Taking liquid antibiotics on a plane.

[Muchtoomuchtodo]

DS is on antibiotics at the moment that won't be finished by the time we fly on Thursday.

They are in a container with a capacity of over 100mls and have the original pharmacy labelling on.

I called the airport that we'll be flying from to ask about taking it through security (have had experience of lost baggage so I don't want it to go in the hold). They say as long as it has its original pharmacy label on that's fine.

DH ha just called to say that he's spoken to the airline (lack of communication on our part hence the 2 calls) who say that we need to get a Drs certificate in order to take it through security.

I'm confused now! I could call the Drs and ask for a certificate, but that's potentially wasting their time and there will probably be a fee.

Who should we believe?

Bumping for the night crowd.

The other complication I've just realised is that they have to be kept in the fridge - that could complicate matters

Yes I'd call dr and ask for certificate. Or ask for them to scrap prescription and to reissue with smaller amounts in maybe 2 bottles?

I'd have thought that the hosties would be able to fridge/cool it somehow (could you get small ice blocks and pop them in a cool bag? Or put the medicine straight from fridge in a thermos -they keep cold too right...)

Thanks. Think we'll get the certificate from the Dr.

Keeping cool is trickier. I'm assuming any cool packs need to be under 100mls? Good idea about asking the hosties though. That would buy us some time!

Could you 'decant' the antibiotics into a smaller container/s and just take that with you?

Def get a note from the doctor and put it in a bag with a cooler element in the lining. Have doctor include in their note that this is necessary.

I've had nothing but problems when flying out of the UK. Do not start dipping fingers or tasting the medicine. The border control people drive me nuts with their own set of rules that apply in specific airports only.

Do not start to decant any medicine. Anything prescribed and issued by a pharmacist should remain in the said labelled packaging. It might only be antibiotics but here in the US all prescriptions come in little orange containers so it's easier to identify what is medicine and what isn't.

I would keep it in and take it, it will be airport security (who you spoke to) not the airline who deal with liquids anyway. If they question it tell them you spoke to someone on the phone and they told you to keep it in the labelled bottle and it would be OK. I expect they'll wave it through but might ask you to taste it to prove it's not poison.

I'm sure it'll be OK non refrigerated for a few hours while you travel - pop it in an insulated bottle warmer, insulation works both ways.

(I do wonder what tasting it achieves though - surely anyone willing to hijack a plane wouldn't care if they are tasting something poisonous??)

Tasting the liquid brings zero benefits but they insist it is done. I had someone try to force me to put my finger in formula powder and taste it. It was very obvious what it was.

yeah defietly don't decant it yourself. ask pharmacist to do it for you and reissue script.

i've had issues before (thinking i was being space saving) carrying 5 one a day multi vitamins and some loose peppermint teabags through an airport.

guess who got stopped and questioned....?

Thanks all. Think we're going to go for the letter, original packaging and small cool bag with the smallest packs that we've got.

If they dispose of the cool packs we can ask the hosties of they can keep it cool during the flight then put it under the coach for the transfer.

all this fuss and it doesn't even seem to be working very well

You could use an insulated bag designed for baby bottles, that's what I use when I take temp sensitive stuff on a plane, it's medicine too and never had any problems

Last time I flew with antibiotics, they had to be taken off to be tested in a separate machine, but it only took a couple of minutes, no finger-dipping needed.

We once left DD's antibiotics out of the fridge over night. I panicked and saw the GP the next day and he said they would be fine unless it was very warm.

We took liquid amoxycillin on a plane when DD was little and the airport hardly glanced at it (it was either Leeds Bradford airport).

That's all very helpful and reassuring . Thanks.

We got the pharmacist to give us the antibiotic powder (how it comes before the pharmacist adds water to make it up). We then had to add the appropriate amount of boiled cooled water to make it into the liquid.