Packing Prescriptions - Planning ahead

Dianne Robbins wondered how passengers on world cruises make sure they each have enough medications to last through their entire trip (April ’16, pg. 2).

We have done three around-the-world cruises and two around-the-world trips, each over 100 days long. We frequently travel on trips for two to three months at a time. Here is how we handle our prescription drugs for travel.

We stockpile prescriptions whenever possible by always renewing on the first day available. Sometimes we are able to get five renewals of 90-day supplies each year. This gives us the necessary quantity of medications for our trips.

We have requested a vacation refill for a 90-day supply when the renewal fell within our trip and we needed the prescription during the trip. These requests have always been granted. Sometimes the pharmacy can handle it, and other times we had to call our insurer. This replaces your next refill, so your next refill will be when the following refill is available. You don’t get double.

Sometimes the time to renew a 90-day supply falls during our trip. To renew the prescription, we go online to an account that we have set up in advance with a mail-order pharmacy. To set up such an account, you will need to register and create a username and password. Test it by renewing way before your trip. 

 During your trip, if you are outside the US, some mail-order pharmacies block you or will not process your online attempt to renew, since you have a non-US IP (Internet protocol) address. You will know because nothing will work. In those cases, we call the pharmacy from overseas and renew over the phone. 

We had neighbors who took in our mail for us. Or you could do a temporary forwarding to a mailbox store. 

You also could have a trusted relative or friend do your renewals.

RICH & JOAN BLACHARSKI

Cumming, GA