medications

Taking your Medication Abroad

Are you planning a trip to a foreign country? If so, one of the things that you need get sorted (aside from your accommodation, Visa and passport) is your medication needs. After all, you would not want to risk an illness right in the middle of your holiday. Not only would it be awful to ruin your trip, you would risk more expenses as there are some medications that are expensive in foreign countries.

Health Kit

With that in mind, you should think about organising a health kit. This would comprise of prescription and over-the-counter medications for any problems. Take into consideration the length of travel and the destination that you are headed to in determining the amount of medication you’ll take.

There’s no assurance that your travel will run smoothly. You could find yourself stuck in another country for several days, so bringing extra medications is highly recommended. For instance, bring more pills for diabetes, or for your arthritic pain that you could use in case you get stuck in an airport for a day or two.

There are several medications that you should pack in the health kit. Pills like dimenhydrinate should help relieve motion sickness, while painkillers like ibuprofen and parecetomol can also ease the pain caused by headaches.

You should also bring mild laxatives as constipation could become a problem because of the different foods you are likely to eat. Antifungal ointment like Tinactin must also be in your health kit especially if you are to spend much of your holiday outdoors.

Prescription Medications

You likewise need to be conscious of any prescription medications given to you by your doctor. You should pay your doctor a visit before your trip to discuss how much medication you will need to take with you, and when to take it in countries with different time zones.

You should also ask your doctor for advice about vaccinations and other relevant medicine for different countries, like malaria pills.
If you take a lot of medication, make a list of all their names (brand and generic). Keep it somewhere safe as this will make it easier for you to find replacements if you run out or lose your health kit. It will also help if you have to be taken into hospital suddenly.

Keep all this in mind when travelling to a foreign country. Your holiday will be a memorable experience but you don’t want it to be for the wrong reasons, like a trip to the hospital. Travelling with medical conditions shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying yourself, but make sure you have decent travel insurance to protect you and your wallet if you start feeling unwell.