How-To (Or How-Not-To) Refill Prescription Meds While Traveling

We had a solid Plan A.  Before we left on our trip, we had our 90-day supply of prescription meds, plus we even received from our discount prescription provider, Medco, an additional 90-day supply through their "travel" program.  Usually, they would not release more than a 90-day supply; however, they will for travel purposes.  Instead of carrying around a 6-month supply of meds (very bulky and takes up precious backpack space!), we decided to have someone mail the next 90-day supply to us while we were in Argentina for 3-weeks.  Genius, right?  Well, not so genius when...

Pre-emptive Strike on Mosquito Bites

Not only do I hate mosquitos, the bites overreact into gigantic red welts that itch and hurt like hell, takes forever to heal, and leaves perm-scars.  Sooooo, a Peruvian beach paradise, or an Amazon jungle expedition, or a Thailand beach paradise could be real issues.   Not to mention, we have to take malaria precautions in many of these places as well. 

Not to fret.  This week in Los Organos, Peru has been a good trial for our future 2-months of mosquitos in Southeast Asia.  

We've gone through plenty of insect repellant spray to maintain our 24/7 coverage (which, by the way, is one item that is not cheap in Peru).  We also have mosquito coils in our bungalow, and keep the fan blowing on us all night.  

But, what happens when they DO infiltrate our shield and we get bit?  Those anti-itch creams don't do a damn thing. 

I know this sounds like quackery...I thought the same thing...however, the BEST tool I brought with me is called Therapik.  Thera...wha?!  Exactly.  Bug venom is sensitive to heat.  Immediately after a bite, the heat from this device is applied directly to the bite for about 30 seconds, converting the poison into a protein, and relieving the itch and potential inflammation.  

It is no short of a miracle for me.  The bites that I've gotten have been zapped with the Therapik and they are essentially gone.  No itch, no pain, no inflammation, no welts.  AMAZING!

Therapik is also suppose to work on bee stings, flea/tick bites, and jellyfish stings as well.  

So there.  My product endorsement for the year.  Therapik - check it out.

Acetazolamide (Diamox), An Update

Good rule-following citizens that we are, we started taking the acetazolamide pills (250 mg x 4 daily) the day before we were to land in Quito, Ecuador to minimize altitude sickness. How does it work, you might ask? Basically, when we are not acclimated to the altitude, we compensate by hyperventilating, which causes respiratory alkalosis, which unfortunately tells our brain to slow down our respiratory rate when we actually need to be breathing at a faster rate. In a few days, the kidneys usually do the compensating for the respiratory alkalosis by getting rid of bicarbonate. With acetazolamide, this compensation process can be induced early.

We were suppose to continue with the regimen for 2 days after arriving in Quito. We have no idea if the pills worked or not because we stopped taking the pills after about 7 doses due to the annoying side effects. We still experienced some of the common symptoms of altitude sickness such as fatigue, lack of appetite, and general malaise; but no headaches, nausea, or vomiting - so maybe the drugs had some effect.

We had most of the classic side effects as stated in the literature, "numbness and tingling in the fingers and toes, and taste alterations (parageusia), especially for carbonated drinks. Also possible gastrointestinal disturbances such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea; polyuria, and occasional instances of drowsiness and confusion. Some may also experience blurred vision but this usually disappears shortly after stopping the medication." Akiko got a bonus issue - she broke out in a rash after taking the meds. Not exactly life-threatening but very uncomfortable in a foreign country without knowing how to access the needed remedies.

The taste alteration was weird because Akiko kept complaining that she didn't like the beer in Ecuador because it tasted bad. That alone should've stopped us from taking acetazolamide any further! Mike kept complaining that he couldn't see very well. All this was very disorienting in a place where we needed our wits about us, so we quit taking the meds and we've been fine.

Travel Vaccination Article Published in Meet, Plan, Go!

Hello friends! We have been published! We have had the amazing privilege of getting our article on travel immunizations and prescriptions published through Meet, Plan, Go! website on Monday, May 28th, 2012. Meet, Plan, Go! is more than a nationally recognized website providing inspiration and travel advice for anyone interested in taking a career break or extended travel. They offer networking opportunities across the country for like minded individuals to learn from each other. So, we are very honored to have this opportunity to share what we learned during our planning phase. Here is our article titled, 10 Steps to Knowing What Travel Immunizations You Need.

When You Have a Cold in Japan

Visiting a Japanese drugstore is an 'adventure', even for someone like me who is a nurse and can figure things out in Japanese. My prior experience with visiting a drugstore in Japan is rare because my mother was a pharmacist and she had access to all the awesome remedies! Since she passed away, though, we're sort of on our own. Best just to describe your symptoms to the pharmacists behind the counter and ask for a recommendation. Most of them can understand some English.

Here's some helpful information from the blog, Surviving in Japan Without Much Japanese: 7 words to know when you have a cold (in Japan).

After describing our symptoms of a cough/phlegm, we were given this medicine from behind the counter. Fortunately, many of the active ingredients (except for the eastern medicine components) are listed in their generic names, which are universal (except for acetaminophen versus paracetamol, etc.), as written previously in the post, Foreign Equivalents of Over-the-Counter Meds.

Foreign Equivalents of Over-The-Counter Meds

One thing we know for sure is that we will get the occasional headaches, muscle aches, cold, sniffles, etc. while traveling. We have our favorite over-the-counter (OTC) meds in the States, but will we be able to find the same meds anywhere else?

The answer is, most likely yes...as long as we know the generic drug name (e.g. diphenhydramine instead of Benadryl). Many countries come up with their own brand names. Surely, visitors to the States are equally as confused by the plethora of strange sounding meds when they walk down our drugstore aisles.

Interestingly, acetaminophen (Tylenol) is only called that in the US, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Iran, of all places. Anywhere else, and they won't know what we're referring to. We would need to ask for paracetamol. Sometimes abbreviated APAP.

Ibuprofen seems to be a truly generic name and universal around the globe. Some brand names to watch for besides Motrin and Advil are, Nurofen and Nuprin.

We also swear by Advil Cold and Sinus. The pseudoephedrine component with the ibuprofen really helps clear up cold symptoms. It's unclear as to how the rest of the world handles the sale of products with pseudoephedrine, but some of the countries are similar to the States where a pharmacist supervises the purchase and the purchase quantity is limited. Interestingly, the Japan Consulate website says the following:

"The following over-the-counter medications are prohibited in Japan since they contain narcotic or stimulant ingredients in excess of the Japanese standard: a) Tylenol Cold b) Nyquil c) Nyquil Liquicaps d) Actifed e) Sudafed f) Advil Cold & Sinus g) Dristan Cold ("No Drowsiness") h) Dristan Sinus i) Drixoral Sinus j) Vicks Inhaler k) Lomotil."

Naproxen sodium (Aleve) is also a go-to OTC med for me, especially with the 12-hour dosing. The fact that it comes in many brand names around the world is useless because outside of the US and Canada, it is apparently a prescription only med. We will not be making a doctor's visit just to get some Aleve!

Fortunately, for those who are not allergic, Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) or ASA is widely available.

We should be fine wherever we go, as long as we know the generic name, and don't expect the same exact dosing. We certainly don't plan on taking a big supply with us so we will have to make it work, wherever we are.