Travelling with a chronic illness

I'm not sure about how easy it is in Europe to fill a prescription but in Mexico you can walk into any pharmacia and get almost any type of prescribed drug or medication you want. I've done it.

For your travel to Europe, you can take your liquid prescription or any other prescribed substance on board with your carry-on. If your name is on the label, the TSA won't bother you. They are quite tolerant on prescription drugs and medications as long as your name is on the label. I take a few with me in my travels and I've never been challenged.

I've traveled for years with all my diabetic supplies. Never had a problem. The prescription meds that we need don't count as liquids relative to TSA regulations. Everything should be in its own proper labeled container. I have been told that I can and should take prescriptions with me which I do on occasion, but I've never needed to fill anything overseas.

I do however carry everything with me that I could need and more. I keep it all with me in my carryon luggage.

Have a great trip.

The standard advice about prescription medications is not to put it in checked baggage. I realize it's bulky, so maybe you feel you need to check it--but the standard advice you always see is: don't put medications you really need in checked baggage.

I agree. DO NOT put it in your checked baggage, I had that happen...baggage was lost, and I would have been in really bad shape but we managed to get a prescription over the phone (but I was in the states). Ive flew recently and totally spaced out and put a big thing of contact solution in my carry on, way over 3oz, and when they pulled it out i said "oh crap im sorry i forgot blah blah" and they were like "no no its okay, its personal medication..." so like everyone said, you would be perfectly fine bringing it on your carry on, considering i brought a giant bottle of contact solution.

Also make sure your med is available in Europe. I take a specific medication that is not available outside the U.S. Therefore, when I travel, I not only take extra, but in separate containers in case one is lost.

Bring a copy of your prescription and a letter from yourr doctor stating you are traveling with the meds. It's not necessarily required, but makes life easier should you come up against a TSA person who is clueless.

Do carry all your med with you. Do not put them in your checked bags. Make sure they are in a zippered carry on. I recommend not letting anyone else in your party put stuff in your carry on for any reason. One time my nephew put some games in my carry on and when he went to play with one of hand held video games, my medication must of fallen out on the plane. I went back to lost and found and they told me they just throw stuff like that out. Too much checked luggage is delayed or lost nowdays. Everything I read says to keep all meds with you.

My medication cannot be broken up into separate bottles. They come in a package of 7 bottles that are sealed and to be used as a single dose. Each "set" of 7 is in a foiled sealed envelope, and then inside a box. Hard to explain, but the box is probably the size of a letter sized paper, so you might now understand why I usually put them in checked luggage. For a month I would need at least four of these boxes.

Have you checked with your airline? If you are forced to check the bottles, then they might have special procedures for checking and tracking these types of life sustaining items. They never seem to lose the medical equipment, wheelchairs or walkers...

As for carrying them on, having a doctors typed letter with details of the medication, dosage and how important it is for your health can help. I travelled through Heathrow with 40 days worth of liquid medication (granted not quite as much as you) as well as pills a few days after the liquid scare in 2006 with no problems. I didn't have a problem a couple of weeks later in Pisa and again Heathrow (and no problems since then either in the US or Europe). In Europe, the security agents call their supervisor over and with a quick glance at the letter they just yell to everyone else to let me through and scan my medicines.

Julie, thank you. I will do that.

Always take your medication with you plus an extra 7 day supply incase of delayed or extented travel. It's also wise to carry a prescription with generic drug names. Ask your Pharmacist to label two or even three separate smaller bottles for you instead of just one. They are more compact to carry and you have a back-up if the bottle goes missing. A good Pharmacist won't mind doing this for you.

Definately carry your meds on board the Aircraft. You may need them. Medical First Responders (i.e. Flight Attendant(s) assisting you in a Medical Emergency) may want to see them. Ensure you keep them in their originally labelled containers with the Pharmacy label. The label contains vital information called "the 5 Rights of Medication" that First Responders look for.

It's also helpful to carry a Business Card of your Doctor/Pharmacy with their fax number.

A very good and important question...As a Health Care Provider(EMS) and IC F/A I appreciate it! :-) Makes my job easier when travellers are well educated about these things!

Safe Travels,

F/A

The questions for all of us are 1) Can you afford to be without your medication? and 2) Do you trust your airline's baggage handlers (or anyone else for that matter) to manage your medication for you?

Carry on and you'll be fine. The doctor's letter and prescription may help as an explanation.

Enjoy your travels.