When travelling abroad with your medication there are some sensible precautions to take and with the current high level of security checks around the world you can’t be too careful!

If you have a lot of prescribed medication you will have to start thinking quite far in advance. In the UK you may need to get a special prescription from your doctor to get more than one month’s supply of your drugs.

From the NHS Direct site:

First, visit your GP and discuss your travel plans, they will be able to inform you of any special arrangements you need to make. It is also a good idea to ask your GP to write a statement explaining your medication and what it is for - this could come in very useful if you experience any problems with customs. It might even be worth having the statement translated into the language of your destination country, to avoid any further confusion.

Depending on the length of stay you may need a larger supply of medication than normal. In Europe there is an agreement that a person may carry up to three months supply of drugs but for a longer time you will need a special licence. To find out if you need a licence, contact the Home Office, Drugs Branch or visit their website.

Outside of Europe things can get quite complicated. Many countries, including India, Pakistan, Turkey and some Middle Eastern countries, for instance, have lists of medicines that are not allowed to be brought into the country. It may be wise to contact the relevant embassy well before you leave. Then you can be sure that there will be no problems taking the medicine you need.

From personal experience I would always carry about double the drugs I expect to need - half in my hand luggage, half in my main baggage. Although this might not be feasible for trips more than a couple of weeks!

For more information check out the NHS Direct website - Travelling with Medicines

You might also find a tablet organiser helpful for the journey and when you arrive, this one is probably one of the best and it has enough space for a week:

• Simple to use with seven clearly marked boxes for each day of the week.
• Each box contains four adjustable, labelled compartments.
• The blue velcro fastening case is discreet.
• It includes a patient record card and a sleeve to house one day’s supply.

Price £9.44

You can buy this here: Medidos Tablet Dispenser

View the complete inventory of tablet dispensers at Medisave.co.uk

We’ve all been there, sorting out the pills and tablets for the week, trying to remember which pills have been taken today - which tablets to take next!

Luckily there are very simple solutions to keep everything in order - tablet dispensers quickly become part of the medicine routine. Just fill them up once a week, or month, and you’ll soon stop worrying about your medication.

One of the best dispensers I’ve found is the Medidos Tablet Dispenser, it has several useful features:

• Simple to use with seven clearly marked boxes for each day of the week.
• Each box contains four adjustable, labelled compartments.
• The blue velcro fastening case is discreet.
• It includes a patient record card and a sleeve to house one day’s supply.

Price £9.44

You can buy this here: Medidos Tablet Dispenser

View the complete inventory of tablet dispensers at Medisave.co.uk

Now I’ve got my weekly supply sorted out, I just need to find a pocket sized pill holder that I can take out in the evening for easy, discreet access to my medication! Any ideas?