Which medication must be taken on vacation at what time should be discussed quite individually with the doctor before the trip. In general, it can be said that the intake of medications such as insulin, which are always linked to meals, remain independent of the time change. It should be noted, however, that blood glucose levels should be checked more frequently during a long flight. If the day becomes longer for the patient, additional insulin may need to be injected.
With medications such as antibiotics or the aforementioned birth control pill, it is important to maintain a certain level of active ingredient in the body at a constant level. Therefore, it should always be taken at the same interval. Therefore, when traveling by air in an easterly direction, a dose could possibly be omitted after consultation with the attending physician, while an additional dose would have to be inserted in a westerly direction.
Adjustment to daily routine
Other medications, such as those containing cortisone, must be adjusted to the sensitivity of the organism during the daily routine. For these medications, an exact intake schedule must be created that reconciles the time change on site with the slower change in one’s biorhythms. Travel medicine specialists then calculate an “adjustment speed” of two hours per day. Consequently, medications are then taken two hours earlier when traveling eastward, and two hours later when traveling westward, until the intake cycle is complete again.
Check-up and confirmation
About two weeks before starting the big trip, patients should have their appropriate values checked again. This time frame usually provides enough leeway for any dosage adjustments. Those who need to take syringes, needles and particularly strong painkillers with them on vacation should carry a certificate confirming the necessity of the medication.
The signatory states of the Schengen Agreement – which include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden – accept a certificate completed by the doctor and certified by the highest national health authority for a period of 30 days. This allows the doctor to prescribe medications covered by the Narcotics Law in sufficient quantities, and the preparations can be imported as personal travel supplies.
When traveling to other countries, information should be obtained from the respective embassies. Certificate forms are available as downloads on the Internet from the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices under the heading “Bescheinigung über das Mitführen von Betäubungsmitteln im Rahmen einer ärztlichen Behandlung – Artikel 75 des Schengener Durchführungsabkommens.”
