Traveling with Osteoporosis Medications and Needles

Posted by madeleine40 @madeleine40, Mar 3 12:40pm

Has anyone traveled to France and back with Tymlos pens and needles for one month in carry on luggage. Have you had any issues at airports, TSA and European airports? Thank you for any recommendations you may have.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Osteoporosis & Bone Health Support Group.

@susyt

I bought a special little thermos to keep my TYMLOS pen cold while traveling. It has a sensor wire inside it, so you can touch the cap and it displays the internal temperature. While traveling through TSA in Frankfurt, I carefully placed the thermos in the bin so it would be visible, since it would look suspicious in the x-ray. Oh boy did it ever! Next thing I knew, most people had been cleared away, and I was surrounded by 4 armed men wearing protective vests, each one with his hand on his gun, including one with an automatic rifle. After intense questioning, they finally thought maybe I wasn't a suicide bomber, and they dared to open it.
So advice to travelers, open your thermos before placing it in the TSA bin, so they can see that it's not dangerous! Funny in hindsight!

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Thank you for sharing the story of traveling with the Tymlos pen. I need to fly in October and dreading exactly what you just described!

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@drsuefowler

@susyt, Thanks for the heads up! I live in Florida but spend the summer in Michigan. We will be flying south next month. I am taking half a dose of Tymlos, and I will have 4 Tymlos pens with partial doses when we leave. I was wondering if I could take them all through security. I bought 2 containers with gel packs that can hold 2 pens each. Does anyone know if I would have a problem taking these through? Do I need a prescription or note from my Dr? Would my box of needles be safe in checked baggage?

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I traveled in the U.S. and internationally, and no one asked for a prescription or doctor note. I've had my needles in my carry-on as well as checked bag, and no problem with either. Only problem was that closed thermos with the sensor wire in it, in Frankfurt. Definitely recommend opening it before putting it through TSA, just in case!

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@susyt

I traveled in the U.S. and internationally, and no one asked for a prescription or doctor note. I've had my needles in my carry-on as well as checked bag, and no problem with either. Only problem was that closed thermos with the sensor wire in it, in Frankfurt. Definitely recommend opening it before putting it through TSA, just in case!

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Thanks so much @susyt!

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@susyt

I traveled in the U.S. and internationally, and no one asked for a prescription or doctor note. I've had my needles in my carry-on as well as checked bag, and no problem with either. Only problem was that closed thermos with the sensor wire in it, in Frankfurt. Definitely recommend opening it before putting it through TSA, just in case!

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Just curious--Where did you buy the case? Aside from the "can appear to be explosive" thing, it sounds like a great little thermos.

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@susyt

I bought a special little thermos to keep my TYMLOS pen cold while traveling. It has a sensor wire inside it, so you can touch the cap and it displays the internal temperature. While traveling through TSA in Frankfurt, I carefully placed the thermos in the bin so it would be visible, since it would look suspicious in the x-ray. Oh boy did it ever! Next thing I knew, most people had been cleared away, and I was surrounded by 4 armed men wearing protective vests, each one with his hand on his gun, including one with an automatic rifle. After intense questioning, they finally thought maybe I wasn't a suicide bomber, and they dared to open it.
So advice to travelers, open your thermos before placing it in the TSA bin, so they can see that it's not dangerous! Funny in hindsight!

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Amazon. It was this:
DISONCARE Odyssey 60H Insulin Cooler Travel
case Digital Display Medication Cooler for Medicine Travel TSA Approved Ice Pack Diabetic Medical Cooler Diabetes Bag EpiPen with Medical Tag(Seawater Cyan)

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@susyt

I bought a special little thermos to keep my TYMLOS pen cold while traveling. It has a sensor wire inside it, so you can touch the cap and it displays the internal temperature. While traveling through TSA in Frankfurt, I carefully placed the thermos in the bin so it would be visible, since it would look suspicious in the x-ray. Oh boy did it ever! Next thing I knew, most people had been cleared away, and I was surrounded by 4 armed men wearing protective vests, each one with his hand on his gun, including one with an automatic rifle. After intense questioning, they finally thought maybe I wasn't a suicide bomber, and they dared to open it.
So advice to travelers, open your thermos before placing it in the TSA bin, so they can see that it's not dangerous! Funny in hindsight!

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I traveled quite a lot during the 2 years of using Tymlos and never had any issues with security. I didn’t bring any pens that hadn’t been used yet so there wasn’t any need for me to keep them cold.

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@susyt

I bought a special little thermos to keep my TYMLOS pen cold while traveling. It has a sensor wire inside it, so you can touch the cap and it displays the internal temperature. While traveling through TSA in Frankfurt, I carefully placed the thermos in the bin so it would be visible, since it would look suspicious in the x-ray. Oh boy did it ever! Next thing I knew, most people had been cleared away, and I was surrounded by 4 armed men wearing protective vests, each one with his hand on his gun, including one with an automatic rifle. After intense questioning, they finally thought maybe I wasn't a suicide bomber, and they dared to open it.
So advice to travelers, open your thermos before placing it in the TSA bin, so they can see that it's not dangerous! Funny in hindsight!

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Hello @susyt - thank you for sharing your scary, but in hindsight humorous, story about traveling with your osteoporosis meds. I actually combined your discussion with a discussion titled, "Traveling with Osteoporosis Medications and Needles" - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/travel-to-europe-with-tymlos-pen-and-needles/ so all of the members talking about traveling with their meds could see your experience as well.

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I flew to Alaska last month. My pen was in a plastic bag in my backpack. Nobody said a word about anything when it went through the X-ray. They were more concerned about me emptying my water bottle. 🙂

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@susyt

Amazon. It was this:
DISONCARE Odyssey 60H Insulin Cooler Travel
case Digital Display Medication Cooler for Medicine Travel TSA Approved Ice Pack Diabetic Medical Cooler Diabetes Bag EpiPen with Medical Tag(Seawater Cyan)

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Did you have any issues with this cooler in the US?

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