Emergency Meds Rx

[5MilesBack]

To those advocating self-medicating with narcotics I hope you have the proper training to do so. If the injury is so severe you need these types of medications shock is a very real possibility. Add respiratory depression from drugs to a patient going into shock and you could very well kill someone. Just my opinion of course.

If they are "self-medicating" and they go into shock and get respiratory depression from the pain pills, the only person they might be killing is themselves. Handing out controlled substances prescribed to you is illegal to start with. I sure wish people and the government would start putting personal responsibility and accountability at the forefront these days, instead of the nanny state mentality of thinking it is someone else's job to make decisions for everyone, or their job to somehow take care of everyone else, or legislate stupidity out of the equation.

 

[CrzyTrekker]

"I just can’t imagine that there are providers giving you guys pain meds for “just in case.”

I am a nurse, and I think every doc, PA, or
NP I have worked with would laugh in your face if you presented a “I just need these XYZ pain meds for my back country hunt where I hypothetically could get hurt.”

Is this really how you are getting these meds?"

Yes, that's really how. I've had a couple doctors over the years do this for me. They are both adventurers in their own right. I've gotten prescription scripts for overseas travel, mountaineering, backcountry travel, etc. Some folks need to get out more.

 

[CrzyTrekker]

I'll just say I am astounded at the level of "preachiness" on this forum as of late.

 

[Tod osier]

I'll just say I am astounded at the level of "preachiness" on this forum as of late.

I have to agree. It is hard not to be defensive in what could be a positive and educational thread when it is at that level. Also, the tone and implication of: "is this really how"? is not something I'm used to responding to (even on the internet).


As far as taking personal responsibility, I agree 100%. There is a conversation with the doctor with give and take and some education on both ends. The suite of prescription meds I've carried was the result of these conversations with multiple doctors. My expectation is that in nearly every situation I would speak to the prescribing medical professional before administering.

 

[CrzyTrekker]

"My expectation is that in nearly every situation I would speak to the prescribing medical professional before administering."

Yes, and modern tech makes this possible.

 

[willfrye027]

"I just can’t imagine that there are providers giving you guys pain meds for “just in case.”

I am a nurse, and I think every doc, PA, or
NP I have worked with would laugh in your face if you presented a “I just need these XYZ pain meds for my back country hunt where I hypothetically could get hurt.”

Is this really how you are getting these meds?"

Yes, that's really how. I've had a couple doctors over the years do this for me. They are both adventurers in their own right. I've gotten prescription scripts for overseas travel, mountaineering, backcountry travel, etc. Some folks need to get out more.

They must like you a lot to risk their medical license

 

[CrzyTrekker]

Willfrey, perhaps they just know my background and you don't. As I said, I'm astounded...

 

[Julius K]

Perhaps my view is jaded. On a daily basis we have people asking, at times demanding pain meds in the ED. In today’s world, in my experience, if you are asking for pain meds and don’t have something that justifies them, you are out of luck.

I could see the antibiotics being prescribed. But, I’d encourage a strong conversation with your doctor about which antibiotics to take for which ailment.






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[Grumman]

What about some type of soothing eye drops? I’ve gotten eye lashes in my eye at home and it’s taken a mirror and sometimes the old ladies help to get it out. The pain and discomfort/blurry vision from a scratch on the eye can be really annoying and I could see that messing up a hunt. I realize you can’t take everything.


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[JPD350]

What about some type of soothing eye drops? I’ve gotten eye lashes in my eye at home and it’s taken a mirror and sometimes the old ladies help to get it out. The pain and discomfort/blurry vision from a scratch on the eye can be really annoying and I could see that messing up a hunt. I realize you can’t take everything.


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I use the little single dose eye drops they are very small and they hardly weigh, I generally have 4 or 5 of them at all times. I can't tell you how many times I have had a stick or pine needle in my eye and those eye drops make a big difference when you get poked. They also work well when you get a bunch of juniper pollen in your eye, now that stuff is bad news!

 

[Becca]

Man, I am late to the party and tempted not to reply, but having first hand experience with a bad backcountry injury I guess I will offer my 2 cents, worth what you paid for it I apologize in advance for the rerun to those who have heard the story before.

