As the holiday and travel season approaches, pharmacists at our pharmacies can advise you on minor health problems and risks that often arise when travelling to seaside destinations, the mountains and other places. To prevent these minor problems from spoiling your holiday, visit one of the Obalne lekarne Koper pharmacies. Together, we will select suitable products for your personal travel medicine kit.
Before you set off
When preparing for a holiday or a trip, a travel medicine kit should always be part of your luggage. In addition to basic first-aid supplies, it should contain medicines and other products that can help relieve any health problems you may encounter along the way. The medicines, medical devices and other supplies in your personal travel medicine kit should be selected according to:
- the age and health condition of the holidaymaker or traveller;
- the type and duration of the journey and the destination;
- the level of development of healthcare services and the availability of medical care.
Particular care should be taken when preparing a travel medicine kit if children, pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers are travelling with you.
Before travelling to exotic destinations, tourists and travellers are advised to consult their personal doctor, the Institute of Public Health or the relevant regional public health institute. Healthcare professionals at these institutions can advise on mandatory vaccinations and provide travellers with medicines that are not authorised for sale in Slovenia (e.g. antimalarial medicines). Vaccinations take a certain amount of time to become effective, and not all vaccinations can be administered at the same time. Travellers should therefore visit a vaccination clinic eight weeks before their planned departure.
What should your personal travel medicine kit contain?
YOUR PERSONAL TRAVEL MEDICINE KIT SHOULD INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING MEDICINES AND PRODUCTS:
- Your health insurance card, travel health insurance or European Health Insurance Card.
- Medicines prescribed by your personal doctor that you need to take regularly.
- Before travelling, consult your doctor to ensure that you have a sufficient supply of the medicines you take regularly. Certain countries require special documentation when crossing their borders for medicines you are carrying. Ask your doctor whether such documentation is also required for your medicines or medical devices.
- Medicines for self-treating minor health problems:
- tablets for motion sickness;
- oral rehydration salts to replace salts and water lost through diarrhoea, vomiting, excessive sweating or strenuous physical activity;
- medicines used to treat food poisoning and diarrhoea;
- medicines to relieve allergic symptoms in people who are prone to hypersensitivity reactions to sunlight, insect bites, jellyfish stings or food;
- medicines to reduce fever and relieve muscle and joint pain, headaches and toothaches;
- medicines to relieve stomach problems;
- laxatives for occasional constipation;
- medicines for sore throats.
- Products to protect against mosquito, tick and other insect bites, as well as products to relieve symptoms following bites or stings.
- Basic first-aid supplies.
- First-aid supplies include wound disinfectant, wound ointment, sterile gauze, bandages, waterproof plasters, scissors, tweezers, safety pins, a triangular bandage, tick tweezers and a thermometer.
- Sunscreens with an appropriate sun protection factor, after-sun care products and products to relieve discomfort caused by sunburn or other burns.
- Choose a sunscreen with a sufficiently high sun protection factor (higher than 15) that is water-resistant. It should contain UVA and UVB filters. For travel to areas affected by the ozone hole (e.g. Australia), the source text also recommends UVC filters. Sunscreens containing an added insect repellent may also be suitable, helping protect against insects that can transmit certain diseases, such as ticks, mosquitoes and flies.
How to store medicines correctly when travelling
Store medicines and other supplies included in your personal travel medicine kit in special bags or boxes that protect them from light and moisture. Medicines must be kept at an appropriate temperature, which should generally not exceed 25°C. Aluminium foil or other insulating materials can be used to protect them from significant temperature fluctuations. Pay particular attention to medicines that require special storage conditions, such as insulin.
When travelling by car, keep your medicine bag in the passenger compartment in both summer and winter. When travelling by plane, train or ship, keep it in your hand luggage. This helps ensure that medicines are stored at the most suitable temperature during the journey. It also means that they are always within reach if you need them while travelling or if your checked luggage is lost or delayed. Keep your travel medicine kit out of the reach of children.
Before travelling, check the expiry dates of all medicines. Keep all medicines in their original packaging, together with the enclosed package leaflets. Never take medicines that have already been used and given to you by friends or acquaintances, or medicines purchased online. You can never be certain under what conditions such medicines have been stored. No one can guarantee their quality, safety or effectiveness, and by using them you assume responsibility for any potential adverse effects or lack of efficacy.
Some of the most common illnesses and problems when travelling
Motion sickness
Motion sickness is characterised by fatigue, dizziness and nausea, which can progress to vomiting. It occurs when the body is exposed to strong movement accelerations or movement in different directions, or when there is no visual contact with the actual outside horizon. Travellers who are prone to motion sickness are advised to face the direction of travel and look out of the window. Non-prescription medicines can be used to relieve nausea during shorter journeys. More recent studies indicate that ginger preparations can also be effective in relieving motion sickness and may cause fewer adverse effects.
Digestive problems
Travellers’ diarrhoea is one of the most common problems experienced by tourists and travellers. It is usually treated through self-care, which makes advice from a pharmacist particularly important. As with other forms of diarrhoea, appropriate preventive measures are essential.
How can you avoid digestive problems when travelling?
- Wash your hands frequently with soap.
- If you cannot wash your hands, use disinfectant wipes or hand sanitiser.
- Eat food that has been thoroughly cooked and is served hot.
- Choose food and drinks in their original, sealed packaging. Check that the cap or seal is intact and has not been tampered with.
- Choose fruit that can be peeled.
- Avoid salads and other foods that have not been cooked or have been washed or prepared using water.
