostaglandins contribute to inflammation, which causes swelling, fever and sensitivity to pain.

Dr. Martinez keeps this on hand to help eliminate common aches and fevers. “(It) helps these little aches and pains more than anything else because it also helps with inflammation,” she said.

Common uses for ibuprofen include headaches, toothaches, menstrual cramps, backaches and other muscle aches.

They can cause minor side effects such as stomach pain, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, gas, constipation and diarrhea.

Phenazopyridine

Phenazopyridine is better known by the brand name Azo, which treats pain associated with urinary tract infections. This includes burning, irritation and discomfort.

“This is a lifesaver for urinary pain to get that treated so you don’t feel absolutely miserable while you wait for that antibiotic to come from your doctor to treat that UTI,” said Dr. Martinez.

These medications are not intended to replace antibiotics, which are needed to get rid of a urinary tract infection. Instead, they are intended to treat symptoms.

A UTI occurs when bacteria enter the urethra. Most of these affect the lower urinary tract, including the bladder and urethra.

UTIs affect women more often than men because a woman’s urethra is shorter than a man’s, making it easier for bacteria to enter.

According to the Mayo Clinic, common UTI symptoms include a strong urge to urinate, burning while urinating, frequent urination, cloudy urine, strong-smelling urine and pelvic pain.

Sunshade

It may seem obvious to wear sunscreen at the beach or on sunny days, but Dr. Martinez goes one step further. “I never leave the house without it,” she said. “Melanoma is deadly, and I hate sun damage.”

Melanoma has long been considered one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates that nearly 100,000 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in 2023, along with nearly 8,000 deaths.

It occurs when the cells that give skin its tan or brown color, melanocytes, grow out of control. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight or tanning bed lamps can increase the risk of developing the disease.

People with fair skin and those who live closer to the equator or at higher altitudes are also more likely to develop melanoma.

The Skin Cancer Foundation states that using sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 every day can reduce the risk of melanoma.