Airplanes and insulin needles?

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Lauren95

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi everyone, thinking a bit far ahead, but I'm going away in July and I just wondered how things work regarding insulin pen needles and airport security? Do I have to declare them beforehand somehow? If so how would I go about doing this? I'll be going through probably gatwick or stansted if that helps at all. Also I'm not on Novorapid yet, only Lantus, but there's a possibility they may start me on that by that time (I already have the prescription for it and it's currently sitting in my fridge just in case). Will I have to get a freezer bag or something to transport the novorapids? I don't know how long they can be out of the fridge for before you have to use them or chuck them.

Many thanks in advance 🙂
 
Insulin can be out of the fridge for 28 days so that's no problem as long as you can keep it cool once you arrive at your destination. Don't pack it in your suitcase though as it may freeze in the hold and that will render it useless!

Always keep all diabetes stuff in your hand baggage. You can get a letter from your GP or diabetes nurse explaining why you need to carry sharps and liquids, take a copy of your prescription as well just in case you are unlucky and get a bit of a jobsworth. To be honest airport security staff are well used to seeing diabetics so will probably not be very interested at all!
 
I carried bottles of Humulin - S and Humulin - I and a bag of 10 X 1ml insulin syringes in my hand luggage on flights to Europe, America and South America without declaring them and never got any adverse reaction from airport security this side or the other side of my flights. I am unaware unfortunately of the requirements for your own particular insulin regarding refrigeration but my own Humulin was just in the cardboard boxes that they come in in hand luggage on the plane and pug in refrigerators at my relative destinations.
 
If you get yourself a Frio pouch, (you soak them and they work by evaporation) and store your pens and insulin in it, it keeps them much cooler then the ambient temperature of a stuffy overheated plane/ airport, or wherever.
I've always taken a copy of my prescription and a doctor's letter, but I've never been asked for either. ( My Diabetes nurse wrote me a letter, and made it open ended so I can use it for any travel in future. The first time I travelled after diagnosis, I asked my GP for one, and she put the specific dates in, which meant it was only useful for one trip, and charged me £10 for the privilege)
 
Hi novorapid can b out the fridge for 28 days then you have to throw it, have u thought of frio bags to help keep at temp, I've got 2 one for my two pens which r not in the fridge and one for the 3 ml cartridges which are kept in the fridge. I'm on novorapid and humulin I . U must keep insulin with u in hand luggage, never put in hold luggage it freezes really easily. Have good hols
Jo
 
Airport security have always asked at check in whether you are carrying any sharps in your hand luggage? I have always answered Yes I am! - and nobody has ever ever queried why or what! Quite disappointing really, always willing to show my doctor's letter, never had the opportunity.

But there again - we haven't flown anywhere for the last 6 years!
 
This sounds good, and like a lot less hassle than I expected! I thought I'd have to fill out precheck-in paperwork or something! Thank you for the advice everyone, and I think I'll have a look at getting a freezer pouch just in case 🙂 Even if I'm not on the novorapid yet before I leave it's probably a good investment for the future anyway, and I'd just bring my Lantus pen with me in my normal carry-on bag 😛
 
Im not on insulin but my doctor gave me a letter to cover me for my test kit and lancets, his words were 'just in case you get an arse of a security person!'
 
I've never had a problem - just tell security that I have insulin and pen needles in my bag 🙂 Carry insulin in hand luggage, it'll freeze in the hold, and make sure you take spare insulin cartridges in case anything happens to the ones you are using 🙂
 
If you attend a diabetes clinic, then it's worth contacting specialist nurse there, as they will usually write a letter, not specific to a specific trip, withiut charge. It's fairer to give them at least a few days to write the letter for you to collect or post - providing an SAE is a kind touch, if logistics permit. Strictly speaking, you need to place any liquid eg insulin cartridges, in a clear ziplock bag of regulation size, so that they can be "sniffed". Personally, I prefer to carry a small 0.5 litre stainless steel vacuum flask to keep cartrisdges cool. Obviously, it has to be empty of water when passing through airport control, but you can refill with cold tap water once through. This provides better physical protection against knocks, as well as extremes of temperature, than a Frio bag, plus, much cheaper. Most supermarkets sell them for around £5.
 
Funnily enough the only time we've been on a foreign holiday since diagnosis, the only thing the airport staff were interested in was the Frio bag! I guess whatever gel is inside it must have looked a bit funny on their scanner, especially with bottle shapes inside. However as soon as I started explaining what it was they immediately lost interest and didn't even want to look inside.
 
I'm not surprised to hear that, Sally71. It's basically a bag of gel containing small containers of liquid. Fortunately, less than 100ml of gel, so it is permitted.
 
I have never had a problem and don't even bother to declare the insulin stuff but would if the X-ray scanner showed a query but it never has.
 
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