Travelling with medication

Taking regular medication shouldn’t stop people from going on holiday, but it’s important you can provide customers with the following advice:

• Plan at least 2-3 months ahead of their trip to ensure they take enough medication to cover the time away – always pack extra medication in the event of unforeseen circumstances e.g., lost luggage or flight delays. Encourage them to inform you (the pharmacy team) and give sufficient notice if they need extra medication for their trip.
• Prior to departure, check with the airline if regular medication and equipment can be carried in hand luggage. Keep a copy of the prescription (repeat slip) in the event the luggage goes missing.
• It’s wise to check the rules for taking medication outside the UK, including over the counter (OTC) medicines.
• Checking the expiry dates on the packaging and that they are still valid to use during their time away and advise to always carry the original packaging (which includes the label and a patient information leaflet).
• If taking a controlled medication or injecting equipment abroad, check with the GP if they need a letter to confirm the medication they are carrying.
• Ask the pharmacist for advice if the patient is carrying medication which needs to be stored below room temperature (20 degrees Centigrade / Celsius) or in the fridge. If not sure of temperature storage requirements, ask anyway. Remember the customer may be going to a very hot and / or humid country so storage advice may well be necessary.
• The NHS Taking Medications Abroad website gives useful advice to health professionals and patients with regards to taking medications abroad.
• Some countries have extensive lists of medications that are not permitted e.g., India, Turkey, Pakistan and United Arab Emirates and can be checked with the individual country embassies. Contacts at Foreign Embassies in the UK may help if the pharmacist is unable to assist.