Traveling with Type 2 Diabetes
 

Hello. I have been reading the Europe Forum for a while now planning my upcoming trip to Paris. This is the first time I have posted.

I am T2 Diabetic. I keep really good control of my blood sugar with diet, exercise, and medication. I take Metformin plus a small dose of insulin at night before bed.

I certainly plan to speak with my doctor regarding my trip, but I’m looking for practical advice. Specifically, how do you handle taking medications with the time difference? Do you start a day or two before?

How do I keep my insulin cool during the long flight? Can I take a cooler on the plane with me?

I appreciate any advice you can give. Thank you.

There's only a 6 hour time difference between NY (I assume from your screen name that's where you live) and Paris. It would seem on the way to Paris you could take your medication a couple hours earlier the day you depart. On your way back take your medication a couple hours later and you'll probably be just fine. The rest of the time you'll be back on schedule. I don't take insulin but do take other "time sensitive" medication and follow this procedure whenever I travel across multiple time zones without any ill side effects. Your doctor will give you his/her best recommendations.

Yes, you can take a small cooler with you on the airplane as long as it conforms to the size restrictions your airline has for carry-on luggage - make sure any "gel-pack" you use is fully frozen otherwise it won't pass TSA scrutiny (go here for more details: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-.../gel-ice-packs).

I have a friend who travels with Type 2 diabetes, so I asked him for input. This is his response:

"Regarding traveling with T2 diabetes:While there are more diabetic drugs these days that do not require refrigeration than in decades past, a few meds still remain and though some advertise being able to be kept at "room temperature" for up to a week. Keeping the meds cool for short periods (eg. even transatlantic flights) is no problem: there are refrigerated gel packs that can be packed around the meds without freezing. Some pharmaceutical companies supply such travel kits for a small fee, and I've seen some on Amazon but haven't used any personally. The bigger problem will be keeping the meds cool continuously during a multi-day/week trip. Outside of the US, refrigerators in the room aren't really as universally provided as they are in the US. Some hotels will offer to store your meds in their central refrigerators, but that's tedious, inconvenient, and you run the risk of forgetting them. And there'll be problem in refreezing/rechilling the travel packs for the return trip. So, keeping meds at refrigerated temps while travelling remains a real problem without a great solution. Depending on medical condition and length of trip, one compromise might to be to temporarily alter drug usage profile for duration of trip (use fewer/different meds).

Let me know if you see any other response to the above. I'd be curious if anyone has a better solution."

Thank you all for your thoughtful replies. This is my first trip abroad since my diagnoses. I’m really careful about keeping to a strict schedule of when I take my meds, so the thought of a time change has been a little daunting.

My hotel room room has a mini fridge, so I can keep my insulin cool while I’m there, but the comment about being able to refreeze the gel packs for the trip home was a good point. Perhaps the hotel could assist with that.

I am really excited for the trip. It’s not for a few months yet, but I will be sure to report back.

Thank you again.

I'm too but I am not bothered by taking my pills (no insulin for me) several hours before or after schedule. Seems you are a better patient than my doc says I am...

something that might be useful for you is the address of a gym : only 20 € for one month - so pretty easy. Just find a basic fit close to where you are, go there and pay - you'll be inside !

https://www.basic-fit.com/fr-fr

I use frio packs to keep insulin cool while traveling. I have had problems when hotel refrigerators failed to regulate temperature correctly so now I only use the frio pack. They aren't frozen and only require cool water to activate and maintain the proper temperature (ice packs can be dangerous since insulin shouldn't be frozen).

https://www.frioinsulincoolingcase.com

I am a Type 1 diabetic, and I use Frio packs for my insulin. However, I have to ask--how much insulin are you taking? Most of the long and short-term insulin is good for 30 days after you open it unrefrigerated. So if you only are bringing 1-2 pens or vials for a couple of weeks, it shouldn't be an issue. I brought 3 vials of Novolog to Italy in October, and didn't really worry about it, since I knew that I would use them in the 2 weeks we were there. Just be sure that you don't freeze the insulin, whatever you do.

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