Many self-care products are also for sale abroad. Still, some things are useful to put in your suitcase. In an emergency, you do not have to look for a pharmacy to explain what you need in a foreign language.
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What is handy to take with you? Cristina, chemist:'I always recommend a suitable sunscreen product, insecticides (both to keep them out and for after stinging), disinfectants and plasters, tweezers for splinters, painkillers, tick tweezers and possibly a vacuum pump to poison after, for example, removing a wasp sting from the wound. A vacuum pump only makes sense if you use it within two minutes after the sting, because the poison is quickly absorbed through the bloodstream.
Travel Sickness In addition, it is useful for some people to take tablets against motion sickness and against hay fever. The latter also help with itching and a mild allergic reaction after an insect bite. Please note:with some medicines against motion sickness and cough you are not allowed to drive! Ask your chemist about this.
Diarrhea
It is also smart to take tablets against diarrhea and tablets against constipation. O.R.S. is suitable for supplementing the deficiency of salts and minerals after severe diarrhoea. Not all remedies are suitable for diarrhea, so ask the drugstore which one is best for you. If the diarrhea is caused by food poisoning, activated charcoal (Norit) is the best choice, as it prevents the spoiled food from being absorbed by your body.
Get advice
The following applies to all medicines:read the package leaflet before use and get advice about the right product and the correct use. Do you have children? Make sure that any medicine you take with you is suitable for your child. Some drugs have an age limit. For advice, it is best to go to a drugstore with the quality mark Recognized Specialist in Self-Care.
Don't forget too Also take contraceptives with you and possibly the morning-after pill because it is not available everywhere without a prescription. In certain countries, doctors do not give the morning-after pill at all due to religious convictions.
Medicine passport
If you use prescription medicines, ask the pharmacy whether a medicine passport is required. With some medicines you will otherwise not cross the border, especially when traveling by plane. The medicine passport can be obtained from the general practitioner or the pharmacy.
Tips
Further advice for hot countries:drink plenty of water in heat to prevent dehydration, wear a cap and wide, light clothing to block the heat. Be careful with drinking water from the tap in other countries. When traveling by car, I recommend that you bring enough to drink and eat in case of traffic jams on the highways.'
Shopping list:
– Sunscreen
– Remedies against insect bites
– Remedies for after an insect bite
– Disinfectant
– Plasters
– Tweezers
– Tick removers
– Vacuum pump
– Tablets against motion sickness
– Tablets against hay fever
– Painkillers
– Tablets against diarrhea
– Tablets against constipation
– Contraceptives
– Morning after pill
Who is Cristina?
Cristina Knollema-Lertora is a licensed druggist and works in a drugstore with the Certified Specialist in Self-Care quality mark, which is the quality mark for good advice on over-the-counter medicines. On www.erkendspecialistinzelfzorg.nl you can find out which drugstores in your area have this quality mark and what you as a customer can expect from these drugstores.
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