#Adulting reference

[macgyvermedical]

Building Your Home Pharmacy

So you're in the OTC med section of the pharmacy. You've got 100 bucks burning a hole in your pocket (or maybe like $15 cause you're just starting). You're a new adult who wants to build yourself a tidy home pharmacy.

Well first you've got to know some stuff about over the counter (OTC) meds. This is the post to help you do it.

What are OTC meds? They are medications you can buy from a pharmacy or grocery store without needing a prescription. They have been deemed relatively safe and relatively easy to dose without a doctor's intervention. This does not mean they can't be dangerous, just that the general public can generally be trusted not to accidentally kill themselves with them on the regular. Keep that in your mind for later.

Note that all the medications discussed below are given in their generic names. In order to find these names, look below the brand name on a medication bottle:

Pain Medications:

Acetaminophen/Paracetamol: This is a non-NSAID pain reliever and fever reducer, so it's great for people who can't take NSAIDs due to stomach or kidney issues. Works best for headaches and fevers, but works on other types of pain as well. Technically works best as a suppository, but still works some orally. No increased risk of bleeding. Don't take more than directed. Seriously. This one can kill you or seriously damage your liver.

Ibuprofen: NSAID. Works against pain, inflammation, and fever. Take on a full stomach or you could get ulcers. Don't take if you have kidney problems. You can take this with acetaminophen.

Naproxen: NSAID. Probably the most effective for pain, but works against inflammation and fever as well. Lasts 12 hours. Don't take high doses continuously or you will get kidney problems. You can take this with acetaminophen.

Aspirin: NSAID. This was the first NSAID and it's definitely here to give you stomach ulcers if you don't take it on a full stomach. Technically it works for pain, inflammation, and fever. Most people today take it as a blood thinner. You can take this with acetaminophen.

Allergy/Cold/Congestion Medications:

Diphenhydramine/Doxalamine: First Generation Antihistamines. These are great for nighttime allergies, coughs, insomnia, nausea, and itching. Most people get drowsy from these, but some people get really hyper, especially kids.

Cetirazine/Loratadine/Fexofenadine: Second Generation Antihistamines. These work for allergies and itching and don't cause as much drowsiness.

Phenylephrine/Pseudoephedrine: Decongestants. These work by mimicking epinephrine, making the blood vessels in the nose and sinuses smaller. This makes the nose and sinuses less stuffy, but it raises blood pressure (so don't take if that's a problem for you). Pseudoephedrine is also restricted- you must be an adult to purchase and you can only buy so much. You have to talk to a pharmacist to get it because it can be used to make methamphetamine.

Triamcinolone/budesonide/fluticasone Nasal Spray: These are steroid sprays. They work similarly to the decongestants but only in the nose, and generally don't travel to the rest of the body.

Guifenesin: This is an expectorant, not a decongestant. It works by thinning the mucous in the lungs and airway. This makes it easier for you to cough it up. You have to drink a lot of water with this for it to work, though.

Dextromethorphan: This is a cough suppressant. It works by blocking signals in the brain that tell you to cough. Pretty much everything interacts with this one so if you take any medications talk to your doctor first. Depending on where you live you may have to talk to a pharmacist to get this one due to the potential for abuse.

Digestive Medications

Loperamide: This is an antidiarrheal. It works by decreasing the amount of squishing around your intestines are doing, which helps you hold your diarrhea and lets you continue to function. It is an opioid, but is not absorbed from your digestive tract so it doesn't make you high.

Bismuth Subsalicylate: This works for diarrhea as well, but also nausea, heartburn, and the prevention of traveler's diarrhea. Don't take if you're allergic to salicylates or aspirin. Taking this for an extended period of time can also cause bismuth toxicity.

Calcium Carbonate: This is an antacid. It is very basic pH wise, so can help change the pH of stomach contents pretty quickly. This is usually used for heartburn. If you take any other medications, this can prevent you from absorbing them if you take them within two hours. Using for long periods can cause rebound heartburn when you stop taking it.

Cemetidine/Famotidine/Ranitadine: These are gastric acid reducers, and they work by blocking the type of histamine that is necessary for the production of stomach acid. They are usually used for heartburn and ulcers.

Omeprezole/Esomeprezole: These are also gastric acid reducers, but they work by blocking a different part of the very complicated way our stomachs make acid. After years and years of taking these you might get some bone density problems.

Bisocodyl/Senna: These are laxatives. They work by increasing the movement of the intestines. It's important not to take these consistently unless you can't poop at all without them, or you seriously will not be able to poop without them.

Docusate/Propylene Glycol: These are stool softeners. They work by increasing the amount of water in the intestines. These are pretty safe to take all the time if you need to.

