MedAire blog

What happens if I am travelling abroad and have lost, run out of, or had my medication stolen? How can you help if I forgot my medication and I'm overseas? 

These are questions we get on a daily basis from our members around the world. The good news is, we  have several options to assist you depending upon the country, the medication required, and the duration of travel.  

Our first option is to try and source the same drug. We maintain a global database of credentialed healthcare providers. We use the database to locate a local, appropriate healthcare provider and arrange an appointment so they can prescribe the drug amount and dose required. By using our providers, we can be sure the medication will not be counterfeit and the prescription will be appropriate.  

Occasionally there are issues where a medication is not available in a country – either because it is not licensed for import or because it is not approved for distribution in the country. 

If the drug is not available but approved for use in country and the person will be travelling in the area for an extended period of time, we can work with our medical suppliers and a local healthcare provider and import the required medication. 

If the travel is for a short period, or the drug is not legally approved for use in the country, we can arrange for the traveller to meet with a local healthcare provider to identify a suitable alternative that is available in country. In the event the local provider needs more information about the person’s treatment, we can contact the traveller’s regular doctor for medical records and indication for treatment.

If neither sourcing nor alternative medications are options, we can talk to the regular doctor regarding their opinion as to what risk the traveller may be at without the drug. Foregoing treatment may be a tolerable and viable option, especially if travel is short. In the rare occasion where no appropriate alternative is available, and the medication is mandatory, we would take the traveller to the medication.