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Type 2 travel how to deal with meds

E

Emjay

Member
Messages
14
Location
Bristol
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi everyone after several years of having my head in the sand I have finally accepted that i have to do something about the diabetes so I now take my meds (metformin and gliclazide) eat a low carb diet and hey my HbA1c is normal in just 4 months.

So now I'm slimmer (10k) and fitter (aquarobics) and under control I'd like to have a gap year. I'm 57 and am planning on travelling but what do you do about medication when travelling like that? So far travel has been short enough to just take everything I need with me.
 
Where are you travelling to? Many places will allow purchase of drugs over the counter, provided you have a prescription, in your own name. In one place I know, they replaced prescription ear drops, just with the packaging (with the UK pharmacy label).

I'd also have a frank discussion with your GP. I am away from the UK for more than 90 days at present, and there are NHS implications to doing that, which makes sense to iron out before going. In most instances, provided you retain property, and intend to return, your GP is likely to be sympathetic, and indeed may see your gap year as a positive, in terms of lifestyle, to your condition. My GP is incredibly envious of the trip I am undertaking and wants to do the same as soon as he can afford to give it all up, so I have his support. I'm not on any medication, so obviously, I had no hurdles there.

If you are travelling in Europe, there are so many ways to deal,with this. But, having a chat with your GP is very worthwhile.

I hope you enjoy your big adventure.
 

Thank you for this. Hoping to do a round the world trip so will be in lots of conventional places visiting friends and relatives, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and America, Canada but hope to book some off the beaten track places too. Such as volunteer work in Tailand or Africa working in an environmental project and a health project. Also want to travel part of the silk road which will include rural China and then go to ??? i havent decided yet. Wondering about maintaining meds and testing strips was first issue i thought of tackling. Trip will be in about a year.
 
Metformin is a very cheap drug, and gliclazide isn't expensive either, in my view, so an option would be a private prescription, if your GP can't give you enough up front. Provided you have an adequately long expiry date, that shouldn't be an issue?

You will want to consider medical/long term travel insurance, vaccinations etc., so a preemptive chat with your GP is likely to be worthwhile. I would advise telling him how long you intend to be away from the UK, as ongoing entitlement to NHS services can be withdrawn in some circumstances. My GP was quite frank about both the official and his own personal interpretation of those guidelines, but did mention that some GPs could be quite radical.

From a personal perspective, I am finding this time away from business to be so very beneficial. Everyone should do it if they can! I may not go back,......... But don't tell my OH that, just yet.
 

Hello,
During in travel you need take utmost care of your wellness and must have to take your medicine on the time. If the dose is been missed then you must face some unwanted situation about your health which is not good...
 
You have two ways of looking at this. Although it is against the rules, you could just not tell your GP (although you may need to get injections as you are planning to visit areas where there are tropical diseases). Or you could try and put in place a way of getting your meds whilst abroad.

My surgery has an online ordering system and I just order what I want and the prescription gets sent to the pharmacy. If you are staying in any one place for a period of time, could you get someone to pick up the prescription for you and send it in the post to you?
 
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