In 2010 I suffered a displaced fracture of both my tibia and fibula (lower leg bones) during a mountain goat hunt on Kodiak Island, AK. My husband and our hunting partner had to drag me 1200' vertical feet downhill to get to a place where it leveled off enough for a coast guard chopper to hover and evacuate me in a basket. We carried Vicodin in our emergency kit, and when I got hurt I took a single pain pill because they make me nauseous and I didn't want to get sick. When they first attempted to move me I almost lost consciousness, and i took a second pill right away. Even with the narcotic on board, my trip down the hill and then into the chopper was excruciating and almost intolerable. They'd drag me 50 or 100 feet and then stop when the pain got too bad and I started screaming, let me rest, and then keep going. I was at real risk for shock due to being cold and badly injured, but never due to the pain medicine. If the weather hadn't cleared enough for the helicopter to get in, I could have been looking at spending the night on the mountain with both bones in my leg dislocated.

I pray I never again need a strong pain killer in the field, but I will never NOT carry them. We typically have some on hand from dental procedures or surgeries (usually expired), and that's what we carry.


In regards to the original post, I carry OTC Tylenol and ibuprofen, Imodium, and Benadryl. Now that we backpack with our 2 year old daughter, I also carry an epipen Jr...My husband and I have never had allergies, but I would hate to discover she's allergic to bee stings or something on a remote trip.

The comment about eye drops was a good one, and I carry a couple single use eye drops as well as a 10cc syringe that could be used to irrigate with water if the need arose.

 

[Fatcamp]

Wow, great first hand information, Becca. My comment about shock, respiratory depression, and injury was meant as a caution to those not aware of the risk. And there is a risk.

I would add that for those who are carrying epinephrine that the recommendation for at-risk individuals is to carry two devices and to immediately call 911 for evacuation in the event of anaphylaxis. For years my fishing partner carried one, only one, and I never knew that an immediate call to 911 was in order. Thankfully he was never stung when we were far from town.

 

[5MilesBack]

Perhaps my view is jaded. On a daily basis we have people asking, at times demanding pain meds in the ED. In today’s world, in my experience, if you are asking for pain meds and don’t have something that justifies them, you are out of luck.

Here in Colorado our wonderful leaders are proposing "Heroin houses" in communities where heroin addicts can go to shoot up whenever they want. But there would be medical personnel on site in case someone OD's. My view is permanently "jaded" from this idiocy.

We have public servants advocating for heroin houses, but us law-abiding citizens shouldn't be able to get some pain meds and use them as needed. Utterly astounding.

 

[Becca]

Wow, great first hand information, Becca. My comment about shock, respiratory depression, and injury was meant as a caution to those not aware of the risk. And there is a risk.

I would add that for those who are carrying epinephrine that the recommendation for at-risk individuals is to carry two devices and to immediately call 911 for evacuation in the event of anaphylaxis. For years my fishing partner carried one, only one, and I never knew that an immediate call to 911 was in order. Thankfully he was never stung when we were far from town.

Your comment about shock and respiratory depression risk was accurate, although it was a risk I was willing to take under the circumstances. As a RN, I'm well aware of those risks (as was our hunting partner, who had some emergency medical experience from military service). I had previously taken Vicodin as directed without issues, in this circumstance the benefit outweighed the risk in my mind.

Good reminder on the epipen, the one we carry is actually a twin pack for the very reason you describe. I've considered trying to carry the epinephrine itself and a couple syringes instead...the autoinjectors add a lot of weight and I am comfortable drawing it up and giving it myself because of my medical background. My husband or others we hike or hunt with would probably have an easier time with the autoinjector so that's what we've carried so far.

 

[H82miss]

What are you allergic to?


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I'm not allergic to anything that I'm aware of, but one of my hunting buddies is highly allergic to bees.

 

[silverbullet555]

Exo podcast is on emergency first aid this week. Haven't listened to it yet to know how it applies to this conversation.

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[WV Mountaineer]

Another example I learned from. Thanks Becca.

 

[CrzyTrekker]

Update: I visited my doc yesterday and he refilled all my prescriptions, including a prescription pain killer, anti-emetic, and antibiotic. Was able to spend about 20 minutes talking to him about his own experience administering such meds in the context of search and rescue work. We also talked about fly fishing together this summer

Thank you for all the great input in this thread.

 

[Fatcamp]

Very interesting. I'm gonna ask mine.

 

[zacattack]

Doctors are just handing out prescriptions for cipro? Geez