Travel Advice: Health Advice for Food Allergies and Allergy Medicine

An expert reveals how to have a healthy vacation with allergies

by Alan Spira, M.D., The Travel Medicine Center

Travel is Back! Global travel is growing yet again and travelers are seeking more exotic and dynamic destinations.

Some of these destinations have much to offer, including allergens and pollutants. The developing world, where 8 million Americans visit annually, is among the highest risk for this. Many developing nations have increasingly greater problems with air pollution as emission controls and growing economies contribute to pollutants and allergens being released into the air. Having an exacerbation of allergy or new onset allergies can greatly affect, even ruin, a journey. Preparing for the possibility has real physical and psychological benefits.

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If you already suffer from environmental allergies, be sure to take the medications that work for you on the trip. Get an extra prescription from your health caregiver and keep the spare set in your luggage when you check in, keeping the original set on you. This protects you in case of loss or theft. Please keep the medication in the original pharmacy labeled bottles so you don’t face hassles at the airport. Be wary of purchasing medications abroad; the World Health Organization believes that between 20-80% of product sold in developing nation pharmacies is fake, invalid or the wrong medicine.

Some countries have specific and strict rules about bringing medications across their borders, even if legitimately prescribed elsewhere. For example, pseudephedrine (Sudafed®) is not permitted in Japan and if you are found to have it, expect it to be confiscated at the airport. It can be rather difficult to keep tabs on which medications are forbidden in various countries, so it would be wise to consult with a Travel Medicine specialist before departure.

Travelers with serious allergies, such as to medications or foods should be wary. It is possible that you would not be told about the presence of certain compounds as you travel, often simply for language reasons alone. If you were to receive an prescription for medication but did not know it had a component of your allergen, for example penicillin, then you could develop a severe reaction, such as angioedema or anaphylaxis which can progress to shock. The same is true for foods; for example, many sauces in Thailand have peanut in them, and if you were unaware of this and were allergic to peanuts, trouble would be waiting in the wings. If this applies to you, be sure to travel with diphenhydramine, a prescription for steroids such as medrol and an EpiPen autoinjector in case a severe, life-threatening allergy develops.

Your allergist will help you in choosing specific medication or therapy for your specific allergies. As much is possible, get the allergies under control before departure, to minimize exacerbation or simply suffering from them at all during your journey.

Optimally, it is best to begin your health preparations for travel at least a month before departure. It may be that you don’t have that much time, but the more time you have, the more effectively you can prepare your body and mind to prevent illness during your journey. Consult with a Travel Medicine specialist to get the appropriate vaccinations and counseling on how to avoid destination-specific disease in addition to your allergy preparations. It makes much more sense to avoid trouble than trying to fix illness while you are on your trip. Many disease of travel can seriously affect your daily living and some are potentially fatal; yet with a proper orientation to prevention, you can readily remove nearly all these threats, giving you peace of body and peace of mind.

First Published: July, 2004
Updated: February 2007

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