A pharmacist has warned anyone traveling abroad to make sure they are carrying two things when taking prescription medication on holiday with them, otherwise it may be taken at the border
Abigail Nicholson Content Editor
08:51, 25 Jan 2026Updated 08:52, 25 Jan 2026
Traveling with prescription medication can be difficult(Image: PA)
A pharmacist in the UK has issued advice on what to do with prescription drugs when traveling through airports.
Over half if the UK’s population take prescription medication, whether that is for conditions they have for a long period of time, or one-off prescriptions of antibiotics.
With this in mind, many people don’t know what to do with their medication when they’re traveling across the world.
Is it best to keep medication in your hand luggage, or put them in your hold bag? A pharmacist in the UK who posts advice on social media called Anum, has shared the exact steps you need to take to make sure you don’t have medication removed from your bag.
She said: “Here’s what you need to know about travelling through UK airports with prescription only medication.
“Hi everybody, it’s your clinical pharmacist Annem, based here in the UK and the general consensus across airports in the UK is that you can travel with any of your medications including tablets, liquids, inhalers, as long as they are for personal use.
“Now for prescription only medications, I recommend keeping them in your hand luggage, especially if they’re essential medications so they’re easily accessible for you during the flight or whenever you need.
“Okay, here’s the important part, you want to keep the medication in its original packaging, and it should have the medication’s name, your name and the pharmacy’s name all on the packaging.
“You also want to be carrying proof that this medication is yours and prescribed to you. This can be in the form of a doctor’s letter, a prescription or even via the NHS app.
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“Controlled drugs we need to be more careful with, so this is things like ADHD medications or some strong painkillers. You should only be carrying a maximum of 30 day supply with you through UK airports and it’s super important that you have proof that that medication is prescribed to you.
“It’s also really important to check the guidelines of the country that you are travelling to, because that might be different and lots of people get caught out.”
The Government states that “must” carry medicine containing a controlled drug with you in your hand luggage when entering or leaving the UK.
They confirm that it may be taken away from you at the border if you cannot prove it was prescribed for you.
People shared their experiences of travelling with medication in the comments section of the video.
One person said: “Its really a big bother for me when I travel because I am on multiple meds a day for long term and I usually put it in a daily pill box. Because otherwise I forget it and which meds I already have taken. It adds extra stress when travelling.”
Another said: “Never been stopped or questioned and all in original boxes. I don’t take co-codomol though as it’s banned in some countries.”