In my view, the medicines you need on a trip should always go in your hand luggage, because the cold in the hold can damage them. Carry liquid medicines over the liquids limit in their original packaging, and for prescription medicines have the paperwork with you, at least as a photo on your phone. With supplements such as magnesium, stick to the recommended dose.
Contents4 chaptersHideShow
- 01Liquid medicines on a plane and the 100 ml limit
- 02Can I take medicines in my hand luggage, and how cold does the aircraft hold get?
- Prescription medicines and CBD in hand luggage
- Flying with insulin if you have diabetes
- 03Medicines for your hand luggage: the ones I always travel with
- Recommended medicines for travellers: Milan Bez Mapy’s picks
- Recommended minerals for travellers: a better mood and less stress
- 04Frequently asked questions about medicines on a plane
- Can I take medicines in my hand luggage?
- Does the 100 ml limit apply to liquid medicines on a plane?
- Do I need a form to take medicines on a plane?
- Can I put insulin in my checked luggage?
Medicines belong in your hand luggage, and as a passenger you should keep them within reach. This applies above all to medicines you’ll need during the flight, or ones that could be damaged by low temperatures in the aircraft hold. In this article I’ll introduce my go-to medicines, the ones I take on every trip purely as a precaution, and we’ll also look at how to carry medicines on a plane.
Liquid medicines on a plane and the 100 ml limit
The general rule in aviation is that liquids in containers over 100 ml are not allowed in hand luggage. Some airports with new CT scanners, Vienna among them since July 2026, already allow containers of up to 2 litres. Most airports still stick to the 100 ml limit, though, so check the rules for your flight home too. Medicines, however, are exempt. To make use of the exemption, carry liquid medicines and syrups in their original packaging. For prescription medicines or antibiotics, it’s best to have the prescription or a doctor’s note with you, at least as a photo on your phone. If you travel with a wheelchair, my article on flying with a wheelchair explains which rules apply.
Can I take medicines in my hand luggage, and how cold does the aircraft hold get?
Medicines should travel in your hand luggage, mainly because the temperature in the hold can drop below freezing in exceptional cases. Many people are surprised to learn that the cargo hold of an airliner is pressurised just like the passenger cabin. The air there tends to be a little colder.
That said, the temperature in the hold varies from one aircraft type to another. A Boeing 767 keeps its hold at around 7°C, but the bulk compartment, where animals travel, can be heated to over 18°C. There is no universal temperature for an aircraft hold. Aircraft come in all shapes and sizes, and airlines differ in their procedures, the kinds of flights they operate and the destinations they serve.
Prescription medicines and CBD in hand luggage
You should carry prescription medicines in your hand luggage together with a doctor’s letter or the prescription. The same goes for antibiotics. This is checked most closely when you enter the USA, where CBD is a problem too. Flying with CBD oil has its own rules, set by the country you’re flying to. My friend Aless didn’t know that and packed CBD oil on a flight to America, which isn’t allowed. It was confiscated as soon as she landed, and she was deported from the USA, complete with a lovely lifetime ban on entering the United States.
Flying with insulin if you have diabetes
The same rules apply to insulin: like any other medicine, insulin has to go on board with you. Never put it in your checked luggage. Insulin pumps and supplies must travel in your hand luggage. Insulin in any form, and whatever you use to inject it, must be clearly labelled.
Medicines for your hand luggage: the ones I always travel with
Luckily, I don’t have to think about insulin or a wheelchair when I fly. Thank God for that. What I do think about are the everyday illnesses I can pick up while travelling, most often stomach and gut trouble. I’ve had more than one unpleasant holiday where I spent half the time being sick at both ends, in exotic places such as Thailand and South Africa. On my trip to South Africa I underestimated five things, and one of them was drinking water with ice in a restaurant. That article tells you what happened and why I nearly ended up in hospital. These are the four medicines my hand luggage is never without.
