Cruising medication

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12 Year Plan B-)

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I am a UK sailor who anticipates being afloat in less populated areas of the South Atlantic for many months, possibly a few years. I have prescribed medications which I should continue taking. My GP has dismissed out of hand providing anything beyond the standard 4 week px.
Most importantly for an ocean sailor is having an arsenal of Antibiotics. Does anybody out there have any advice? If the Vendee Globe sailors can get such things, can I???
 
Try one of the doctors who do MCA medical exams as they will have a better understanding of why you need it.

I also have a feeling as the captain of the vessel you can order it from a ship pharmacy supplier too. But you’d have to do some research on that.

W
 
PilotWolf said:
Try one of the doctors who do MCA medical exams as they will have a better understanding of why you need it.

I also have a feeling as the captain of the vessel you can order it from a ship pharmacy supplier too. But you’d have to do some research on that.

W
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In the distant past I have found pharmacies in ports to be understanding and also a nursing sister who happened to be a sailor.
 
12 Year Plan B-) said:
I am a UK sailor who anticipates being afloat in less populated areas of the South Atlantic for many months, possibly a few years. I have prescribed medications which I should continue taking. My GP has dismissed out of hand providing anything beyond the standard 4 week px.
Most importantly for an ocean sailor is having an arsenal of Antibiotics. Does anybody out there have any advice? If the Vendee Globe sailors can get such things, can I???
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Did you check out this site?
Can I take my medicine abroad?

I'm amazed your doctor won't/can't help! When I went to Namibia on a six month contract the pharmacist said I could get approval to take medicines with me if I needed any.
 
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All the above but another method is to find a sympathetic Dr and ask for a private prescription. You’ll have to pay for the meds but the Dr isn’t subject to NHS guidelines on prescribing.
They are guidelines as I understand. I get two months of meds at a time ordinarily and without question.
 
Your GP is not allowed to prescribe more than the nationally agreed limits.

As others have said you will find all sorts of medication that is over the counter in other countries that we have as prescription only.
 
12 Year Plan B-) said:
I am a UK sailor who anticipates being afloat in less populated areas of the South Atlantic for many months, possibly a few years. I have prescribed medications which I should continue taking. My GP has dismissed out of hand providing anything beyond the standard 4 week px.
Most importantly for an ocean sailor is having an arsenal of Antibiotics. Does anybody out there have any advice? If the Vendee Globe sailors can get such things, can I???
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At one time, a 'Ships Captains Medical' ticket, allowed a skipper to get lots of stuff from any pharmacy (I checked inlocal Boots), including morphine, so may be worth doing a course. IIRC, most remedies consisted on things to close wounds, various painkillers & variety of antibiotics, although one examiner seemed keen to ensure boats had oxygen onboard in case of fractured scull.
 
Sharky34 said:
At one time, a 'Ships Captains Medical' ticket, allowed a skipper to get lots of stuff from any pharmacy (I checked inlocal Boots), including morphine, so may be worth doing a course. IIRC, most remedies consisted on things to close wounds, various painkillers & variety of antibiotics, although one examiner seemed keen to ensure boats had oxygen onboard in case of fractured scull.
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There are some strict rules, depending upon country visited, about how any medications are stored securely, so needs to be checked.
 
12 Year Plan B-) said:
Most importantly for an ocean sailor is having an arsenal of Antibiotics. Does anybody out there have any advice? If the Vendee Globe sailors can get such things, can I???
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Not really advice, but many years ago whilst getting jabs for a more exotic trip abroad a doctor actually suggested taking a course of antibiotics and gave me a scrip for it. So you could get them from a gp about 20 years ago.
 
Sharky34 said:
At one time, a 'Ships Captains Medical' ticket, allowed a skipper to get lots of stuff from any pharmacy (I checked inlocal Boots), including morphine, so may be worth doing a course. IIRC, most remedies consisted on things to close wounds, various painkillers & variety of antibiotics, although one examiner seemed keen to ensure boats had oxygen onboard in case of fractured scull.
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That’s probably what I was thinking about.

Also that sure you know how to use or not use anything to decide to take.

W
 
Sharky34 said:
There are some strict rules, depending upon country visited, about how any medications are stored securely, so needs to be checked.
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Usually it’s a steel box/safe securely fixed to a bulkhead. (I hold the Ships Captains Medical ticket, although I’m not sure if they expire?)

Opiate pain relief, local anaesthetic and the ability to put sutures in etc are all taught and practiced a bit. It’s an excellent course but you’re expected to be talking to a doctor on SSB or sat phone for advice.
Antibiotics are easy to get hold of. The opiates, needles. Etc less so!
We carry a blood pressure monitor and a pulse oximetry thing you put in your finger. This plus a decent thermometer allows you to keep a track of obs and relay them ashore.
I had a crew fall and cut their head the year before last. Mid channel in lumpy seas. I just used steri-strips but it closed the wound beautifully (if I say so myself).
 
