Medicines ...

[caminogypsy16]

I need some guidance ... I have need to self administer (injection) a drug every two weeks. I now have a small bottle of the drug and the requisite needles. Two questions ... 1) does anyone have a similar experience and if so, can I board a plane in the states and with a foreign destination? ... or 2) can I bring the medicine and purchase needles in Spain?

 

[amorfati1]

Ola'
Not currently traveling w/ meds and siringes/needles, but when i did, across continents, i had a doctors note with me (signed and stamped) and describing in medical/latin terms why this is needed (no gory details, just outlining basics, dosage, frequency, etc). and that usually did the trick. never caused any issues.
other option might be you get that same 'note' in english, perhaps have it translated to spanish, and then enquire about it in the farmacia and you get needles etc there.
buen camino!

edit for clarification:
stating that latin terms would help, i meant of course the medical term, not the entire note.
i.e. instead of just writing
High Bloodpressure - add "hypertension", or
ear-infection - add "otitis media"
any properly trained medical staff anywhere in the world will recognize this. (or perhaps i am just endlessly naive with that presumption ...)

 

[caminogypsy16]

Ola'
Not currently traveling w/ meds and siringes/needles, but when i did, across continents, i had a doctors note with me (signed and stamped) and describing in medical/latin terms why this is needed (no gory details, just outlining basics, dosage, frequency, etc). and that usually did the trick. never caused any issues.
other option might be you get that same 'note' in english, perhaps have it translated to spanish, and then enquire about it in the farmacia and you get needles etc there.
buen camino!

Thank you ... very helpful. We'll see if Latin is still in use by MDs.

 

[oursonpolaire]

A better idea, as I mentioned in another thread, is to have the doctor draw up a diagnostic and treatment protocol, and then have it taken to a professional medical translator (no google translate!! no grade XII teacher!!!) who will put it into Castilian for you. My pharmacist father occasionally had to fill in a Latin prescription (brought to Canada by Soviet Jews in the 1970s) but I would be surprised if Latin were current among practitioners (hell's bells! I had to tell my 32-year-old GP what t.i.d. meant, although my Romanian pharmacist had no problem).

 

[SYates]

You could also check if your medicine is readily available in Spain and bring a prescription (see previous posts) and buy it there, saving you the hassle of the border controls. Buen Camino, SY

 

[pudgypilgrim]

I traveled last fall with both vials of medicine and syringes and nobody at the airport even asked to examine them. Just be sure you have an official pharmacy label and container, at least till you get to Europe. Then you can repack it smaller if you want.

ETA I was walking in France rather than Spain, but I did ask the pharmacienne and was told that while they don't sell syringes if I had the medicine vial and prescription they would give me the injection there. I didn't think to ask about just bringing in the prescription, was just thinking about how much space syringes take up.

 

[caminogypsy16]

A better idea, as I mentioned in another thread, is to have the doctor draw up a diagnostic and treatment protocol, and then have it taken to a professional medical translator (no google translate!! no grade XII teacher!!!) who will put it into Castilian for you. My pharmacist father occasionally had to fill in a Latin prescription (brought to Canada by Soviet Jews in the 1970s) but I would be surprised if Latin were current among practitioners (hell's bells! I had to tell my 32-year-old GP what t.i.d. meant, although my Romanian pharmacist had no problem).

T.I.D? ... new to me. Obviously my two years of HS Latin weren't enough. Three times a day ... per Google!
TSA regs OK with meds yet syringes/needles aren't mentioned.
Thanks for your response ...helpful.

 

[caminogypsy16]

I traveled last fall with both vials of medicine and syringes and nobody at the airport even asked to examine them. Just be sure you have an official pharmacy label and container, at least till you get to Europe. Then you can repack it smaller if you want.

ETA I was walking in France rather than Spain, but I did ask the pharmacienne and was told that while they don't sell syringes if I had the medicine vial and prescription they would give me the injection there. I didn't think to ask about just bringing in the prescription, was just thinking about how much space syringes take up.

This approach, including a translated prescription, will work if TSA confiscates the syringes.

Thank you for the info.

 

[caminogypsy16]

You could also check if your medicine is readily available in Spain and bring a prescription (see previous posts) and buy it there, saving you the hassle of the border controls. Buen Camino, SY

Good idea ... I'll carry the meds/equipment, the pharmacy issued paperwork plus an English and Spanish prescription. One of them will work.

Thanks for the idea.