Peer Reviewed
Travel medicine update

Medications and overseas travel

Jonathan Cohen
Abstract
GPs play an important role in advising their patients about travelling with medications. Issues to consider include restrictions and regulations on the types and amounts of medicines, providing appropriate documentation and managing medications when crossing time zones.
Key Points

    Travellers requesting pre-travel advice tend to focus on vaccinations but it is important for the travel health adviser to also provide appropriate advice in other areas such as medications. The traveller may already be taking medications to manage pre-existing conditions or may be advised to take some medications for prevention or treatment of illness while travelling. Specific advice regarding prevention and treatment of gastroenteritis, traveller’s diarrhoea, malaria, venous thromboembolism, motion sickness, altitude sickness and jet lag is discussed in other articles in this travel health series. This article deals with general advice regarding medications and travel that GPs should consider discussing with overseas travellers, as relevant to their individual trip. Much of the advice also applies to domestic air travellers.

    Picture credit: © © Gnay Mutlu/iStockphoto

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