Time zones and meds

[Pacific]

Hi, I know people have posted before about time zones and taking meds, but I just can't do the math! We'll have an 8 hour time zone difference on our family trip this year. I take my heart meds plus anticoagulants every 12 hours: 9:00 AM and 900 PM.

Last year I had a 5 hour time zone difference and I just skipped taking the morning ones when we got home that morning, but the idea of not taking them worries me.

Equally, the idea of taking them too close together scares me as they are potent drugs. I will be extremely grateful if someone can calculate these time zones.

[Rellim296]

Do your pills need to be taken with food or without food?

Which direction are you travelling - east or west?

[Pacific in reply to Rellim296]

West, to San Francisco. At home I take them with food, but if I'm travelling I often take them with water. There are no instructions on the label that specifies whether I should take them with food or without. Thanks.

[Rellim296 in reply to Pacific]

That makes it easier if they don't have to be with meals or on an empty stomach.

[PatWalsh010]

i keep my wAtch at UK time and have been in the Middle East and in the States and managed to keep taking my warfarin at the usual time for me. I've not been as strict about my statins, blood pressure, HRT or Glaucoma eye drops but seems to have done me no harm. Hope that helps. 😀

[Pacific in reply to PatWalsh010]

Thanks, I'll try it!

[Von19]

I was advised by the pharmacist to take my medication at the same time I would have at home so kept my watch on UK time

[MarkS]

If you take warfarin, then it doesn't really matter, it's not that sensitive. When I went to California last year I just switched over to the new time.

However if you take NOACs then they tend to be a lot more sensitive. Just keeping UK time won't work - do you really want to be up at 0100 for the 0900 tablet? I would work it out using the 24 hour clock with UK and California time in a table and adjust over a couple of days.

[Pacific in reply to MarkS]

I am taking Dabigatran. To be honest I'm thinking of staying home and my husband can make the trip on his own to see his siblings. I had a stroke 2 years ago, and I also worry whether our health insurance policy would pay out in USA.

[MarkS in reply to Pacific]

It'll be a shame if you can't go, but I understand about the fears of another stroke. I think the timing issue can be sorted out. I would advance the evening dose on the way out - i.e. take 2100 dose at 1900 UK time (1100 Cal time), then the following day at 1700 UK time (0900 cal time) and then you're OK. But that is just me, you would need to confirm that.

However you would need to confirm your coverage with your insurance. If you look at something like AllClear then it can be done entirely online including your stroke history.

[Pacific in reply to MarkS]

Your math makes perfect sense; I couldn't figure it out my though!

We use All Clear andI'm always asked whether I've fainted due to AF, and I haven't, so I say 'no', but it's on my GP medical file that I felt faint (iIncorrectly written as 'fainted' by A&E). I felt faint due to the heat from a dryer in a hair salon, and A&E can confirm that I was not in afib at the hospital (I was told by a a paramedic over the phone to go there with my husband, - the salon owner had called 999.

The GP will not remove this error.

This is why I am not conf they will payout if I am get sick on the trip.

[Patient007]

I went to San Francisco 3 times and I just went straight to their time. Got too complicated staying in UK time because I didnt want to be waking up in the middle of the night taking meds and as some were with food it was impossible. I take Flecainide every 8 hours so it fitted around the timing anyway. I take it at 6am 2pm and 10pm. Anticoagulent wasnt worried about because I just missed a dose which you often have to do before surgery anyway. Im still alive anyway. Well just about Ha ha. Relax and enjoy yourself.

[Barb1]

Just returned from Florida. On the plane I changed the time on my watch and took my meds at usual time. It was too complicated with such a big time change to do it any other way I felt