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If/when you manage to procure the medical supplies you reckon you need then the next problem is the expiry dates. Even sterile dressings go out of date and while they are unlikely to cause any problems, at what point do out-of-date antibiotics do more damage than good? Of course, the first aid box should always be up to date just as fire extinguishers, liferafts, life jackets, EPIRBS, flares, charts, SSR, first-aid certificates, insurance, etc., etc.. What a lot we spend even before we cast off!
 
awol said:
If/when you manage to procure the medical supplies you reckon you need then the next problem is the expiry dates. Even sterile dressings go out of date and while they are unlikely to cause any problems, at what point do out-of-date antibiotics do more damage than good? Of course, the first aid box should always be up to date just as fire extinguishers, liferafts, life jackets, EPIRBS, flares, charts, SSR, first-aid certificates, insurance, etc., etc.. What a lot we spend even before we cast off!
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Some medicines cannot be used past there USE BY date.

How long can you use medicine after expiration date?
What they found from the study is 90% of more than 100 drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date. So, the expiration date doesn't really indicate a point at which the medication is no longer effective or has become unsafe to use.Aug 29, 2020

Drug Expiration Dates — Do They Mean Anything? - Harvard ...
 
We've never had a problem with GP doubling up on prescriptions each year to give us 6 months supply. Each time we go to Boots, they say it's not allowed but still dispense them when I say OK, we'll go to another pharmacy. When occasionally we've run short, having a photocopy of prescription and tablet box with name and dose on, has made it easy to get more supplies, sometimes over the counter but for some medication a local doctor's prescription.
 
At present with Brexit supply chain uncertainties and covid placing demands on pharmaceutical stocks, the NHS is only supplying a months worth of prescription medications. That should change sometime next year to allow a change back to the usual status quo of three months supply. If your departure is imminent, then you should be able to get a private prescription for a few months supply but you’ll have to pay for the consultation as well as the writing of the prescription and then the actual cost of the drugs themselves. Be prepared for an eye opener on the cost, which will be the commercial prices for the drugs.
Many countries will sell drugs across the counter if you take in your old packet (with the label stating your name and the dosage rate). I’ve bought anti inflammatories, a gout medicine and statins across the counter without any trouble in the majority of EU countries and the Caribbean. However, pain medication beyond ibuprofen requires a prescription even if you can produce an old packet.
As to antibiotics, you would do well to find a friendly GP and discuss the topic with them. I did this and we agreed that she would write a private prescription for a couple of wide spectrum antibiotics, enough to treat an infection for week or two. She gave me some notes in which one to use in which circumstances. That was 11 years ago when we left UK for the Med: we threw the drugs away when they expired a few years later and have never actually needed them. If I were heading offshore for a couple of months, I might seek to get a new lot but but it never even crossed my mind when we did a trans Atlantic trip a few years back.
Serious pain relief is difficult, the best you might aim for without a lot of hassle is ibuprofen and codeine, which is available over the counter in UK. It’s a pretty effective mix and ibuprofen doesn’t carry the same overdose risk as paracetamol. Otherwise you’re into qualifications, sat comms, locked boxes and hassle in some countries.
 
You can see a Doctor privately. This is what we do. He writes us private prescriptions for what ever we need. Apart from the normal antibiotics I suggest you ask for Flamazine. Its a burns cream that works miracles. Our NHS GP couldnt understand why we would want such a thing on a boat. It amazing how easy it is to burn yourself on a cooker at sea. It also works well on rope burns.
 
geem said:
You can see a Doctor privately. This is what we do. He writes us private prescriptions for what ever we need. Apart from the normal antibiotics I suggest you ask for Flamazine. Its a burns cream that works miracles. Our NHS GP couldnt understand why we would want such a thing on a boat. It amazing how easy it is to burn yourself on a cooker at sea. It also works well on rope burns.
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I agree. Flamazine is excellent.
If someone broke a femur mid Atlantic it would be a major problem stabalising the break, dealing with shock and controlling the pain. I remember being advised that I’d run out of strong pain relief very quickly. If you’re desparate, and you’ve got some local anaesthetic (eg 1% Lignocaine etc) we were advised to try a femoral block. I seem to remember the pneumonic was NAVAL. Nerve Artery Vein Lymph but I’m very glad I haven’t had to try it. I remember staying in Fort Blockhouse Gosport and there were some junior Drs who used to ask what we’d learned that day. There was a look of horror on their faces when we’d say something like, “Today we did ring blocks and finger amputations”. The joys of offshore sailing with big crews. (I’m also glad I’ve never had to apply much of what I learned. )
 
You can also have a conversation with your dentist, as I understand they are meant to assess your lifestyle/habits to ensure your teeth and you stay healthy. The risk of an abcess needing treatment immediately, say you are 24hours from help, can indicate to your dentist providing medication to suit. I also thought you can carry some meds, only to be used with Medical supervision, by radio for example?
 
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