Wednesday, November 26, 2008
When traveling this holiday season, don’t forget your meds
The holidays are just around the corner, which means many people will be traveling to visit friends, family members, and for some lucky folks, exotic sunny beaches.
Packing for a trip is usually a hectic time, but with some simple planning and preparation, you can safely pack your drugs and prevent any medication misadventures while away from home.
Many medications cause “photosensitivity”, or increase your body’s sensitivity to sunlight. Talk to your pharmacist about your medications to see if any of yours have this side effect. If they do, and you will be somewhere sunny, you will likely need to use a sunscreen with a high SPF (skin protection factor) to prevent sunburns.
If you are flying, keep your medications with you in your carry-on luggage. This way if the rest of your luggage is lost, you will still be able to take your medications when needed. You will also still have access to your medications in the event of long flight delays. Keep in mind that airport security requires that you keep your prescription medications in the original labeled containers that they were dispensed in from the pharmacy.
Take along more medication than the number of days you plan to be away. You do not want to miss out on a chance to extend your vacation, or put your health at risk if you do, because you ran out of medications. Also, make arrangements with your pharmacist for early refills if you need them. By telling your pharmacist ahead of time (and not the morning your flight leaves) they can often contact your insurance company to get an early refill approved at no additional cost to you.
If you do run out of medications while away there are a few things you can do. If you use one of the national chain pharmacies and they have a pharmacy at your destination, they will be able to dispense a refill to you. You can also call your doctor with the name and phone number of a nearby pharmacy and they may be able to call or fax a new prescription for you.
Finally, you can ask your home pharmacy to mail a refill to your destination or have a relative back home pick up your refill and mail it out to you.
If you are visiting pharmacies in foreign lands, beware of buying unfamiliar over-the-counter medications. Different countries have different medications available without a prescription. Some of the medications are also sold under different names and may not be what you expect.
Planning and packing your medications is every bit as important as that special gift for your niece or a good book to read on the beach. Ensuring you maintain your health by taking your medications as prescribed on vacation will help you get the most out of trip -- even if it’s to the in-laws.
Michael Smith is a pharmacist and Clinical Coordinator in the Department of Pharmacy Services at The William W. Backus Hospital. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. If you want to comment on this column or other health topics, go to the Healthy Living blog at backushospital.org or e-mail Smith and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
Packing for a trip is usually a hectic time, but with some simple planning and preparation, you can safely pack your drugs and prevent any medication misadventures while away from home.
Many medications cause “photosensitivity”, or increase your body’s sensitivity to sunlight. Talk to your pharmacist about your medications to see if any of yours have this side effect. If they do, and you will be somewhere sunny, you will likely need to use a sunscreen with a high SPF (skin protection factor) to prevent sunburns.
If you are flying, keep your medications with you in your carry-on luggage. This way if the rest of your luggage is lost, you will still be able to take your medications when needed. You will also still have access to your medications in the event of long flight delays. Keep in mind that airport security requires that you keep your prescription medications in the original labeled containers that they were dispensed in from the pharmacy.
Take along more medication than the number of days you plan to be away. You do not want to miss out on a chance to extend your vacation, or put your health at risk if you do, because you ran out of medications. Also, make arrangements with your pharmacist for early refills if you need them. By telling your pharmacist ahead of time (and not the morning your flight leaves) they can often contact your insurance company to get an early refill approved at no additional cost to you.
If you do run out of medications while away there are a few things you can do. If you use one of the national chain pharmacies and they have a pharmacy at your destination, they will be able to dispense a refill to you. You can also call your doctor with the name and phone number of a nearby pharmacy and they may be able to call or fax a new prescription for you.
Finally, you can ask your home pharmacy to mail a refill to your destination or have a relative back home pick up your refill and mail it out to you.
If you are visiting pharmacies in foreign lands, beware of buying unfamiliar over-the-counter medications. Different countries have different medications available without a prescription. Some of the medications are also sold under different names and may not be what you expect.
Planning and packing your medications is every bit as important as that special gift for your niece or a good book to read on the beach. Ensuring you maintain your health by taking your medications as prescribed on vacation will help you get the most out of trip -- even if it’s to the in-laws.
Michael Smith is a pharmacist and Clinical Coordinator in the Department of Pharmacy Services at The William W. Backus Hospital. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. If you want to comment on this column or other health topics, go to the Healthy Living blog at backushospital.org or e-mail Smith and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
# posted by ----------------- @ 2:07 PM 
