Travelling with medication

[Pot Bellied Fool]

In this post-Brexit World, I'm struggling to find much info on what - if anything - I need to carry some medications with me on holidays?

I was fine till last year but now find myself on industrial quantities of meds. Statins, heart stuff & metformin type stuff.

They'll go in hand luggage and I have the NHS App so can show they're prescribed but am I likely to need any other documentation other than that? Some people have said to get a Doctor's Letetr but don't want the hassle of arranging that if it's not actually needed.

Off to Spaon in August (really need this holiday after the last year!) and New York next year which I suspect may be a more challenging journey.

[Red9zero]

I normally take sufficient for the trip in my daily pill boxes and then a new, unopened box of each med too. It does add up, as I am on nine different meds so takes up a lot of space, but in the event of being pulled by the authorities or even an unexpected hospital visit, I have them with me. I also pack them separately to the daily pill boxes in case anything gets lost. This was the advice given to me when my meds started increasing, although I have never had any problems.

[captain_cynic]

Red9zero said:

I normally take sufficient for the trip in my daily pill boxes and then a new, unopened box of each med too. It does add up, as I am on nine different meds so takes up a lot of space, but in the event of being pulled by the authorities or even an unexpected hospital visit, I have them with me. I also pack them separately to the daily pill boxes in case anything gets lost. This was the advice given to me when my meds started increasing, although I have never had any problems.

Never once been asked to show evidence for any medication I've carried across a border. Commercially packaged stuff doesn't even warrant a look.

Just take what you'd need for the trip.

[croyde]

Don't do what I did.

Took prescribed codeine tablets in my bag for a job in Qatar.

Jail time there, if caught

As for Europe I just have a copy of my prescription. More for if I need extra really.

[Red9zero]

captain_cynic said:

Never once been asked to show evidence for any medication I've carried across a border. Commercially packaged stuff doesn't even warrant a look.

Just take what you'd need for the trip.

Neither have I, in fact I'm more worried about our illicit bacon being discovered I had my car and contents pulled apart by Spanish customs a long time ago and everything was queried, so I am a bit more cautious than I probably should be.

[Pot Bellied Fool]

Thanks folks.

It's taking me a while to enter all my details for insurance quotes now though - that's a downside I hadn't considered!

[Red9zero]

Pot Bellied Fool said:

Thanks folks.

It's taking me a while to enter all my details for insurance quotes now though - that's a downside I hadn't considered!

Every year there`s another condition to add too

[Road2Ruin]

Pot Bellied Fool said:

Thanks folks.

It's taking me a while to enter all my details for insurance quotes now though - that's a downside I hadn't considered!

On that note, the cheapest I found with medical conditions, was the post office.

[geeks]

croyde said:

Don't do what I did.

Took prescribed codeine tablets in my bag for a job in Qatar.

Jail time there, if caught

As for Europe I just have a copy of my prescription. More for if I need extra really.

I once got back from a trip to Saudi and discovered some in my bag that I forgot where in there, made my stomach drop to realise what could have happened had they been found in a random bag search

[ffc]

Pot Bellied Fool said:

In this post-Brexit World, I'm struggling to find much info on what - if anything - I need to carry some medications with me on holidays?

I was fine till last year but now find myself on industrial quantities of meds. Statins, heart stuff & metformin type stuff.

They'll go in hand luggage and I have the NHS App so can show they're prescribed but am I likely to need any other documentation other than that? Some people have said to get a Doctor's Letter but don't want the hassle of arranging that if it's not actually needed.

Off to Spaon in August (really need this holiday after the last year!) and New York next year which I suspect may be a more challenging journey.

I travel regularly with a very similar list of medication to you. I have three of those "7 day pill cases" that have multiple compartments per day, so three weeks worth of medication. I put one in each suitcase and one in my carry on. The only documentation I carry are photographs of the actual medication packaging on my phone. I've never been stopped or queried for carrying them. I was on a cruise earlier this year where the drug count for the passengers would have exceeded the payload of a columbian drug submarine. No one had any issues with carrying their medication for the trip.

