Katiebug

I will be flying into England and out of France next month for a 19 day vacation. For the sake of saving space I always pack my herbal suppliments/vitamins in individual 2"x3" zip-lock baggies (for daily doses), then all of them in a big zip-lock. On long vacations such as this one, the big bag ends up being VERY big. I've read that there are great pharmacies in Europe, and was wondering if maybe I should just bring a few days worth, then buy the rest in England. Is there anyone who might be able to give me advise on what might be available? Here are some of the herbal suppliments/vitamins I'd be looking for:

Ester C
Glucosamine
Garlic
L-Carnatine
Milk Thistle
Fish Oil
Calcium Citrate/Malate

There are also three other combo-suppliment/vitamins, but I think I'll need to ask my naturopath what could replace them or do without to save space. I just don't want to be too long without.

Also, now a days, how does customs look upon an unmarked big bag of pills (vitamins)?

jody

You can certainly buy them in the UK and France.

But strangely enough, while their prescription medicines and some OTC meds are much less expensive than in the US , I've found things like vitamins and supplements to be much higher priced than here. One of the things I've seen in pharmacies where I've worked is lots of UK tourists loading up on vitamins! Go figure!

Patrick

Once again, the brilliance of m_kingdom who thinks everyone should live the ideal life he/she does, and has the perfect answer to how everyone should live.

One thing to think about is keeping them in their containers, but throwing them out as you reduce the numbers over there. Most people welcome having a little more room in the luggage to return with things they purchase.

ira

Hi katie,

Packing 19 individual bags will take up more room than 10 bags each with the different vitamins in them, unless you can remove all of the air.

blh

Packing those tiny ziplocks with each day's vitamins doesn't take much room at all. At least we don't think so - my husband & I each pack one day's supply to a tiny bag and put them all in a sandwich size ziplock. Don't think it should be a problem unless you take far more vitamins than we do - which you may.

RufusTFirefly

Would it have any impact on your overall health if you didn't take all the vitamins for 19 days? Just don't take some or all of them for that short period. Most don't really do anything anyway if you eat a halfway decent diet.

CafeBatavia

Pack in ziplocks and take them. The bag gets smaller as you go.

What do you take Milk Thistle for?

OReilly

Katiebug:

I use a regular size ziplock and throw in 3-4 types in the one bag with dosage written on the outside (obviously only works with pills that don't look the same. As Jody says, I have found vitamins more expensive in Europe and dosage can be very different. Quality, however, is apparently, very high.

Milk Thistle, which I take also, is for the liver.

Giovanna

We keep ours in the individual containers and I dole them out at night. They go in a zipper bag along with all my husband's meds each in their own containers. I don't know if you would have any problem with customs with unmarked pills in ziplock bags, but thought I would mention it.

As far as buying them in London (we never have)I would think you could probably get whatever you need at Boots, a chain drugstore that seems to have very well stocked stores (at least the several we have visited). However, Jody notes their are more expensive.

Have a great trip.

Katiebug

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. (How nice to see that m_kingdom's rudeness was removed from the thread. Someone must be very busy at Fodors with the task of removing his/her nastiness alone!)

No, I don't *have* to bring all of the vitamins/suppliments. I'd just bring the most important ones. 19 days won't kill me. However, with the flight & a very heavy load of personal stress I've been under, which potentially could be even more profound right before the trip (sometimes reality doesn't pay any attention to timing), I'd like to do as much as possible to support my immune system. (I'm REALLY going to deserve this vacation by the time it's here.)

I'm getting the feeling that it's probably not a real big deal to bring pills in baggies through customs. No?

CafeBatavia: Yep, milk thistle is a great support for the liver, as OReilly mentioned.

Thanks again.

rex

I wonder if my liver is "unsupported"? How would I know?



Best wishes... despite my (unbeknownst to me) failing health...

Rex

Katiebug

Rex: Jump up & down a few times. If your liver falls out, it's too late.

FainaAgain

Rex, another way to say: if you wake up in the morning, and it doesn't hurt it means IT DOESN'T WORK. >

klondike

You have my admiration for sticking to your regimen!

After 2 trips of lugging tons of our nutritional suppliments to and fro with very little change in the # inside...we just leave them at home--though with all the overindulgence I'm sure our liver (among other things) could use them. We stick with plenty of fresh lemon water for the liver, but with all the wine we enjoy I doubt we're really doing ourselves any favors. But it's vacation after all.

I agree that you will be able to find your products there, but feel they will be more expensive too. You might enjoy checking out an herbalist--they have some great products and many speak excellent English and are very knowledgeable professionals. There is a great one on the left as you descend r. St. Andre des Arts from rue Buci as you head down towards place St. Michel in the 6th.

If you're products are working for you, I'd take them ...if there's room for improvement, I'd try their products. Have a great time!

suze

Even if available, I wouldn't want to spend my vacation hunting them down and or shopping (I feel the same about clothing, shoes, etc.). I'd pack what you need in the most space-economical way possible and if customs should object, then you may have to resort to buying them there (but I doubt that will happen).

Katiebug

Klondike: I'm acutally pretty good most of the time. I do usually come home with *some* that I've forgotten to take, but most, I've remembered. Especially when I'm alone. And your comment about overinduldgance (food and drink) is one big reason I like to bring them on vacation. I do lemon water too, but I don't think that will always do the *whole* trick.

Actually, checking out an herbalist really might be fun. Thanks for the suggestion & the recommendation. I take it this is current information?

alice13

what did m_kingdom say? OOOOh I'd so like to know. Maybe something along the lines of (a) why not eat properly and then you wouldn't be shovelling loads of dosh into the coffers of companies who claim benefits for their products that may not exist and (b) if you have to do this - then, you are not going to Outer Mongolia and whatever you need can be acquired here. And I suspect,even if the (questionable) products are a little more expensive in Europe, that the added cost will represent only a teeny, weeny fraction of your hotel bill for one night!

Feeling a little combative, as you will probably have guessed .. but best advice always is to travel light (ha, ha).

Have the most amazing time.

crckwc

We take loads of our everyday vitamins and supplements when traveling. I pack them in original containers then, after getting through the last customs, ditch the containers and transfer them into plastic bags. Same procedure for prescription meds. This is how I gain a little extra space in my luggage for purchases. Don't know if it's the vitamins, but we've never gotten sick overseas and keep up our energy during 30-day self-drive trips.

jimcolorado

Just a funny anecdote about repackaging pills. I take Aleve (naproxen) OTC occasionally for arthritis pain in my neck. Rather than take a whole bottle, I also threw some in a small ziplock bag along with some other OTC stuff like Tylenol, etc. Aleve is a small blue pill, and of course there is another famous small blue pill. I got pulled out of line at Italian Customs for a pretty thorough going over. When the Customs officer was going through my suitcase, he came across the bag with pills. He looked in the bag, and got the biggest smile. "Ah Viagra, Viagra" he said over and over giving me and my wife a big wink. My wife still laughs about it when she sees me take naproxen.

crckwc

To Jimcolorado: This story is hilarious! Thanks for making my day!