A few years ago I put together a travel pharmacy that has saved me more times than I can count. When I go on a trip, or even somewhere for the day, this little bag is always with me.

Inside, I have travel-sized doses of almost every medicine in my cabinet at home, prescription and over the counter. It’s always stocked for the worst case scenario, and makes me feel more confident about going into a new environment where I’m out of my routine.

Here are some tips I would have loved to read before putting mine together:

• Order small pill boxes from Amazon! My favorite ones are by the brand Folca and they unfold to have 8 different compartments. I fill each one with medicine and then make small labels that I tape to the inside lids. Do not skip this step!! It’s so easy to think, “oh I know which meds are which”, but when it’s the middle of the night and your migraine is raging, or when you have to ask someone else to get the meds out for you, those labels will save you. I just write them out on small strips of paper (with dosing information) and tape them to each compartment with transparent scotch tape.

• Use medical mini ziplock bags (I found mine at CVS or you can order them here). For larger pills or ones you want to bring more of, these small travel plastic baggies are great. I’ll often use these to keep medicine in my purse for easy access, but they work well to stuff and leave in your travel pharmacy as well.
• Don’t just bring medicine for migraine! Pack for any other health issues that might come up when traveling. In my bag I have Imodium, nausea meds, Advil, Aleve, melatonin, etc…  Even if you don’t wind up using any for multiple trips in a row, that one time when you need it…you really need it! Plus, if you’re traveling in a group, you’ll be surprised how much help your mobile pharmacy can be for your fellow travelers.

In addition to my mobile pharmacy, there are some other migraine essentials I always travel with. I bring an eyemask, earplugs, cefaly and headphones in my carry on or purse. These are things you don’t want to have to wait until you get to your destination to have access to. A baseball hat and sunglasses are also game changers for me, especially when I have to spend the day going through bright airports. I like to travel with my small essential oil diffuser, and a few of my favorite oils that I use for pain, sleep and anxiety. Lastly, I always have a full water bottle and snacks. If I’m going somewhere with a refrigerator, I bring one of my own ice packs too, because…duh, migraineurs are very attached to their own ice packs! 

Natalie Sayre