Edited by ffc on Friday 4th July 21:22

Edited by ffc on Friday 4th July 21:22

[Mr_J]

Mrs J and I had a European city break whilst in the middle of an IVF cycle a few years ago. We travelled with syringes and a plethora of drugs in our hand luggage. We were prepared with paperwork from our consultant but we were never asked to provide any explanation yet alone show any paperwork.

[Patio]

captain_cynic said:

Red9zero said:

I normally take sufficient for the trip in my daily pill boxes and then a new, unopened box of each med too. It does add up, as I am on nine different meds so takes up a lot of space, but in the event of being pulled by the authorities or even an unexpected hospital visit, I have them with me. I also pack them separately to the daily pill boxes in case anything gets lost. This was the advice given to me when my meds started increasing, although I have never had any problems.

Never once been asked to show evidence for any medication I've carried across a border. Commercially packaged stuff doesn't even warrant a look.

Just take what you'd need for the trip.

Me too

Got a couple of prescription drugs in hand luggage and never questioned

Landed in Rome today and not an issue.....biggest problem is the bloody temperature!

[LuS1fer]

My partner is on many drugs to control pain, including Zapain, antihistamines and for IBS. She always has a bag of loose pills and capsules in her hand luggage. I carry statins, omeprazole, paracetamol, ibuprofen and antihistamines, again I loose or in foil strips. They go through the X-ray machine without question or query.

I go on holiday about 6 times a year so that's 12 times a year they go through.

[croyde]

As they say, once we hit 50 we rattle when shook

I've got a shelf in my kitchen that's better stocked than Boots.

[Kuwahara]

croyde said:

Don't do what I did.

Took prescribed codeine tablets in my bag for a job in Qatar.

Jail time there, if caught

As for Europe I just have a copy of my prescription. More for if I need extra really.

Had the same situation in the UAE , wife had codeine based pain killers when we were staying with friends , advised to bin them and not try and go through the airport on the return home…scary stuff..!!

Also said that a covering letter from your doctor won’t wash its zero tolerance policy no exceptions…!!

[Peanut130]

i keep all pills in there blister packs and boxes then put them into the pill boxes when i get to the hotel just in case . That way i can prove what they are and my name is on the box

[shirt]

geeks said:

croyde said:

Don't do what I did.

Took prescribed codeine tablets in my bag for a job in Qatar.

Jail time there, if caught

As for Europe I just have a copy of my prescription. More for if I need extra really.

I once got back from a trip to Saudi and discovered some in my bag that I forgot where in there, made my stomach drop to realise what could have happened had they been found in a random bag search

Nothing would have happened. You can get it on prescription. Same with amphetamines.

[98elise]

captain_cynic said:

Red9zero said:

I normally take sufficient for the trip in my daily pill boxes and then a new, unopened box of each med too. It does add up, as I am on nine different meds so takes up a lot of space, but in the event of being pulled by the authorities or even an unexpected hospital visit, I have them with me. I also pack them separately to the daily pill boxes in case anything gets lost. This was the advice given to me when my meds started increasing, although I have never had any problems.

Never once been asked to show evidence for any medication I've carried across a border. Commercially packaged stuff doesn't even warrant a look.

Just take what you'd need for the trip.

Thats what I do. I take them in their original boxes and have had no issues.

Its not going to be an unusual situation for customs.

[DFNorfolk]

I’m a type 1 diabetic so when I travel I have “pre packed” syringes which need a needle so I’m carrying those too. I use to carry a letter from my GP to say why I was carrying them, and I’ve been to quite a few places such as Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, but I’ve never needed to use the letter for those just been waved through.

However when I lived in Australia I got stopped a few times when coming back from the UK for them to swab everything for illegal drugs. The worse one was an almighty row at Milan airport after I’d checked in, shown the letter, and then got stopped at security and being told I had to go back to check in as check in hadn’t noted they’d seen the letter.

Not bloody likely, eventually my girlfriend pointed out the likely reason I was getting so cross was because my blood sugars were low so they got me a can of coke and sent me my way.

[Arrivalist]

I’ve travelled with meds for years to all parts and never had an issue.