PKU Formula/Customs
 

Hi - my son will be traveling to Rome to study abroad for 4 months. He is an adult with PKU and will need to bring his medicated formula which he drinks on a daily basis for his diet. We are sending a handful of unopened cans of formula in a checked bag with a doctors note as well as other prescription meds in same bag. Questions - will there be a problem in customs regarding his formula? Also, he will need several more cans of it (which is supplied here by the state of Pennsylvania) - he will need a total of 250 cans for his 4-month stay. It is too expensive to try and purchase somewhere else. Do you know if there is a way for me to ship it?

Thanks in advance for any advice in this situation.

Strongly advise that you NOT put prescription meds in checked bag, rather put them in a carry on.

As to the formula -
The reference to 250 cans suggests he is using the pre-mixed liquid version. Powder would be a much easier option. Bulk is cheaper but there are single serving packets, too. Just be sure he has a shaker bottle to mix it. Also suggest you check about availability in Rome - may be a wash with the cost of shipping.

I can't imagine why customs would care about a few cans of that in a checked bag. Why would they? YOu are allowed to put liquids in checked bags, I've packed wine in mine.

But I agree that may not be the best idea in case it gets lost.

Do you know an organization that provides travel passports for PKU? They have such a thing in Europe, explains things.

Here are some good tips about travel with PKU
http://pkuadults.tripod.com/id10.html

In Italy there are various dietary supplements to provide selected amino acids to people affected by PKU. Most of them are powders to be mixed with liquid. On this page you can see some of them,towards the bottom, with names beginning in PKU. Those with PKU 3 are for adults and children over age 14. There are more on the next page. Surely your doctor should be able to advise an Italian product that will meet your son's needs.

Until your son can get to a pharmacy in Italy, he'll need to use supplements brought from home, but a powder to be mixed with liquid would be more practical than a pre- mixed liquid.