sick day Archives - London Drugs Blog

Be ready for colds, injuries, and “I don’t feel good” – even when far from home

Moving out or living away from home for the first time is exciting. So much freedom and adulting to look forward to! But what happens when your child is not feeling well, and you can’t come to the rescue? Help your young adult prepare for inevitable sick days and minor injuries with essentials to provide comfort and relief, giving both them and you, peace of mind.

This guide will help you and your child gather some essential items. Spend some time together working on the kit to customize their preferences.

Sick day essentials

When feeling unwell, it’s nice to have a few essential items on hand to assess your health and provide comfort.

Thermometer – A simple-to-use digital thermometer that signals a fever with a colour change or beep and displays temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit.
Hot/Cold pack – Versatile to use hot or cold for muscle aches, headaches, menstrual cramps. It can be stored in a freezer or heated in a microwave. Always wrap the pack in a towel or thin fabric to protect the skin and limit use to about 15 minutes at a time.
COVID rapid tests – at-home nasal swab tests for quick screening
Surgical masks – to help prevent spreading germs when sick or doing group work
Hand sanitizer – carry a small bottle to use when handwashing is not convenient
Electrolyte tablets/powder – for rehydration during illness or after exercise
Eye drops for dry eye – soothing relief after long hours on screens and late nights
Favourite blanket or comfort item – feels like home (even big kids need stuffies)

Basic medicine cabinet

Include medications for common illnesses. Having easy access to medicines – day or night – can help manage minor complaints promptly. Most schools have medical clinics and pharmacies nearby for any additional or more serious health needs.

Review the instructions and dosing for each item and make sure they are aware of the ingredients to avoid duplication when combining products. Advise them to check expiration dates and avoid using any medication past its expiry to ensure safety and effectiveness.

A pharmacist can help you select products that are safe and easy to use and will inform you of any potential side effects or interactions with other medications. Remind your child that they can call any pharmacist for free if they have questions – there’s no such thing as a silly question!

Pain and fever relievers – ibuprofen or acetaminophen
Cold and flu medicines
- Day/night combo pack for colds can be helpful, but keep in mind:
  - Daytime formulas may contain decongestants like pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine, which can be stimulating and may increase heart rate, blood pressure, or restlessness in some people
  - Nighttime formulas often contain antihistamines like chlorpheniramine or diphenhydramine which can cause drowsiness
- Cough or sore throat lozenges
- Cough syrup – if it’s something you commonly use at home for relief. Otherwise, it can be purchased as needed at a local pharmacy.
Acne treatments – hydrocolloid patches, spot treatments, or prescription products
Allergy medication
- For seasonal allergies or unexpected reactions to new foods or insect bites.
- Use 24 hour non-drowsy formulas containing cetirizine, loratadine, or desloratadine.
- EpiPen – if prescribed for severe allergic reactions or anaphylaxis; replace if expired. They should teach roommates how to use it in case of emergency.
Anti-itch cream – mild corticosteroids like hydrocortisone are helpful for minor rashes, insect bites or other itchy spots
Anti-fungal cream – if prone to athletes foot or jock itch
Anti-nausea or motion-sickness medication
- Ginger tablets can help with mild nausea and do not have side-effects
- Dimenhydrinate can relieve nausea and vomiting but may cause drowsiness
Antacid for indigestion or upset stomach
- Basic chewable formulas are effective for most situations
Anti-diarrhea medication – useful for individuals with sensitive digestion

First Aid Basics

Be ready for minor cuts, scrapes, and blisters with a basic first aid kit.

Bandages – variety of sizes
Antibiotic ointment – apply to cuts and scrapes, after washing with soap and water, and before applying the bandage
Tweezers – to remove splinters, disinfect before use
Alcohol wipes – to disinfect skin, tools, or hard surfaces

Important medical documents and contacts

Load a list of important contacts and images of medical documents in their phone, so they are easily accessible if they need to visit a pharmacy, dentist, medical clinic, or hospital.

Health insurance cards – front and back image
- Provincial health card (a BC Services Card can be combined with a driver’s license)
- Private insurance plan cards
Copies of prescriptions and drug information handouts
List of medical conditions and allergies, plus any treatment plans
Download London Drugs pharmacy app and link to their prescription profile so they can easily view their list of medications with images, read drug information, or order refills
Contact info for doctor, pharmacy, dentist, and on-campus medical services

Vaccines

Review your child’s vaccination record with a pharmacist or doctor to ensure they are protected against contagious diseases such as measles and meningitis – especially important if they are living in residence or other shared housing. Encourage them to sign up for flu and COVID-19 vaccine clinics on campus in the fall.

Prepare for a healthy school year

With a bit of preparation in the days leading up to moving out, your child will feel confident handling their basic medical needs or minor illnesses away from home. Remind them that a chat from home is just a phone call away – and so is a pharmacist. Encourage them to phone a pharmacist or visit a pharmacy if they need advice about their health, medications, or treatment for a minor illness.

Most pharmacies in Canada offer prescribing services for contraception and minor illnesses such as urinary tract infections, acne, pink eye, allergies, muscle aches, indigestion, and more. Many pharmacists in Alberta can also prescribe treatments for additional conditions including strep throat, asthma, diabetes, and others. To learn more about London Drugs prescribing services by province, visit Pharmacist Prescribing Services – London Drugs Pharmacy.

