Taking pain relief tablets during travel – what you should know ?

It can be hard to fall asleep if you are a regular traveller. Transitioning from one time zone to another can take a toll on your sleep pattern but if you suffer from chronic pain, relaxing on long flights can prove challenging.

Even though pain relief tablets can alleviate your pain and ensure you get a good night’s sleep, they can be a bit hard to handle if you don’t know what to expect, and not prepared beforehand. The following are some travel tips you should consider if you need to take this medication during a trip;

• When you have chronic pain you may not have as much fun on a trip as you want to, but even if you take pain relief medication, you might have difficulty getting them into another country. The rules for medication differ when you are travelling abroad so make sure you check out those regulations beforehand. Do you really want to leave your medication behind?

• If you are travelling within the US, then the process for taking your medication is quite straightforward. All chronic pain tablets and opioids are allowed on flights in the States in carry-on luggage. This includes prescription and over the counter medication in liquid, gel and aerosol form for medical purposes. You can bring as many pain relief medications as you need with you but it should not exceed more than 3 ounces. If it does it should be given to Transportation Security for inspection.

• Whether you are staying at a hotel or in someone else’s home, you need to keep  track of your pain tablets so make sure you keep them with you at all times. Take them with you when you head out or keep them locked in your suitcase. This medication can be addictive, so it would also be a good idea to keep the fact that you have some to yourself. Keep it out of sight if you are staying at a place which has small children. Opioids can be fatal to children and animals.

• Some countries require labelled prescriptions for all of medication which comes in through customs, so it is best to keep them all in their original containers if you have them.