Air travel/security/holidaying with meds - advice needed pls

[Ghostgummed]

Hi,
I'm about to book a long haul flight to Australia, my first flight since Type 2 diagnosis. I might stop off somewhere in Asia or Dubai for a day or two to break up the journey too, so would really appreciate some advice about flying and travelling with meds pls.

I'll need to take several month's supply of Victoza with me so assume that I'll need to buy/put the unopened pens, needles, meter, tablets etc in some kind of cooler bag for over 24 hours to keep it between 2-8C? Any cooler bag recommendations pls?

And is it best to declare my meds upfront with GP letter at check in desk and security from outset? Conscious of the 100ml liquid and sharps restrictions flying from UK, but not sure about Australia, Dubai and other countries. Would I need to put my current opened Victoza pen and needles in a clear plastic bag to present to security? Does anyone have any experience of this and airport security procedures/expectations pls?

When I get on the plane, presumably I let cabin crew know about the meds? And would I keep them all with me in hand luggage, not give it to staff to store in fridge?

Sharps container/s - can I take a portable one in hand luggage? Would I have to pay for extra sharps containers or to dispose of them in Aus? Just wondering whether to take an extra one with me in suitcase in the hold.

Time zones and meds adjustments - any tips pls?

Apologies if these seem stupid questions - would rather be prepared and not make rookie mistakes 😉

Many thanks for your help!

 

[Northerner]

Hi Ghostgummed, welcome to the forum 🙂

I haven't personally travelled abroad since diagnosis, but I would suggest getting a Bd Safe Clip to clip off the needle tips, then discard the remainder in normal rubbish. This would take far less space. Also, the most popular cool storage bags for pens are Frio Insulin Wallets. You should also keep all your Victoza in your hand luggage as it could freeze in the hold. And yes, it is best to present your GP letter and be open about the things you are carrying. Most airports are clued up these days so it's unlikely to be a problem 🙂

I'm sure others who have travelled to your destinations will be along to offer further advice soon 🙂

 

[Copepod]

Welcome Ghostgummed.

Best ask your GP or practice nurse to write a letter explaining your need to carry sharps, medication etc with you in the cabin. Note that they may charge for this letter, so ask for one that will cover travel after this trip.

Yes, strictly speaking, Victoza does count as liquid, but each pen contains less than 100ml, so you should be OK. For leaving UK, place in clear ziplock plastic bag and place this in tray to pass through X ray.

Your meter will not like being kept 2 - 8oC, especially as Frio bags are damp. Personally, I prefer to carry insulin cartridges in a stainless steel thermos flask, with no water to pass through security, but you'd need a wide necked soup flask to hold disposable pens. I wouldn't give it to cabin staff, as I prefer to have my medications near my hand, not have to rely on anyone else.

Even after clipping off sharp parts of needles, the remaining stubs are still considered clinical waste, so ideally you should carry a small sharps bin. Some airlines / airports have sharps disposal bins, so worth checking that for the ones you're using.

You'll need to check exact requirements with each airline and each country through which you pass. Requirements do change over time, so check officially, as what someone did when passing through eg Dubai 2 years ago, may no longer be relevant.

 

[qwertyfan]

Hi,
I've recently done some travelling, inc Dubai.... first thing I'd say is it's good to be prepared, and avoid the diabetic meal on the plane!
If you are going for several months, it might be better to make arrangements to get some meds in Australia rather than transporting them, just in case...
It's good to have a letter from your Doctor or Nurse, but I've actually stopped even drawing attention to the bag of stuff now....the security people aren't worried about it...it's not what they're looking for!
Enjoy the flight!

 

[Austin Mini]

Flew to New Zealand via Dubai and Melbourne last November. I had a letter from my DSN and a couple of my prescription requests just in case anything needed explaining. I took a sharps bin in my suitcase and during the flight just kept used needles in the protective cover in a bag. All insulin was in a frio bag in a plastic sealed bag. Security didnt want to know just waved me through. Dubai wernt interested either. Melbourne found my nail scissors in my toilet bag which I lost two years ago and was confiscated. No need to tell the cabin staff they are trained to deal with diabetics.
Frio bags, the large one, is best for insulin. Just keep it on top of your hand luggage between your feet under the seat in front of you as you will be needing your stuff whilst in the air.
We didnt stop over en route as its expensive and you still get jet lagged. We did it in one go. 7hrs to Dubai. 13 hrs to Melbourne then 3 hrs to Auckland. Try and sleep whenever you can. As you are travelling against the earths rotation nights are short on the outbound leg and very long coming home.
Remember to take travel insurance and check if your meds are avaliable in Aus. Your going to have a great time. The flight is fantastic.

