Has anyone traveled to South East Asia or India with type 1 diabetes? My partner and I are going travelling there for 6 months. We are planning on taking all the medication required for the whole time in frio bags to keep the insulin cool. We wanted to know if it is possible to buy or show a prescription for insulin in SE Asia and India? My partner uses levolemir. Any help or advice is very much appreciated!
Hello @Swghan and welcome to TypeOneNation. Well I’ve been to Singapore, Pune, New Delhi, and Mumbai India, and Shanghai and Hangzhou China. I brought all my supplies with me so I never had to get supplies while abroad.
Perhaps check with Healthcare UK? In the USA it’s different so I can’t comment if you would need to pay or if there was a way to get medication with an authorization from your health system. There is insulin in China and India but the brands, formulations, and strengths may be different.
I want to add that there are significant food and waterborne illnesses there and you may want to check with your travel safety department to see if they recommend vaccinations for hepatitis, polio, typhoid, boosters for tetanus, and pills for malaria. Dysentery in India can be very serious for anyone but getting critically dehydrated for t1d is very scary. I got all my boosters and I managed well with no illness, except the weird dreams with the malaria pills, but being careful with water is crucial.
I hope you have a safe and enjoyable journey.
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I have not traveled much but found some resources that might help you as you plan ahead. There may be limits on the amount of medication you can take with you, and some meds that are common here might be unlicensed or considered controlled substances elsewhere. Things people don’t know they don’t know can cause unwelcome and sometimes serious surprises: I think the State Department has valuable resources so it might be good to check there to make sure everything is in order.
Have a fantastic trip!
Thank you very much, all very helpful