Biologics

jennand

After over a year of hesitating I have today agreed to try Enbril ( dependant on BT results.) It won’t be for a few few weeks yet as I’m having a holiday first. I’ve struggled this winter and leflunomide and hydroxy are not giving me enough control. I won’t have any problem with self injecting weekly but I wondered if anyone has any helpful advice. Apparently, the injections would be delivered to my home, are these delivered every week or a few at a time. Don’t fancy having to wait in every week. How do you go on when taking flights? I presume you have to take them through security. Anything special I need to know about that? I think my main problem has been accepting that I need this rather than the fear of injecting. Just another bend in the road I suppose.

dreamdaisy

This is what I have now.

My pens for humira (an anti-TNF) and meth are delivered every two months by a company called Healthcare at Home but only if my bloods are up to date. They also supply the sharps bins (yellow lid for the humira, purple for the meth).

I have never flown with the meds, if a future holiday should involve going abroad I will go without (the humira has to be kept at a low temperature and missing a dose or two doesn't bother me). The same with the meth, when I had to go weekly to the hospital for my injections they were quite happy for me to miss doses for holidays. Travel sharps are available from the chemist. I cannot recall if I had to keep the enbrel in the fridge, in my day it wasn't in pen form. DD

jennand

Ooh, that will make me have my BTs more regular. I’m afraid I “ forget” frequently.

jennand

I’ve been reading the reviews about Healthcare at Home. Oh dear, it looks like a dreadful service. I get so wound up at the best of times but a service like that would really annoy me. Have you had any problems DD?

Buka

I travel regularly with all my medication which includes Humira pens. I have actually flown long haul to Australia and Vietnam without problems. I use a small cool bag with icepacks and newspaper keeping it all as cold as possible. If I do an overnight in a hotel before flying everything goes into their fridge and freezer and I have been known to ask cafes to freeze up the icepacks again on stop overs. So it can all be done. What you need is paperwork from your rheumy to say it's prescribed and has to travel with you (not in the hold) and also any medication you take should have the prescription with your name on to prove it is for your use. It is also worth checking when flying to somewhere like Australia that they are happy with the medication you are bringing in. All the information is on the government website of the country you visit. Interestingly no one has ever looked or asked me about my pens when going through the security scanners. I tried declaring them a couple of times but didn't bother after that.

I have had deliveries from healthcare at home and mostly they are fine. You can take control if you want by phoning to organise your own delivery. You can also track your order on the day to know within a two hour time slot when it will be arriving. I have three monthly prescriptions (mainly because I travel a lot), usually it is two monthly. I have also once had it delivered to France - for a fee but cheaper than going home to collect it. That was a disaster (sorted eventually) but only because they got my address wrong. They will also deliver a travel sharps bin which is much smaller if you ask. I concur with DD about the blood tests though. Without up to date tests they wont renew prescriptions. I spend summers in France and have to go to a laboratory over there for my blood tests. I then email the results back to both my GP and Rheumatologist. Good luck with the Enbrel.

jennand

Thanks Buka. I also travel regularly to Australia so that information will be helpful. I guess it’s just a case of getting used to it all.

dreamdaisy

Opinions are easily posted when grumpy about something, never posted when pleased by something. HaH was a mess but things are far better now, my next delivery has just been arranged via email and took less than five minutes to do.

It's the hospital that prescribes the meds which is why BTs have to be up-to-date; if they are not then the script won't be passed to HaH for dispensing. Unlike Buka I am not a traveller but his advice is very informative for future questioners. DD

stickywicket

Buka wrote:

I travel regularly with all my medication which includes Humira pens. I have actually flown long haul to Australia and Vietnam without problems. I use a small cool bag with icepacks and newspaper keeping it all as cold as possible. If I do an overnight in a hotel before flying everything goes into their fridge and freezer and I have been known to ask cafes to freeze up the icepacks again on stop overs. So it can all be done. What you need is paperwork from your rheumy to say it's prescribed and has to travel with you (not in the hold) and also any medication you take should have the prescription with your name on to prove it is for your use. It is also worth checking when flying to somewhere like Australia that they are happy with the medication you are bringing in. All the information is on the government website of the country you visit. Interestingly no one has ever looked or asked me about my pens when going through the security scanners. I tried declaring them a couple of times but didn't bother after that.

I have had deliveries from healthcare at home and mostly they are fine. You can take control if you want by phoning to organise your own delivery. You can also track your order on the day to know within a two hour time slot when it will be arriving. I have three monthly prescriptions (mainly because I travel a lot), usually it is two monthly. I have also once had it delivered to France - for a fee but cheaper than going home to collect it. That was a disaster (sorted eventually) but only because they got my address wrong. They will also deliver a travel sharps bin which is much smaller if you ask. I concur with DD about the blood tests though. Without up to date tests they wont renew prescriptions. I spend summers in France and have to go to a laboratory over there for my blood tests. I then email the results back to both my GP and Rheumatologist. Good luck with the Enbrel.

That's a wonderfully comprehensive answer! Mods, is there some way of keeping it? Maybe a new sticky on travel as we do get lots of questions about holidays and travel. This is the best answer I've read yet on taking sharps on planes.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

Excellent idea Stickywicket, will organise that, thank you very much Buka.

Take care
Yvonne x

jennand

Outdoor I ask what you do about the sharps bins when on holiday?

dreamdaisy

I'm not sure what you mean - both Buka and me have mentioned that you can get smaller sharps bins for travel and you keep them with you or at least store them safely. I bring mine back for HaH to deal with when my larger bins are collected as local chemists where I visit obviously do not have the resources to deal with them and, in my experience, local hospitals won't accept them either. My humira pens go in a standard sharps but the meth pens require a cyto-toxic sharps. Travel bins are not big enough for more than three pens (which are also very difficult to insert, though Buka being a bloke may find that bit easy). DD

dreamdaisy

I've just remembered that it is essential to ensure that the sharps are not fully closed whilst travelling because once they are they cannot be reopened. My spouse managed to do this with a big bin which had only two pens in it. :roll: DD

jennand

Yes, sorry, predictive text.

Buka

I give all my sharps (both travel and ordinary) back to Healthcare at Home for disposal. Sorry DD but it's no easier for me with those travel sharps - I'm very much female I'm afraid (well last time I looked). I'm glad you mentioned shutting the things though. I'd forgotten that one and my OH has done it more than once!

Buka

moderator wrote:

Hi,

Excellent idea Stickywicket, will organise that, thank you very much Buka.

Take care
Yvonne x

You're very welcome. I remember being far more worried about it all than I needed to be. People have been so helpful everywhere I have been.

dreamdaisy

Oh crikey. :oops: Oh Buka, I am so sorry for mis-gendering you, I have no idea why I thought you were a bloke. :oops: I sincerely apologise. DD

Buka

dreamdaisy wrote:

Oh crikey. :oops: Oh Buka, I am so sorry for mis-gendering you, I have no idea why I thought you were a bloke. :oops: I sincerely apologise. DD

Dont apologise DD - I only mentioned it because I thought you would prefer to know than not. I'm not at all concerned. These daft names we all use are not exactly gender specific are they?

jennand

And I’m female too