Carrying Insulin medicines to the US from India by visiting parents

Sharvani · Sep 15, 2015

Hello ladies,

My parents are coming to visit us next month and they need to carry Insulin injections which are to be maintained in cold temperatures. Does anyone know how they can be carried through the flight journey? Can they be allowed to keep them in the refrigerator in the flight?

Thanks,

JustMyself · Sep 22, 2015

@Sharvani,

There are something called as freezer packs available in pharmacies. Check with bigger pharmacies like Apollo or RanBaxy etc.

Freeze the freezer-pack for couple of days before travel, and pack the entire load of Insulin as part of hand-luggage. (we got it packed by a pharmacy, so they took care of packing it properly). Please note TSA allows entire Insulin packs to be taken as part of hand-luggage.

Also, ensure there is a prescription for Insulin (entire quantity) in the traveller's name and a Dr's note/letter. Thats what we did when my in-laws visited us for around 3 months.

I also guided my inlaws to get all medications seperatly with prescriptions and Dr's note and give it to TSA seperately, so as to avoid X-Ray-ing sensitive medicines.

PS: My in-laws had transit via London. As part of security, UK airport-security did unpack the entire insulin, but they repacked it properly and gave it back.

jananivenkat · Dec 16, 2015

Hi,
My parents have a plan to visit here by MAY for almost 6 months. My father is taking insulin injections. PLs suggest me the how to carry this much medicine in hand luggage or suggest me the ways to carry the medicines.

Thanks

Induslady · Jan 4, 2016

Hi @jananivenkat,

Like mentioned in the above post by the other member approach a bigger pharmacy store and get them packed in freezer packs. Get doctor prescription for the quantity being carried. Ask your parents to keep it in the hand baggage in a way easy to take and handover the same during security scanning, they will be fine to carry it even without putting the medicines thro' the scanner.

jananivenkat · Jan 7, 2016

Thanks Induslady!!! will do it. My other concern is that we have a plan for their 6 months stay. So will they be able to carry this much in theit limited 7KG hand lunggage???

RKundu · Feb 28, 2016

Hi jananivenkat.. My parents are also facing the same problem of carrying insulin for 6 months. It would be very helpful if you could share information about how your parents managed getting so much of insulin and the syringes in the hand luggage.

jananivenkat · Mar 4, 2016

@ Rkundu,
When i checked with one of our family friend who visited here twice, she said she stayed for 3 months and oacked the entire medicines in freezer packs and she put only in checkin and not in hand baggaage. so thinking of the same for my parents too. hope there should not be any issues as we got advise from the person travelled twice. Good luck!!!

jananivenkat · May 9, 2016

Hello ladies!!!
My parents could not get the freezer pack in nanganallur chennai. Could any one pls tell me where to get in chennai for insulin packing!! Its urgent pls...

Induslady · May 9, 2016

@jananivenkat,

Why don't you check with the pharmacist / Doctor, if they absolutely need to be freezes, if in packed and sealed condition? Even otherwise they can ask the flight attendants to put it in freezer in the flight. Only risk there is they should remember to get it back when they get off the flights!