Ceftriaxone--For the Eyes of Serious Preppers Only

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on knowledge and understanding you might wish to acquire in advance of a disaster in case no higher care is available.  As long as our society is functioning, you should leave anything more substantial than applying a Band-Aid to the professionals.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care. 

 
Even though I have the standard disclaimer above, I'm going to reiterate the idea here at the beginning:  The following supplies are only being recommended for storing against a time of societal collapse and chaos.  These are not for you to play doctor.  They are items to have on hand for a licensed physician to care for your family in a disaster.  They are completely legal to acquire and possess.

If you have gathered the supplies and medications recommended here on the blog, you are honestly very well set for having what a doctor needs to care for your family.  Fortunately, the vast majority of reasons we seek medical care at urgent care or emergency rooms are not life-threatening.  But there is that small remaining minority, and because we're serious preppers, we want to be able to deal with those as well, to the extent possible.  And one item that would be really nice to have, and the acquisition of which puzzles many who prepare, is injectable antibiotics. Yep, you, too, can get your hands on some.  Here's how and why:

Ceftriaxone (Rocephin) is a common, inexpensive, injectable antibiotic effective against most Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as some anaerobic bacteria.  As such, it is used to treat life-threatening infections like pneumonia, meningitis, appendicitis, and sepsis, as well as intraabdominal sepsis (like from a penetrating abdominal wound).[1]  It is actually used to treat many more infections, but in an austere situation, ceftriaxone is reserved for the most critical cases.  Other infections can be treated with more accessible and less expensive oral antibiotics.

While it is more frequently administered intravenously, it can also be given intramuscularly.

There is no "fish antibiotic" equivalent, and it's not available in feed stores.  The only options for purchase are through a prescription from your doctor or through overseas pharmacies.  A single dose through All Day Chemist runs about $10, and it would be best to have several doses on hand.  However, this is just the powder.  You still need the injectable solution to dissolve the powder and make the solution.

So the next item to acquire is sterile water for injection, or non-pyrogenic.  The "for injection" part is important.  You can buy vials of sterile water or saline for rinsing out eyes, and in a desperate situation use those for mixing injectable solutions, but it's not recommended, and in no case should it be done for intravenous use.  While they are labeled as sterile, they still haven't cleared the last hurdle of being certified as totally free of bacteria and safe for injection.  The last thing a patient in a bad situation needs is another infection.

The vials of sterile water for injection are also available from All Day Chemist at a cost of about $6.00 each, almost the same as the antibiotic itself.  Or you can get them through Atlantic Medical Supply (atlanticmedsupply.com).  The 30 ml vials run about $10.00 and will make a few doses each, so they're less expensive in the long run.  And while many injectable solutions have been in short supply, I just checked last night (6 July 2022) and Atlantic Medical Supply currently has it in stock.

Finally, you'll need some syringes and needles, which have been covered previously.  Keep in mind when ordering that the larger the gauge on the needle, the finer it is.  Needles in the 28-31 gauge range are usually what diabetics use for administering small amounts of insulin.  You'll want something with a smaller number, probably the 21-25 range, and a larger syringe, around 3 cc.

Yes, this is another item we hope we never need.  Just like we hope we never need to use our auto, homeowner's, or life insurance (especially the life insurance).  But we're really glad to have it if we need it.

Links to related posts:
Sterile saline vials
Pneumonia
Appendicitis

References:
[1] Survival and Austere Medicine, 3rd Edition, 210. 

7.28.20