Tips for Medication While Traveling

When you prepare for a trip, one of the most important things to pack is your medication. Here are some tips for getting your medication organized and ready. Start at least two weeks before your trip.

1) Put all of your medication in front of you. This should include your prescribed and over the counter medications.

2) Check each prescription medication for number of refills.

3) Contact your pharmacy. Call the medication in that have refills, or fill them at the pharmacy's website. Pick up these medications, and any over the counter medications you need.

4) Contact your doctor for those that need refills. If you have not seen your doctor in three or four months, it is likely that you may have to make an appointment to see your doctor to get your refills. Your doctor's office will let you know when you call them. Make sure they have the correct phone number for your pharmacy.

5) Make a list of your medication. A medication list form can be found at www.mypatienthandbook.com under "Patient Tools".

• You can write your medication list on paper, or type on the computer and print.
• Include the name of the medicine, strength, and how many times a day you take it.
• Take a copy of this with you on your doctor visits.
• Update it monthly, and when you have medication changes.
  
  6) Buy pill reminder boxes with the days of the week on them, or use clear resealble plastic bags (sandwich size). You can buy weekly or monthly boxes. Some have midday dose sections. The easiest to use is weekly.
• Get a different color for morning, noon, and night. If different colors are hard to find, buy what is available.
• You will be able to make a label for the times of day and put on each weekly pillbox or bag.
• Make a label for "morning", "noon", and "night".
• Use adhesive labels, or write labels on piece of paper, cut out and tape to bag or pillbox.
  
  7) Put all of your most recent medication bottles from the pharmacy that are in original bottles in a plastic container with a top. This is your master pill box supply.
  
  8) Fill your weekly pillbox containers by morning, noon and evening once a week on Sunday. Put this set of pillboxes in a bag that seals. This will make it easier to see your pillboxes. They may also be packed in your special travel bag for your medical needs. Pack in the piece of luggage you will have closest access to such as purse, overnight bag, etc.
  
  9) Take your master pillbox with the original medication bottles in your luggage with your clothing, or where you choose to be the safest and most easy to get to for use.
  
  10) If you have empty used bottles from the present year that you are currently taking, put these in another master pillbox. Store this in a safe place in your home. It may be prudent to keep at least a week's supply in these bottles. This box should match the contents of your other master pillbox for travel.

By following these organization techniques, you will find that keeping up with your medication when traveling, or faced with emergency situations will be much easier.

Enjoy your trips! Great health is true wealth!

Post your comments and suggestions below.

Overmedication and Illness

You just had that coronary heart bypass, and you have been prescribed several new medication pertaining to that and other conditions that popped up during your hospitalization for the surgery. You go to see specialists for these new diagnoses, and you get more medication. So you have over ten different medications to take now. You thought you would be getting along much better by now, but something is just not right. Are your conditions getting worse?

You may think that you are getting worse from the illness, but could it be the medicine? You decide to get out the Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) and research the medication you are taking. Upon discharge from the hospital you received information sheets about each medicine, but the information seems so scanty. Sure enough, you are right.

The PDR gives details about side effects and drug interactions you had no idea could occur. You wonder why the doctor didn't tell you one of the drugs could cause blindness, fatal lung disease, hepatitis, hyper- and hypothyroidism, loss of appetite, anorexia, constipation, worsening of the condition for which it has been given, etc., etc. As you read further you find this drug should not be used with two other medications you have been prescribed.

You no longer have to wonder why your recovery has been slower than expected, and why you feel so bad. You have been overmedicated! Here you were thinking you were getting sicker from your diagnoses and surgery.

Take the time to read about medicines you are prescribed. You may find that you are not as sick as you thought you were. Overmedication can easily mimic as well as bring on symptoms of many disease conditions, and make you feel worse than that for which you are being treated.

Patient Educate Thyself

You are a patient. You are the most important "link in the health care chain". You, patient, keep your health care chain strong. You are the strongest link. Stay up to date on your medical conditions through your health care providers, and through yourself.

Patient education is part of your job. It is up to you to seek out information and knowledge about staying well, preventing disease, and managing disease you currently live with daily. Make a list of your medical conditions, and all medicines you take. Make a list of medical conditions that run in the family. Study your lists.

Read about your medical conditions and those that run in the family. On your next doctor appointment ask your doctor for more information especially in writing. Talk with your doctor. Discuss any tests that you feel would help you in detecting and managing your conditions.

Know all you can know, patient, so you can "be all you can be".

Medical Preventive Tests

Today I read a column on health screening tests that made me go "hmmm". To do or not to do? This is quite a controversial issue for patients and doctors. Many doctors fail to recommend screenings even if you are at risk for certain things. Screenings commonly occur after something has happened. Just because your doctor does not recommend a screening test does not mean you may not need it.

Screening colonoscopy tests and mammograms are recommended routinely for those without risk factors as well as for those with risk factors. Knowing when to get these tests may save your life. Why wait for symptoms to occur or for something medically devastating to happen? This is when it is usually paid for by your insurance. If a preventive screening test is not covered, or if your doctor does not recommend it may not be a reliable indicator.

When I think about the lives I have saved by medical preventive screening, I can positively say it is worth it. Yes, false positives and incidentalomas do occur with necessary as well as preventive testing. Abnormal findings may also be followed without unnecessary, risky surgeries or procedures depending on what is found. I have heard too many doctors express the unnecessary risks (especially with new tests) as a reason for not doing a test versus the benefit of finding something that can be "cured" with preventive screening. There should be more concern about early disease prevention and detection. I assure you that your doctors would do this for themselves. You deserve the best, too.

Educate yourself about medical prevention screening tests. Waiting for your doctor to recommend them or for your insurance to cover them may be hazardous to your health. Sometimes you may have to pay. Your car insurance does not cover car maintenance, but you pay to have auto checkups and for insurance. Why not do the same for your body? Paying a little now may save you and your money in the long term. After all, true wealth is great health.

Incidentaloma Update

It has been over one month since my thyroid ultrasound was performed. After two weeks I was still waiting to hear from my primary care doctor. I called the diagnostic testing center and the results were faxed to me within five minutes. I faxed copies to the endocrinology specialist that same day. I am still waiting to hear from both doctors about my abnormal test which appears to be consistent with a goiter.

Again, I must emphasize that one must not assume tests are normal when your doctors do not contact you. It is best for you to follow up for yourself.