Simethicone: This is a surfactant. It works by accumulating all the gas bubbles in the intestines so they can be expelled. It's usually used for painful gas.

Topical Medications:

Clotrimezole/Miconazole: These are antifungal preparations. They treat yeast infections, athletes foot, jock itch, and ringworm.

Triple Antibiotic Ointment: This is a cream that contains antibiotics. Ostensibly you're supposed to put this on small cuts to decrease risk of infection. IRL just clean it with soap and water and then put some vasaline on it. Studies have shown it works just as well.

Hydrocortisone: This is a steroid cream. You put it on itchy things (bug bites, poison ivy, etc...) and it makes them not itch as much. This one actually works and is generally better than diphenhydramine creams that can't be used on poison ivy.

Permethrin: This is an insecticide. It will help get rid of head and body lice.

Zinc Oxide: This is a skin protectant. It helps prevent diaper rash and chafing. It also makes things feel better once you've already chafed. Technically it is also a sunblock, but it will make you look like a ghost while you're wearing it.

Family Planning:

Levonorgestrel: This is known as the morning after pill. It works by blocking ovulation, so that a sperm and egg cannot meet, preventing pregnancy. It can be taken up to 5 days after unprotected sex, though it works better the sooner it is taken.

Devices:

Blood Sugar Meter/Strips/Lancets: These help measure the amount of sugar in your blood. They are usually used by people with diabetes.

Blood Pressure Cuff: This measures blood pressure automatically with a cuff around the upper arm or wrist. It is usually used by people with high blood pressure.

Ketogenic Test Strips: This measures the amount of ketones in the urine. Ketones are a byproduct of fat breakdown, usually found when the body cannot breakdown carbohydrates for energy and begins to break down fat instead. Usually people who are on a ketogenic diet or people with diabetes use these.

Peak Flow Meter: This measures the amount of air that can be used by the lungs. They are usually used by people with asthma or COPD.

Great, Which Ones Do I Need?

I'd recommend look over the list and see which ones would be most useful for you, and start with those. Over time, collect ones that would be most embarrassing to not have, and then the ones that you're pretty sure you'll never use.

Note that in a dry, unopened package (including inside blister packs), drugs last well beyond their expiration dates. So if you don't use a certain med all that often, get a smaller package of it.

Great, Which Ones Can I Take at the Same Time?

Good question. I'm going to say that if you take any prescription medications, you always want to check with your doctor before taking anything OTC. However, I recommend you use an interaction checker like this one if you want to take more than one OTC med at the same time. One can be found here.

Note:

Loperamide CANNOT be taken with cimetidine/ranitidine/famotidine. This causes bad heart rhythms.

Don't take two meds from the same category together (like cimetadine with ranitidine, or ibuprofen with naproxen, or diphenhydramine and fexofenadine unless a doctor tells you to).

Most antacids (calcium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate) will prevent the absorption of other medications, so take them two hours apart from anything else you take.

Don't drink alcohol with loperamide, detromethophan, acetaminophen, or any antihistamines.

[eldritch-ace]

I wish we had gotten some better/more interactions between them so I make my own :)

[uncanny-tranny]

[lazylittledragon]

i am losing my entire shit right now, this single panel caused a nuclear disaster in my ig comments when someone said "halsin just saying 'astarion's partner' instead of his name feels icky"

which is such a fucking reach by itself but descended into this in about 5 seconds

[proxycrit]

Yall really like these guys with wings so here’s some more doodles! Im busy with commission work and won’t be active for a good while, but I’ll try to post more doodles ever so often. (Ahh the joy of drawing my favorite guys… it fills me with joy.)

[willyhoos]

tiny sonamy headcanon based on that one idw panel... amy is unfazed by flirting with sonic, but quickly gets flustered when he reciprocates even slightly. (sonic finds this fact EXTREMELY endearing and abuses it frequently)

[starfieldcanvas]

easy tortilla soup: just dump all this shit in a large pot

1 cup salsa

1 cup shredded cheese

2 cans of corn (~16oz cans)

2 cans of chicken broth (but you can use water. just fill an empty corn can twice)

at least 3 handfuls of crushed-up tortilla chips. more if you want a thicker soup (or have very small hands)

spices/flavorings:

2-3 Tablespoons taco seasoning (necessary)

2-3 Tablespoons lime juice (lemon juice can be substituted. or skip it entirely)

bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes depending on how much water you want to boil off. (i typically set the time for 18.) stir it a bit every so often so it doesn't stick to the pot, but you can mostly ignore it.

serves 4 regular portions or 3 very filling portions

serve it with sour cream, extra shredded cheese, and extra crumbled chips on top

we regularly add chicken or ground beef, and also sometimes chopped onions, but that's extra effort. when I'm dead tired and we forgot to thaw any meat i make the original no-meat no-onions version. it's enough prep that it feels like cooking but it also doesn't strain my time-blindness or kitchen anxiety.

