Seizure Safety Tips: Travel and Vacation

Talk to your doctor about your plans and what is right for you.

• Use medication reminders (alarms, apps) so you don’t miss any doses when you are traveling.
  • If you will be crossing time zones talk to your doctor about how to adjust your schedule.
  • If you miss a dose, you should call your doctor for instructions.
• If you take Anti Seizure Medication, or any medicines, make sure you have enough for the duration of your trip, and extra in case of any delays.
• Bring copies of your prescriptions with you in case you lose your medication and need to get a refill. If you don’t have paper copies of your prescriptions make sure to have access to them in your electronic records if needed. If possible, work with your home pharmacy to ship replacement medication to you if needed instead of filling the prescription abroad.
• ALWAYS travel with your medications in your carry-on bag. Never put your medications in luggage that could be taken from you and checked.
• Keep your medication in a temperature controlled place. Don’t expose it to extreme heat or cold.
• If you have an implanted medical device it can be help to bring a letter from your doctor with the information about your device. This might help you pass through security checkpoints more easily. Remember security checkpoints are not just at airports. You might find them at amusement parks, stadiums and other large venues.

• Bring your health insurance ID card with you.
• Check with your provider about how medical care is covered if you are treated away from home / out of state.
• Consider purchasing travel insurance, especially if you are traveling outside of the United States.
  • Choose a plan that allows you to get medical care if needed during your trip.
  • Make sure to disclose your epilepsy as a pre-existing condition when applying for travel insurance so that if you are treated for a seizure while traveling it will be covered.

• Check out our Seizure Safety Tips for Summer here.
• Talk to your physician to determine your individual risk for alcohol consumption.
• Remember that changes in sleep patterns can be a seizure trigger.

Ensure that you have a wearable item to indicate to people that you have epilepsy in case you have a seizure in a setting without people who know you have epilepsy. Epilepsy Alliance America can provide a $35 coupon to individuals with epilepsy towards a product from GetMyId.com.

Traveling alone with epilepsy can be hard if your seizures are not controlled. Consider traveling with family or friends. If you to travel alone, be sure to tell your airline, other transportation provider, or hotel about your epilepsy and what they can do if you have a seizure.