The dangers of travelling with medicines
The BBC has reported that holidaymakers are being warned to check travel advice on medicines to avoid being penalised.
Medicines that may be commonly prescribed in some countries are ‘controlled drugs’ in others, according to the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). For example, certain cold remedies are banned in Japan and some sleeping pills require a licence in Singapore. The FCO said that travellers could face a fine or even imprisonment if they break the rules.
Last November, a British woman was detained in Egypt for carrying Tramadol, which is a controlled drug there. She claimed she had no idea she was doing anything wrong, but this didn’t help her case and she was sentenced to three years in prison. This stands as a cautionary tale for travellers to know and abide by the medication rules of different countries.
However, the BBC said that a survey of 2,000 adults in the UK found that only 33 per cent would seek advice on medication rules before they travel. The FCO’s advice for travellers is to visit their GP at least four to six weeks before their holiday to check if any of their prescribed medication contains ‘controlled drugs’.
Travel Health Pro’s tips for travelling with medicine are for travellers to carry medicines in their correctly labelled container in hand luggage, carry a letter from the prescriber that details the medicines with their generic names, and take out an appropriate level of travel health insurance.