Do any of u have decent recipes that are like 5 ingredients (not including spices) and take 45 mins or less to prepare i gotta stop eating sandwiches for dinner

[burningcheese-merchant]

@cuppajj please don't ban me from your stand because of my terrible art skills, I promise I'll improve eventually :(((

(also, your flossberries are not ripe)

[syn0vial]

yes, yes, boba fett finds it strange and uncomfortable when people can see his face and this is one of the major reasons he almost never removes his helmet (in the expanded universe anyway), but another factor that i think isn't explored nearly enough is just how much his helmet shapes how he sees the world. it grants him 360° vision, lets him interface with his weapon systems and slave I, and automatically dampens loud noises and dims bright lights. imagine going through the vast majority of your life seeing the world through that lens and then suddenly taking it away. removing his helmet for any significant length of time likely isn't just uncomfortable for him but downright disorienting.

[neverletbrocookagain]

[vibinginthebg]

Still some doodles of them :DD

[welcometogrouchland]

(ID in alt) I MADE THIS LAST MONTH AND COULDN'T BE BOTHERED TO POST IT TIL NOW. I was knee-deep in Buffy the vampire slayer when I made this. Damian's favourite character is Spike I think

[headfullofdrought]

emo dean you will always be famous

[moonlightcycle571]

I love reporter Billy, but consider this: Billy becoming an architect to fix the Rock of Eternity (ROE)

Here’s the thing about the Rock. They used to have a council, people filling their halls and people who would maintain their infrastructure.

Now there is only a ghost of a (singular) council member and the new champion.

It’s also been who knows how many centuries or millennia Roe was renovated, and no one fixed them after the battle that led to the end of the council. So they are not in good shape. The wizard was holding on by a thread, that’s how damaged they were.

Billy, having grew up with Roe as their most stable place to stay, of course noticed. He’s read the books in the Library of Eternity, has seen the scriptures of the ancient civilisations and saw the carvings on the walls of the people who used to walk here.

Having grown up homeless, Billy knew the foundations of what makes a building safe to stay in. He’s even renovated a few abandoned apartments to make it livable once he’s learned how to use magic. Which in turn, may have inspired him to study architecture.

Roe is in shambles when they meet their new champion. Roe expects to remain in that state of disrepair for the foreseeable future. What Roe didn’t see coming is the sheer dedication of the child they helped raise.

A thing about Fawcette is that there’s a mix of serval centuries style through out the city, mostly because of time distortion and well as magic and runes instilled in the buildings. Meaning they have one hell of an architect program.

Not only does Billy preserve and off the natural foundations, but he also adds new designs, carved stone to incorporate beautiful pieces to adorn the halls. Adds new runes to help Roe sustain themself better, for the magic to run smoothly. Roe is no longer in shambles. No longer unpolished and full of grime a reminder of an ancient past, and starts to resemble more on how they unused to be. Cared for, strong and carved of stone.

Just, adult Billy as an architect. And using that knowledge + magic to fix up Roe. And Roe being an ancient sentient being that feels like they finally get to have multiple spa days after centuries of abandonment.

Also an architect has a way more flexible schedule than most jobs, allowing Billy to do his Champion and Hero duties at his pace.

[blumineck]

related to your post recent post, not sure if it's something you've considered before but it's be really cool if you ever did archery artist references! you've got nice clean lines with your movements that I feel would translate well 😊

(also not sure if it was intentional but said post ends with 'Remember,')

ARCHERY ART REFERENCES, YOU SAY?

Next weekend (10th Feb), I will be meeting up with the talented @null-entity to do some stock photo shooting with bows, swords and maybe poles*!

We already have a list of poses to try, but if you have some specific stuff you’d like references for, let us know!

[emberwritesinsight]

Every year Akio Ohtori loans his sister out to a bunch of teenagers, grooms said teenagers, makes all of them fight each other several times, does irreparable emotional damage, hopefully THOROUGHLY cleans the inside of his car because Christ alive.

And all of this, all these surreal, intricate rituals, are so he can lose a sword fight with a door.

This has happened multiple times. He doesn't even seem particularly upset about failing. Every year Akio Ohtori loses a sword fight with a door and somehow does not feel like an absolute clown. Could NOT be me, I would never try again. I would lie awake at night every night after the first attempt agonizing about how stupid I must have looked and how my sister absolutely would have laughed at me if all the organs she needed to do so weren't getting shish-kebabed six ways to Sunday.