traveling with meds

Heathrow was the only airport where I was asked to show a prescription for the medication I was carrying. After it went through the X-ray machine I was called aside and asked to show the prescription. I also had a letter from my doctor as I was carrying syringes.

All other countries (Spain, Denmark, Sweden and Norway) had no issues at all.

Heathrow can be very difficult on this issue. Bring a prescription to be on the safe side and if you have liquids or other prohibited items you may need to be prepared to face a lot of questions.

Never had any issues returning to the U.K.

You can also carry a letter of proof that the medicine was prescribed to you.

I haven't flown into Heathrow recently but can report that, outbound, there is no separate provision for medically-required liquids. All liquids must go in the same 3-1-1 bag used for things like shampoo. Best to know that in advance before you plan to carry a bunch of mini-jars of mustard, as I did!

It's unusual for non-liquid medications to attract attention in airports. It has never happened to me in 50 years of traveling to Europe--which isn't to say that it could never happen. I carry copies of my prescriptions with me. I also travel with lots of OTC supplements (calcium, etc.) because I take very long trips, and no one has ever questioned those. To reduce bulk, all my prescription meds (tiny pills) are combined in a single prescription bottle--not the usual advice, and I would not do this with commonly-abused drugs. I carry the OTC pills in bottles of suitable size, not necessarily the original bottles; no doubt that's not the safest choice, but there have been no issues. I don't use ZIP Lock bags (the lightest, least bulky option) because I'm not sure that's suitable packaging for pills over the course of a 4-1/2 month trip.

Anyone have trouble with meds or OTCs such as melatonin, sudafed?

There can be issues with OTC meds. First, the brands you might like to use may not be available, so you might want to know the generic name, so maybe not Motrin IB, but Ibuprofen, or Acetaminophen for Tylenol.

In some countries Pseudoephedrine is controlled, but Sudaphed is available as that brand.

Melatonin however, is prescription only in the UK.

You will also need to go to a pharmacy (Chemist) for anything, you will not find it at grocery stores, convenience stores and other places like in the US.

I have never had problems with bringing medication into the UK. I always have labels from the bottle with the medicine.

My wife travelled with a lot of meds which were mostly in their original prescription bottles with no problem

I'm an insulin dependent diabetic. In June 2022 I was traveling home from Amsterdam through LHR carrying my insulin in a cold travel pack. I had used the cold travel pack throughout my five week trip and had traveled through five airports with no trouble. At Heathrow, my carry-on bag was scanned and selected for a hand search, where the cold pack was taken out of my bag. First I was asked to provide a prescription for my insulin which I had copied to my Iphone. That wasn't acceptable. Then I offered to take a shot while standing on the security line which was also rejected. I repeatedly enquired as to what the security concern was and didn't get an answer. I was quite livid with the security folks and expressed, forcefully, my objections. At that moment, two armed security guards intervened and I decided I needed to shut my mouth. It was the first time I saw a military grade machine gun up close and personal. The security agents confiscated my cold pack with five insulin pens (three were empty). Fortunately, I had an insulin pen stored in my blood-testing kit which was also in my carry-on bag which didn't draw the attention of the security agents, for reasons I didn't understand. So, I had a prescription copied on my phone (which was rejected) and my insulin cold travel pack was confiscated. I thought I was following the rules but apparently not.

I'm signed up for the 14 day best of England tour in the fall of 2023 and I'm concerned about how I need to travel with my insulin. Curious if anyone else has run into this problem and how you solved it? Thanks

sfgator, I would start a new thread with your question, maybe in the Transportation Forum. More people will see it and it will be easier for people to Search for a thread specific to insulin in the future.

It is expected in the UK that people with diabetes will be able to produce a letter from their doctor to show airline security which explains their needs and detailing the medication and all the equipment you need to treat diabetes. Particularly important for syringes, insulin, pumps, and continuous glucose monitoring devices. It might not be asked for every time. In any case they should be pointed out.