Ask Away: Travel safely with medication

You can visit this portrait of Ho Chi Minh in the Old Post Building in Saigon. Photo / Getty Images

Eli Orzessek finds the answers to your travel questions.

I am planning a trip away with my grandson to somewhere in Asia. It will probably end up being Japan as he's a fan of the culture and is really keen to go there. The thing is, he was diagnosed with ADHD about a year ago and we have no experience of travelling with his daily medication (rubefen) — and I've heard these kinds of medication are even illegal in some places. Are we likely to run into any problems?
Graham

It's very wise to look into this before you leave.

If you're travelling with any prescription medicine, always make sure to carry it in the original container so it's properly labelled with you and your doctor's information. It's easy to think, "oh it's just a few sleeping pills, I'll just chuck em in a container with my Panadol" — but it could easily get you in a lot of trouble going through Customs. And I can't imagine much more of a holiday buzzkill than that.

ADHD medication is one you need to be extra serious about, due to restrictions in some countries. In addition to carrying the original container, I'd recommend getting a letter from your doctor as well — to be safe.

In Japan, amphetamines are prohibited — the drug you'll hear most people getting into trouble over is Adderall (amphetamine, dextroamphetamine) commonly prescribed in the US and Canada. The stories I've seen have involved Americans living in Japan who have had their Adderall sent over by post.

In New Zealand, rubefen or ritalin (methylphenidate) is generally the first choice of medication — while it's structurally similar to an amphetamine, they're not quite the same.

It wouldn't be a problem, like a medication like Adderall. However, in Japan methylphenidate is only used to treat narcolepsy.

I contacted the Japanese consul who sent me a link to some information about what you can bring in. It states that you can bring up to a one-month supply of prescription medicine into Japan if it's for your own use, isn't an injectable and isn't a prohibited or especially controlled drug (methamphetamine, narcotics).

If you need to bring more than a month's supply, you'll need to apply for a "Yakkan Shoumei", which is a kind of import certificate and this must be arranged before you leave home.

My husband and I are going to Vietnam for a tour later in the year and it starts in Ho Chi Minh City. I always knew this place as Saigon and might accidentally use that name. Do locals get offended if you use the old name?
Annie

When I was in Vietnam with Contiki, locals seemed to alternate between the two — I mostly heard it called Saigon. Apparently Ho Chi Minh City refers to the wider area, while residents refer to the central urban areas (Districts 1 and 5) as Saigon. For what it's worth, the Herald stylebook says it's Saigon.

Vietnamese people who left after the war and now live overseas are more likely to be offended if you refer to it as Ho Chi Minh City, because they're not entirely fond of Ho Chi Minh, after whom the city was named. In fact, some even use the name as a euphemism for going to the toilet — ie "go visit Uncle Ho".

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