Top 10 Tips for Traveling With a Medical Condition

Check the Legality of Your Medicines in Your Destination Country Before You Go

This doesn’t apply if you take Tylenol (acetaminophen) and you are just popping over to Canada. But it does apply if you take prescription narcotic analgesics of any sort (ie, hydrocodone or codeine-containing medicines), require needles or syringes, or take medications for anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders. Some countries even have restrictions on sedating antihistamines, seizure medications, or hormonal contraceptives.

Take no more than you need for the trip, include a letter from your doctor, the original prescription, and keep all medicines in their original container with the label attached. Find out the laws from your destination country’s embassy or call the TSA toll free number at 1-855-787-2227 for further advice.

Needing Assistance Or Have Medicines Requiring Refrigeration?

If you require wheelchair assistance, are visually impaired, or have another medical condition that warrants preboarding, call the TSA Cares Help line, toll-free on 1-855-787-2227 at least 72 hours prior to traveling with all your questions about screening policies and what to expect at the checkpoint. This will give the TSA time to coordinate checkpoint support when necessary.

Travelers carrying medicines that require refrigeration on long haul flights will also need to prearrange cold storage for the flight. Carry your medicine in a separate bag ready to hand to the flight attendant when boarding the plane.

Adjust Your Medication Schedule to Account for Time-Zone Changes

If it has taken a while to get your medical condition under control, then naturally you don't want to rock the boat when traveling. The last thing you want is to suffer a seizure or a clot because you forgot to take a dose of your medicine. Anybody taking medicines such as insulin, warfarin, or anti-seizure agents that need to be taken on a strict schedule should be especially careful when crossing time zones.

How much you need to change your medication schedule depends on how far you are traveling, and for how long. If you are just traveling from the East to the West coast of the U.S., for example, you may be able to keep to a similar schedule or just gradually adjust the timing of your dosages over a few days.

For people traveling further abroad, talk to your doctor a few months out from your holiday. A different formulation of your medication may be available, allowing you to take it less often during the day. This makes adjusting to time zones a whole lot easier, and reduces the chance of missing a dose.

If you have to take medications twice, or even three times daily, keep a written list of all your medications and how often you normally take them. Use the hours to your destination rather than the time of day to work out how many doses you will need during your flight, and check off when you have taken a dose. You may need to gradually adjust the dose by a hour or so each day to make it easier to fit in with the time zone of your new destination. Have a written plan that you have discussed with your doctor as well as a daily marked pill box to keep track of your medicine. When you are jet-lagged it can be impossible to remember if you did actually take your medicine or not!

Make Sure You Are Well on Your Day of Travel

You’ve planned this holiday for weeks. Work is up-to-date, the pets have been farmed out to various places, and your neighbor is collecting your mail.

The last thing you want is to be turned away at the airport because you are unwell or have symptoms of COVID-19. But airlines have a right to refuse boarding if they suspect you may adversely affect the welfare or comfort of other passengers or if you are likely to need special medical attention or equipment during the flight. Check any requirements of the airline you are travelling with or the country you are visiting with regards to COVID-19 as these are always changing.

Always visit your doctor a few weeks before you travel for a thorough medical check. Take out travel insurance, ensure your vaccinations are up-to-date well before you travel, and don’t be afraid to postpone your trip if you are not 100 percent.

Be Prepared to Answer Questions About Medicines at Airports/Borders

Although customs officers see hundreds of people daily with medical conditions, they still want to check your identity.

Make sure you know enough about your condition and medicines so that you can clearly and confidently answer basic questions. Have your doctor’s phone number on hand just in case, or get him to write a letter as support.

Call the TSAs toll free number (1-855-787-2227) at least 72 hours before traveling to find out more about screening policies, procedures and what to expect at security checkpoints.

Put Your Must-Take Medicines in Your Carry-On Luggage

You’ve just got off your 12 hour flight; unkempt, exhausted, and ready for bed.

Sixty minutes later you’re still standing by the luggage carousel, watching the same little blue bag go round and round, and it isn’t yours!

Always, always, carry your must-take medicines with you in your carry on luggage as it can take days to be reunited with lost baggage.

This also applies to important medical devices, such as nebulizers; CPAP, BiPAP or APAP machines. These can be carried in your on-board luggage but must be removed from their carrying case and undergo X-ray screening. Facemasks and tubing may remain in the case. You may provide a clear plastic bag to place the device through the X-ray.

Tylenol May Not Be Called Tylenol in Your Destination Country

Branded medicines are often called different names abroad. For example, the brand of acetaminophen called Tylenol is better known as paracetamol (or Panadol) in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

If you are unable to take enough medicine to last the duration of your trip then ask your pharmacist or doctor to check which comparable brand names are available in your destination country before you go.

Ensure Your Travel Health Insurance Covers Medication Costs

Prescription drugs can be expensive. Even more so if you have a rare condition.

What is expensive in the U.S. is likely to be just as expensive in other countries. Make sure your travel insurance also covers the cost of your medications, and keep a copy of your travel insurance with you at all times while abroad.

Ask For Help From the Local United States Consulate If Necessary

If you are seriously ill or injured and need more help than your travel insurance company can give you, try ringing the local United States consulate for assistance.

They may be able to help locate appropriate medical services, transfer funds on your behalf, and inform your family or friends if need be. However, payment of hospital and other expenses remains your responsibility.