Long haul flights and medications

[lindyloo59]

Does anyone have any advise on the best way to take medication ie warfarin bisoprolol perindopril when going on a flight to Australia with time zones??

Thanks in advance

[Victoria55]

Hello Lindyloo, how exciting to have a trip to Australia!! I’m sorry I don’t have any advice about your blood thinner, I take Eliques .. I certainly would ask your doctor.. Be sure and get up and walk around keep the blood moving in your legs.. Have a wonderful trip.!

[lindyloo59 in reply to Victoria55]

Thank you will ask doctor😀

[hock217 in reply to Victoria55]

Stay hydrated. Google seat exercise. Have a fabulous time.

[BobD Volunteer]

Unless you want to completely ruin your holiday and stick to your local time wherever you may be the best advice is to bring your dose forward (or backwards) an hour or so each day for a few days before you travel and then catch up again at the other end. An hour or two either way is not critical so you can have some flexibility. Just try to stay within a couple of hours of the normal period (12 or 24 hours.)

[lindyloo59 in reply to BobD]

What would the procedure be when coming back?

[Hidden]

I usually go to Sydney and fly out of Heathrow at night and get into Sydney early morning. I take my normal dose at night before I go to airport and sit back and enjoy the flight. My next dose will be at the same time my first evening in Sydney. So 8pm in pommie land simply becomes 8pm Sydney time. Just forget the time zones. Your meds aren't gonna be any less effective for those few hours. As a matter of interest I've had to stop warfarin prior to surgery and it takes 6 to 7 days to get from your normal INR, say 2.7 down to 1.0 ( normal).

Hope this helps enjoy my adopted homeland .. where you going?

One thing though, if you self test for your INR you may find during your stay in Oz that your INR jumps to around 3.2. Don't worry. If it gets up around 5.0 or higher then go to an INR Clinic wherever you are staying.

If you are really worried remember that the AF association have a Facebook page afa Australia I think it is.

[lindyloo59 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your advise. We are going to Brisbane flying from Newcastle at 6 in morning landing at Brisbane t time next day. We have a stop of 3 hrs at Paris and Singapore. My husband doesnt self test for his inr level but is getting it tested a few days before we go on holiday.

[Hidden]

OK lindyloo,

Well according to my time zone calculator Brisbane is 9 hours ahead of GMT. Forget about Paris, Singapore is 7 hours ahead ...... so forget about it enjoy the flight, these times are just not worth worrying about. So if hubby normally takes his Warfarin at - say - 8 pm in the evening Newcastle time then when you get to Brissy take it at 8 pm Brissy time, just don't worry about anything in between. and then continue with the same time each day all the while you are in Brissy.

If I've read your post right you also arrive in Brissy at 6 am local time - so if my maths is correct you will have been around 30 hours between doses - nothing to worry about in the overall scheme of things. The thing to remember about warfarin is consistency, consistency and more consistency - if you start messing about with time zones you will drive yourself bonkers and you will start being inconsistent, and that's what warfarin doesn't like. If you start worrying about time zones, you'll get stressed and that can also impact on your INR.

Its a bit like being at home and missing a dose. What do ya do - you don't play catch ups, just take your next dose at the normal time - i.e. 8pm, just that you're gonna be in Brissy and not Newcastle.

All this assumes that hubby is pretty stable in his INR.

If I were you I'd ring the UK AFA and ask them if they have the names and addresses in Brisbane of any INR clinics and or hospitals who you could turn to if you need to. I lived in Sydney for years so for me it ain't a big deal, I know where to go wherever I am staying in that city.

Also buy a set of 'Flight socks' (or compression socks) to wear in transit. No alcohol in flight, keep hydrated, water and soft drinks only, keep walking around the cabin, move yourself and don't forget those ankle exercises when in your seat!

Also, its not a bad idea to get a letter from your GP saying what condition you have and confirming these medications are for the control of your medical condition.

Next keep a 2 day supply of your medication in your cabin baggage just in case of any delays on your journey. Put the rest in your baggage that will be in the aircraft hold.

You got an interesting journey coming up and funnily enough I am down in Cornwall and on my next trip I am thinking of taking the ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff then TGV to Paris (Chas de Gaulle) then fly to Sydney via either KL, HK or Singapore ........... only because I don't have time pressures and I can't stand Heathrow - a dump of an airport, have a little adventure too.

Anyway Lindyloo, hope this helps ....... sit back and enjoy the ride.

John

[Denise-]

I was advised to keep my tablets on British time. So i did a little table so i knew when to take them. Hope this helps enjoy your holiday

[Fastbeat]

I agree with what Bob has said,been to Australia quite a few times and have always adjusted the time by a couple of hours each day for a week or so before flights had no problems, but obviously that is my personal way. Have a good trip and lovely holiday

[hock217]

I flew from NYC to L.A. then direct to Melbourne. My retirement present to myself in 2014. One month Australia, and the New Zealand's. It was before health issues other than HTN and it was fabulous.

[MarkS]

I agree with Carneuny, don't mess around changing 2 hours here and there, just stick to the same local time, e.g. 6 pm. Warfarin is quite a benign drug compared with the NOACs. It's effect is cumulative so a few hours here or there is irrelevant.

However the NOACs are different. Their effect is much faster so you would need to take them at the equivalent local time to the UK, possibly changing by an hour or so a day.