- Do not drink tap water.
- Avoid ice in drinks.
- Do not brush your teeth with water that is not safe to drink.
THE BEST ADVICE FOR PREVENTING DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS IS: COOK IT, PEEL IT OR LEAVE IT!
If diarrhoea does occur, the most important measure is to replace lost fluids to prevent dehydration. We recommend using oral rehydration salts for this purpose. If these are not available, the source text advises travellers to prepare their own rehydration solution using one litre of bottled water, five tablespoons of sugar, one teaspoon of table salt and the juice of two oranges or a banana.
You can also ask your pharmacist about the following medicines and products to relieve specific digestive problems:
- PROBIOTICS: reduce the growth of pathogenic bacteria, help prevent diarrhoea, stimulate the immune system, prevent the overgrowth of Candida albicans and improve bowel movements;
- MEDICINAL CHARCOAL: binds toxins and gases in the digestive tract;
- ORAL REHYDRATION SALTS: replace electrolytes and fluids lost through diarrhoea, vomiting and excessive sweating;
- ANTACIDS: reduce excessive stomach acid;
- LAXATIVES: for occasional constipation and irregular bowel movements.
Air travel and venous thrombosis
According to some data, people with thrombophilia and those taking oral contraceptives may have up to 16 times and 14 times, respectively, the risk of thromboembolism during air travel compared with healthy people who do not use hormonal contraceptives. Some recommendations suggest that a single dose of acetylsalicylic acid may be used effectively for prevention, although there is no scientific evidence to support this. Nevertheless, some recommend that people at increased risk of thrombosis who undertake journeys lasting more than four hours be advised to take 100 mg of acetylsalicylic acid preventively for several days before travelling.
To reduce the risk of thromboembolism, we recommend drinking sufficient fluids and avoiding alcoholic beverages, as alcohol has a diuretic effect. We also recommend moving around and performing exercises that help reduce swelling. To reduce hypoxia, taking several deep breaths at regular intervals is also advised.
Sun protection advice
Advice on safe sun exposure is one of the standard recommendations given in pharmacies during the holiday season. Sun exposure should be adapted to each individual’s skin sensitivity. As a general rule, direct exposure to sunlight should be avoided between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. UVB rays cause sunburn, while UVA rays in natural sunlight do not cause sunburn but penetrate deeper into the skin and can cause more lasting skin damage, such as premature ageing and skin cancer. It is also important to remember that the skin’s reaction to excessive sun exposure may only develop several hours later. You should therefore stop sunbathing before your skin starts to feel hot or painful. Before going out in the sun, protect your skin with a suitable sunscreen.
A pharmacist is the healthcare professional best placed to advise you on the use of sunscreens and other protective products, as well as on skin care in the event of sunburn.
Children should receive particular protection against excessive sun exposure. They can also be protected with lightweight clothing and hats.
Advice on safe sun exposure should also include warnings about the possibility of photosensitivity. Many medicines can trigger hypersensitivity reactions when used in combination with exposure to sunlight. These include certain non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines, antiarrhythmics, thiazide diuretics, tricyclic antidepressants, chemotherapy medicines, oral antidiabetic medicines, sulphonamide, tetracycline and quinolone antibiotics, antihistamines and topical preparations.
Similar reactions may also occur when using herbal preparations, such as St John’s wort. They are also common with various cosmetic products, including fragrances, perfumed soaps, aftershaves, shampoos containing coal tar, skin-lightening creams, creams containing alpha and beta hydroxy acids, and sunscreens containing para-aminobenzoic acid derivatives.
Source: Slovenian Chamber of Pharmacies, material for Health Week in Pharmacies, 2007 and 2010.
Don’t let minor health problems spoil your holiday. Make sure your personal travel medicine kit also includes products from the Galenic Laboratory of Obalne lekarne Koper:
Our pharmacists will advise you on which products to use for the problems described above. We offer a wide range of products from our Galenic Laboratory to help you enjoy your holiday with greater peace of mind.
For good hygiene
To maintain proper hygiene, always take a hand sanitiser with you when travelling.
A small spray bottle is particularly convenient, as it fits easily into any handbag.
- Hand sanitiser, 500 ml;
- Hand sanitiser, 30 ml.
To relieve digestive problems
For diarrhoea, blueberry tea may be helpful. For children, it can be sweetened with glucose. As digestive problems can lead to dehydration very quickly in children, we recommend Rehidral, a product for replacing electrolytes. For adults, it is recommended in cases of severe digestive problems and excessive sweating.
- Blueberries;
- Glucose;
- Rehidral.
Constipation is also common during holidays due to changes in surroundings and diet. Glycerol suppositories may help relieve it.
- Glycerol suppositories for children;
- Glycerol suppositories for adults.
For pain relief
Adults can quickly relieve minor pain with combination powders. The active ingredients in powder form are absorbed more rapidly through the digestive tract into the bloodstream and can therefore provide faster pain relief. Paracetamol suppositories are suitable for children for pain relief.
- Combination powders;
- Paracetamol suppositories.
For minor injuries
You can treat minor injuries, such as abrasions, bruises or mild sprains, yourself. Disinfect abrasions with a non-stinging wound irrigation solution. Apply wound ointment to help the abrasion heal more quickly.
- Wound irrigation solution;
- Wound ointment.
In the event of bruises or sprains where the injured area or joint is painful but the skin is intact, use Antinevralgin to help speed up recovery and relieve pain.
- Antinevralgin