Recommended medicines for travellers: Milan Bez Mapy’s picks
- Endiex for digestive trouble and stomach ache (note: no longer sold in Slovakia, where Enditril has replaced it)
- Imodium for acute diarrhoea
- Primperan/Degan for an upset stomach and vomiting (note: a prescription alternative to Kinedryl)
- Melatonin for a good night’s sleep and beating jet lag
I sometimes pop Endiex almost like sweets. Not recommended, of course. The moment I feel I’ve eaten something bad and my stomach starts to ache, one of these orange tablets goes straight down. Luckily, you don’t build up a resistance to it. According to the Slovak ADC drug database, it is suitable for travellers’ diarrhoea, though it’s worth pointing out that it isn’t meant to prevent diarrhoea. Each capsule contains 200 mg of nifuroxazide. If it doesn’t work, I take two Imodium tablets, which have never let me down so far. They contain loperamide hydrochloride, which helps with diarrhoea.
UPDATE: You’ve written to tell me that Endiex is no longer sold in Slovakia. Any pharmacist there will suggest Enditril as an alternative, although it contains a different active substance (racecadotril).
Primperan is an antiemetic, a substance that suppresses vomiting. In Slovakia its equivalent is Degan, which is prescription-only. Its active ingredient is metoclopramide. It acts on the part of the brain responsible for nausea and stops you feeling sick or vomiting. It came in particularly handy in Thailand, where I picked up some strange bacterium and spent a whole evening throwing up. Like diarrhoea, vomiting is very serious if it goes on for a long time, because your body becomes badly dehydrated. Kinedryl is a very good alternative.
Bear in mind that diarrhoea can be caused by all sorts of bacteria, often local ones. If it feels serious, see a doctor in the country you’re in. A doctor there knows the local illnesses better and can give you effective medicine if the ones you brought from home don’t work.
Melatonin isn’t a medicine but a natural sleep hormone. It always works perfectly for me when I’m getting over jet lag, the sleep disorder caused by crossing time zones. My tips on how to beat jet lag are in a separate article. If I can’t fall asleep, I take two or three melatonin tablets, which comes to 2 to 3 mg at my weight of 90 kg. I fall asleep like magic, even when my body clock is still set to midday. This is my personal experience, not a dose recommendation, so check the right amount of melatonin with a doctor or pharmacist. For it to work 100 per cent, I recommend sleeping in a dark, quiet room. Light acts on the brain and stops it releasing melatonin.
Recommended minerals for travellers: a better mood and less stress
EXTRA TIP: On longer trips I also take various minerals and fish oil: calcium, vitamin D3, iron and sometimes ashwagandha. Ashwagandha supposedly helps reduce stress and improve mental well-being, but I haven’t noticed any difference. Maybe I’m just not stressed.
It has been shown that taking magnesium and zinc improves mental well-being. What matters, though, is sticking to the recommended dose. At one point I overdid the magnesium and zinc, and it had the opposite effect: nausea and irritability. A magnesium overdose is no joke.
Frequently asked questions about medicines on a plane
Can I take medicines in my hand luggage?
Yes, the medicines you need on your trip belong in your hand luggage. In exceptional cases the temperature in the aircraft hold can drop below freezing and damage them. The liquids limit doesn’t apply to tablets and capsules.
Does the 100 ml limit apply to liquid medicines on a plane?
No, liquid medicines are an exception to the 100 ml limit if you need them during the trip. Bratislava Airport allows them in the quantity needed for the duration of the flight. Carry liquid medicines in their original packaging, and for prescription medicines take the prescription or a doctor’s letter with you.
Do I need a form to take medicines on a plane?
You don’t need any special form for ordinary medicines in your hand luggage. For prescription medicines and antibiotics, carry a doctor’s letter or the prescription, at least as a photo on your phone. For medicines that contain narcotics, ask your doctor about the rules in the country you’re travelling to.
Can I put insulin in my checked luggage?
No, don’t put insulin in your checked luggage: it could freeze in the hold. Always carry insulin, insulin pumps and insulin supplies in your hand luggage and keep them clearly labelled, so you can show them at security.
Also worth reading: how to cancel a Ryanair flight and get your money back.
A Slovak travel blogger who has been getting Slovaks out of their office chairs since 2013. Author of the book Influencer and founder of the Bez Mapy blog. "Bez Mapy" is Slovak for "without a map".