We’re here to support you through every stage of life – providing convenient and trusted care whenever you need it. Call or visit a London Drugs pharmacist to discover how we can help.

With an increased and new flu viruses reported this year, pharmacists are advising patients to take preventative measures to avoid getting sick.

All London Drugs pharmacies are still offering this year’s flu vaccine but in addition to getting a flu shot, Pharmacists offer the following advice to help you reduce your chances of getting sick.

Wash your hands:

Frequent handwashing is first and foremost in cold and flu prevention. The viruses that cause winter ills can be picked up everywhere and washing your hands goes a long way. It is especially important before eating or touching your face, after coughing or sneezing, when caring for the sick, before, during & after you prepare food, after toilet use and after handling animals or animal waste. Proper handwashing is more than just running water over your hands in the sink. To ensure they are thoroughly rid of harmful germs:

Wash with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds
Wash the front of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails
Don’t forget your wrists! Remove any jewelry or watches if necessary
Use a paper towel to dry your hands as well as to turn off the tap so you don’t re-contaminate your hands
If using a public bathroom, use that same paper towel to open the door when exiting
If no soap and water readily available, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer

Keep your hands away from your face:

Touching your face when your hands have picked up a virus will put that virus in touch with the mucous membranes of your mouth, nose or eyes—a surefire way to become sick fast.

Avoid handshakes:

Although sometimes unavoidable, shaking hands and then rubbing your nose or eyes, handling a glass, or eating finger-food is an effective way to catch something. If etiquette demands you greet someone this way, excuse yourself at the earliest opportunity to wash your hands or use a hand sanitizer.

Avoid sharing common household items:

Items such as cups, utensils, towels, bedding, dishes or other items with other people increase the risk of catching or spreading a cold or virus.

Beware of keypads:

They are everywhere— at the ATM, a restaurant, the elevator, and virtually every retail establishment. Public computers found in schools and libraries are also a hazard during cold and flu outbreaks. Influenza is a highly contagious viral infection that is transmitted by airborne droplets that can survive up to 48 hours outside the body on other surfaces. So, once again, sanitize your hands as frequently as possible and avoid touching your face after using a public keypad.

Use paper towel:

Viruses can remain alive for several hours on fabric so when someone in your home or office is sick, replace hand towels with disposable paper towel. If you don’t like the idea of paper towels, make sure everyone has, and uses, their own cloth towel. When using public washrooms, use a paper towel to cover the door handle when you exit.

Common symptoms of the flu include:

A sudden, high fever (38 to 40 degrees C); headache, extreme fatigue, difficulty breathing, chills and sweating; dry cough; loss of appetite; muscle aches and pains; runny and stuffy nose, sneezing and sore throat.

Here is some advice for anyone already experiencing these symptoms:

Talk to your Pharmacist to get the right medication: Pharmacists are available to provide advice about over-the-counter medications to manage symptoms. They can recommend the best medications for each person in the family to suite their individual symptoms. Other medicine cabinet essentials, including zinc lozenges and vitamin C tablets should be on-hand as well. Zinc lozenges will not only soothe the throat but combat viruses like the flu, and vitamin C taken daily will also help to decrease the duration and severity of a cold once it hits. A thermometer should be at home too, to monitor fevers.

Heed sneeze etiquette: To prevent others from becoming infected. If you need to sneeze in a public place, and you don’t have a tissue to sneeze into, turn your head into your elbow. This will ensure virus-laden water droplets won’t spread far and wide.

Avoid contact with others: If you start feeling sick or feverish, it’s best to stay home until you feel well enough to resume your daily routine. This ensures that you don’t get others around you sick, thus preventing the spread of your cold or flu.

Relax and sleep: Stress suppresses the immune system and makes you more likely to catch whatever is going around. So try to relax and take some peaceful time for yourself. Since the immune system repairs itself during sleep, be sure to get extra shut-eye during cold and flu season.

Stay Home. Rest and relaxation help you recover faster. When displaying symptoms of a virus, stay home and rest. This will not only help speed up your recovery, it also will protect those around you from exposure to the virus.

Eat well: Fruits, vegetables and whole grains contain phytonutrients that help you fight viruses by building up your immune response. Proteins too are needed to galvanize the immune system, so make sure you consume low-fat healthy protein with every meal. Drink plenty of fluids and take vitamin C supplements.

The Coronavirus

News headlines are filled with stories relating to the coronavirus. This new virus has started to spread including here to Canada, and many people have questions. While the above does serve as a good guide for general flu like symptoms, if you have recently been to, or have been in contact, with anyone visiting China, you should be extra cautious if displaying the following symptoms:

Fever
Coughing
Difficulty breathing
Pneumonia in both lungs

If you exhibit any of the above, please remember the following:

Stay home except to get medical care. Call ahead before visiting your doctor
Stay in a different room from other people in your home and use a separate bathroom
Cover your coughs and sneezes by covering your mouth and nose with a tissue OR cough or sneeze into your sleeve. Throw away used tissues immediately in a trash bin. Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds

You can find more detailed patient information on the coronavirus at London Drugs pharmacies. Remember the best offence is a good defense. To stay healthy is to eat well, take your vitamins, and get a good night’s sleep, while practicing the hygiene tips above. Check out everything you’ll need for cold and flu prevention here. Together we can greatly reduce the risk of spreading viruses.