 

[DeusXM]

I'll need to take several month's supply of Victoza with me so assume that I'll need to buy/put the unopened pens, needles, meter, tablets etc in some kind of cooler bag for over 24 hours to keep it between 2-8C? Any cooler bag recommendations pls?

I don't know about Victoza's specific storage conditions but it's anything like insulin, you can probably keep it at room temp for a month without any problems. No idea how long you're going for but unless it's several months, you won't need several months' supply. My personal rule of thumb is to take about three times as much as I would expect to need for the period I'll be away.

You won't need to keep pens, meters or tablets in any kind of cooler. The Frio bag recommended here is your best option, probably. NEVER use ice packs - for insulin, ice packs are absolutely fatal and I imagine it might be the same for Victoza.

And is it best to declare my meds upfront with GP letter at check in desk and security from outset? Conscious of the 100ml liquid and sharps restrictions flying from UK, but not sure about Australia, Dubai and other countries. Would I need to put my current opened Victoza pen and needles in a clear plastic bag to present to security? Does anyone have any experience of this and airport security procedures/expectations pls?

You can if you want but it really doesn't matter. The liquid restrictions AFAIK don't apply to medication, and neither do sharps. I just put my bag in through the x-ray. Sometimes I get called over so they can have a closer look, 90% of the time I just go through the same as anyone else. A GP letter is helpful to have but in 16 years of flying with diabetes (including Australia and Dubai) I've never once had to present it.

When I get on the plane, presumably I let cabin crew know about the meds? And would I keep them all with me in hand luggage, not give it to staff to store in fridge?

Up to you. I've never once told the cabin crew about any of my medication because it's not relevant. They've got 200-odd people on board, 170 of which probably won't turn off their phones or do up their seatbelts or put up their table until they're specifically told to. Keep all your medication with you - if it's in a cool bag, you don't need a fridge and you're only on the flight for 5-12 hours and your medication probably will keep at room temp for a month. And I personally would keep all my medication with my, accessible, at all times - that way I know where it is and can get it when I need it. NEVER check it into the hold - even if your baggage ends up at the same destination as you, things in the hold freeze, which is not good.

Sharps container/s - can I take a portable one in hand luggage? Would I have to pay for extra sharps containers or to dispose of them in Aus? Just wondering whether to take an extra one with me in suitcase in the hold.

Northerner's Safeclip is your friend here. It can hold YEARS worth of needles before you need to take it into a chemist for disposal.

Time zones and meds adjustments - any tips pls?

Not sure exactly how Victoza dosing works but if it's anything like taking a basal insulin, my advice would be to take it either a couple of hours earlier or later each day depending on the time zone you're travelling to. Otherwise you'll find you have to get up at a stupid time of night to take your dose.

Basically what I mean is take it at (assuming 6pm is your dose time) 6pm GMT one day, then 4pm GMT, then 2pm GMT etc. until you're taking it at a sensible time in your destination timezone. You may also want to start doing this a few days before you travel depending on the time and maths involved - but again, this is assuming you take Victoza like a basal insulin.

Importantly....relax! I know it seems like a big deal, but relatively speaking, diabetes on the plane is a relatively minor thing and security tend to be completely uninterested. If your average airport security worker has been in their job for 10 years, they've probably seen about 20 people with diabetes pass through every day, which means you will probably be around the 70,000th person they've had to deal with carrying needles and liquid.

Golden rules are no ice and keep your meds close. Follow that and you won't go far wrong.

 

[Annette]

I would suggest, if you're travelling with someone, you take all your medication through customs/security/whatnot, then split your meds into two sets, give one set to your travelling companion to carry through duration of travel. Then if one person's hand luggage goes missing (and it can happen!) you haven't lost all your meds.

 

[Ghostgummed]

Thanks!

Thanks for your advice, everyone...feel more prepared and looking forward to the trip now! 🙂

 

[missclb]

Hi Ghostgummed,

Totally agree with replies above, i just wanted to reiterate the Frio Wallets are brilliant – i live in Dubai and have a couple of them for when i go to the beach.

I used to carry a letter from my doc about my diabetes and subsequent needles, but no-one ever seemed to bother so i stopped carrying it and I also stopped offering up the info at check-in. I now just dutifully confirm no sharp objects. Really, they don’t care, they just want to get the plan loaded up and off the ground.

One thing I will point out (just in case you like to travel with strong pain killers) is that a lot of stuff that’s available over the counter in the UK could land you in trouble if you bring into Dubai. You’ll find a (long) list here http://www.uaeinteract.com/travel/drug.asp so it might be worth double checking.

On the plus side, in Dubai you can buy insulin without a prescription, if you do need any surplus stock!

Have a fab holiday!!! 😎

 

[trophywench]

Just wondering - if you have any of those on prescription in the UK - are you OK if found in possession of them - as long as you have the matching copy prescription?