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 that while using the antihistamine Benadryl excessively can increase the risk of dementia, using it every now and then can stop an allergic reaction in its tracks. 

Additionally, the topical wound product MediHoney is ‘better’ than Neosporin, she said. 

Ibuprofen works for minor aches and pains ‘better than anything else’ by reducing inflammation, she said.

And Dr Martinez never leaves the house without sunscreen to protect against skin cancers like melanoma.

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

Benadryl

Benadryl, also known as diphenhydramine, is an antihistamine, which is a medicine 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 to always keep her medicine cabinet stocked with this. 

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

Dr Martinez also urged users not to take the medication every day due to it being ‘linked to dementia.’ 

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

However, a 2019 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine compared more than 58,000 participants who were diagnosed with dementia to over 225,000 who were not. The researchers did not find a link between antihistamines and dementia risk. 

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

MediHoney

Antibiotic ointments like 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 small cuts, scrapes, or burns. 

However, Dr Martinez prefers ointments made from honey. ‘I do not use Neosporin; I use MediHoney,’ she said. ‘I think it works so much better.’ 

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

A 2017 study, for example, found that Manuka honey, which comes from bees in Australia and New Zealand, enhanced wound healing and tissue regeneration. 

Ibuprofen

Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) typically sold under brand names like Advil and Motrin. These drugs reduce the amount of prostaglandins in the body, which are lipids the body releases when you’re injured. 

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

Dr Martinez keeps this on hand to help eliminate common pains and fevers. ‘[It] helps those minor aches and pains and illnesses better 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 from urinary tract infections. This includes burning, irritation, and discomfort.

‘This is a lifesaver for urinary pain to get that treated so you’re not absolutely miserable while you’re waiting for that antibiotic to come in from your doctor to treat that UTI,’ Dr Martinez said.

These medications are not meant to replace antibiotics, which are necessary for getting rid of a UTI. They are instead meant to treat the symptoms. 

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

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

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.  

Sunscreen 

It may seem obvious to wear sunscreen at the beach or on sunny day, but Dr Martinez takes it 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 there will be nearly 100,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed in 2023, along with almost 8,000 deaths. 

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

People with fair skin and those who live closer to the equator or at a higher elevation are more likely to develop melanoma as well. 

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