what medication would you pack if you were going traveling?
Discussion
If we don’t know where you’re going it’s trickier.
Standard go to for me from time in dodgy places (some of these are prob just placebo)
Ibuprofen
Paracetamol
Imodium
Vitamin supplements (I eat less fruit/salad in places)
A probiotic to promote improved gut health
Pack of strepsils
Savlon dual antiseptic/ anaesthetic cream
You might want to think also about a first aid kit (again very dependent on where travelling too).
Standard go to for me from time in dodgy places (some of these are prob just placebo)
Ibuprofen
Paracetamol
Imodium
Vitamin supplements (I eat less fruit/salad in places)
A probiotic to promote improved gut health
Pack of strepsils
Savlon dual antiseptic/ anaesthetic cream
You might want to think also about a first aid kit (again very dependent on where travelling too).
GT03ROB said:
Other than prescription stuff, you'll get most stuff elsewhere & usually a lot cheaper....so not sure what the question really is!
Some stuff you find it hard to get anywhere else, like painkillers.that contain small amounts of codeine over the counter.Thats about the only non prescription stuff I pack.
captain_cynic said:
Some stuff you find it hard to get anywhere else, like painkillers…..
Just because thread seems general advice to OP, take a look at where you’re going & what they allow in their countries. Just because we can buy stuff or get prescribed it doesn’t mean you are ok to bring to other places. Quite potentially land yourself in bother.
I will no longer buy anti-malarials in the UK.
Earlier this year I just visited a pharmacy in Lusaka on arrival, and bought the correct medicine for the country for about £15. Here Boots wanted us all to go for a consultation before they would sell us any - which would have been >£150 for 4 of us for 4 weeks.
Earlier this year I just visited a pharmacy in Lusaka on arrival, and bought the correct medicine for the country for about £15. Here Boots wanted us all to go for a consultation before they would sell us any - which would have been >£150 for 4 of us for 4 weeks.
AndyAudi said:
captain_cynic said:
Some stuff you find it hard to get anywhere else, like painkillers…..
Just because thread seems general advice to OP, take a look at where you’re going & what they allow in their countries. Just because we can buy stuff or get prescribed it doesn’t mean you are ok to bring to other places. Quite potentially land yourself in bother.
Having travelled all over the world I've never been searched and for small amounts it'll just be confiscated. But you'll never be searched.
I've always found it odd that people will fret about medication but do things even more daft like riding motorcycles without a helmet without a second thought.
nvubu said:
I will no longer buy anti-malarials in the UK.
Earlier this year I just visited a pharmacy in Lusaka on arrival, and bought the correct medicine for the country for about £15. Here Boots wanted us all to go for a consultation before they would sell us any - which would have been >£150 for 4 of us for 4 weeks.
Malaria can take you down a rabbit hole of opinions.Earlier this year I just visited a pharmacy in Lusaka on arrival, and bought the correct medicine for the country for about £15. Here Boots wanted us all to go for a consultation before they would sell us any - which would have been >£150 for 4 of us for 4 weeks.
I had ex-pat Brits say not to worry, if you're a fit westerner and contract it you'll get better and isn't that bad anyway..... to others say you need to consult Professor Big b
ks in Harley Street for what you need.I went with advice of my GP and got the Boots stuff but should I enter a Malaria regions again, I think I'll do the local medicine thing. It seems to me that the only people who really know about it are those at the front line in the countries that have it.
StevieBee said:
Malaria can take you down a rabbit hole of opinions.
I had ex-pat Brits say not to worry, if you're a fit westerner and contract it you'll get better and isn't that bad anyway..... to others say you need to consult Professor Big bks in Harley Street for what you need.
I went with advice of my GP and got the Boots stuff but should I enter a Malaria regions again, I think I'll do the local medicine thing. It seems to me that the only people who really know about it are those at the front line in the countries that have it.
It certainly can be a warren of misinformation. Not helped by the fact that malaria exists in very different forms in different parts of the world. Generally I don't take anything, but did when I lived in Equatorial Guinea, simply because they had cerebral malaria. This can turn from the symptoms of flu or bad cold to being fatal in short order. I simply took doxy which was effective but cheap as chips compared to Malarone I had ex-pat Brits say not to worry, if you're a fit westerner and contract it you'll get better and isn't that bad anyway..... to others say you need to consult Professor Big b
ks in Harley Street for what you need.I went with advice of my GP and got the Boots stuff but should I enter a Malaria regions again, I think I'll do the local medicine thing. It seems to me that the only people who really know about it are those at the front line in the countries that have it.
i've also never bothered with anti-malarials, better to know the symptoms and where to get treated imho. did malarone once, would rather have malaria.
but i usually pack:
- vitamins [taken daily anyway, so continue to do so when travelling]
- naproxen [my go to painkiller of choice]
- antihistamine [to alleviate itching when bitten]
- decent antacid [i suffer from acid, especially with diet changes]
never bother with anything for dodgy guts, it doesn't help. if you're uncareful enough to get a mild dose it will go in a couple days and then you're good for the rest of the trip. if you've been very unlucky and its dysentery then masking the symptoms is about the worst thing you can do.
GT03ROB said:
Other than prescription stuff, you'll get most stuff elsewhere & usually a lot cheaper...
also agree with this. you'll usually find things OTC that you need a prescription for in UK, at about 10% of the price. but i usually pack:
- vitamins [taken daily anyway, so continue to do so when travelling]
- naproxen [my go to painkiller of choice]
- antihistamine [to alleviate itching when bitten]
- decent antacid [i suffer from acid, especially with diet changes]
never bother with anything for dodgy guts, it doesn't help. if you're uncareful enough to get a mild dose it will go in a couple days and then you're good for the rest of the trip. if you've been very unlucky and its dysentery then masking the symptoms is about the worst thing you can do.
captain_cynic said:
This is really one of those things you never need to worry about.
Having travelled all over the world I've never been searched and for small amounts it'll just be confiscated. But you'll never be searched.
I've always found it odd that people will fret about medication but do things even more daft like riding motorcycles without a helmet without a second thought.
Also fairly well travelled, OP hasn’t said where he’s going, some places I’ve been to everyone is searched, bags too. I have lost count the amount of times I’ve been patted down & pockets turned out etc Having travelled all over the world I've never been searched and for small amounts it'll just be confiscated. But you'll never be searched.
I've always found it odd that people will fret about medication but do things even more daft like riding motorcycles without a helmet without a second thought.
Banned Medicine is apparently more of an issue if in hand luggage/pockets. (Eg Don’t be taking a foil blister pack in a pocket with a heavy painkiller “just in case” & then walk through a metal detector…)
If medicines in hand luggage, keep in separate bag to liquids so you’re not bringing them out unnecessarily each time you go through a security point.
I wouldn’t ride a motorbike without a helmet either!
StevieBee said:
Malaria can take you down a rabbit hole of opinions.
Quite!Some stuffs not good interactions with alcohol, & some not good to be on long term.
Worth remembering mosquitoes don’t just spread Malaria…
Again depending on location mosquitoes can be managed locally & be few & far between, a good repellent like strong deet is my go to but …. It can damage fabrics & irritate skin so need to be careful.
If I’m outside I’m generally covered up & clothes impregnated with permethrin to kill anything that lands on me! (Prevention better than cure!)
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