Top Must-Have Medicines While Travelling In India - Your Travel Medical Kit Guide

Medicines To Carry While Travelling In India

If you have never carried a travel health kit, you would require a checklist to pack the essential items in it. At first, you must consider the area that you would be visiting. The items in the travel medical kit will depend on the remoteness of the place you would be visiting and the activities you will be undertaking. You must carry your prescription medicines if you have a specific health condition. If you have diabetes, you should take your medical equipment, such as needles and sterile syringes.

Let’s take a look at the must-have items in a travel medical kit that will keep you safe and healthy during your trip:

1. Analgesic Medicine

Analgesic medicines are painkillers that can help to alleviate pain. Aspirin or paracetamol are common analgesic medicines that you must carry in your travel health kit. If you experience back pain, body pain or a headache during your trip, you can have paracetamol to feel better. If you trek for a long time, you can have leg pain or a headache due to exertion.

2. Antihistamine Tablets

When you are travelling, allergies can frequently occur due to change in weather and place. You must carry antihistamine tablets in your travel health kit for stings, bites or allergies. Antihistamines stop allergy symptoms by blocking or reducing histamines. They provide relief from food and seasonal allergies. The common symptoms of allergy are sneezing, runny nose, hay fever, watery eyes, and throat itching. 

3. Cold and flu tablets

You can catch a cold and flu anytime during your trip. The common cold and flu symptoms are headaches, sore throat, body ache, and nasal congestion. Crocin Cold & Flu Max and Vicks Cold & Flu multi-symptom relief are common tablets for treating cold and flu. These tablets contain decongestants, cough suppressants, and pain relievers that provide relief from the symptoms.

4. Cough Medicine

A dry or wet cough can be extremely annoying when you are on a trip. There are various types of cough syrups available in the pharmacy store. A cough suppressant blocks the cough reflex and provides relief from constant coughing. If you are suffering from a dry cough, you should opt for a cough suppressant. Expectorants are used for treating wet cough. They are known for loosening the mucus so that it gets expelled from the body.

5. Throat lozenges

Throat lozenges increase the production of saliva. As a result, it reduces dryness of the throat and temporarily stops coughs. Medicated throat lozenges contain antibacterial agents, painkillers, antitussives, menthol, pectin, and eucalyptus that provide relief from a cough and sore throat. There are various types of throat lozenges available in the market, such as Halls, Strepsils and Honitus. 

6. Motion sickness tablets

Motion sickness tablets are one of the must-have items in travel medical kit. Motion sickness is a health condition that many people suffer when they are travelling by bus, car, flight or train. It makes a person feel uneasy and dizzy, which is often followed by vomiting. Therefore, when you are travelling, you must keep motion sickness tablets with you.

7. Diarrhoea Medicine

When you are travelling, you can have traveller’s diarrhoea due to consumption of contaminated water or food. So, it is essential to carry diarrhoea medicine in your travel health kit. E.coli is the most common bacterium that causes traveller’s diarrhoea. Antidiarrheal medicines such as iodium are useful for treating diarrhoea. You must be careful about what you are drinking and eating to prevent traveller’s diarrhoea. 

8. Antacid

You must carry antacid tablets or antacid syrup in your travel medical kit. It can neutralise the acidity of your stomach and give you relief from indigestion. Acidity is a common health condition that can occur due to various reasons. To get relief from heartburn and an upset stomach, you should carry antacid in your travel health kit. Some common antacids are Milk of Magnesia, Gelusil, Maalox, and Rolaids.

9. Antiseptic Solution and Ointment - First Aid Essentials

If you get any injuries during your trip, you will need an antiseptic solution and ointment. Therefore, do not forget to pack them in your travel medical kit. You need to first cleanse the wound with an antiseptic solution. It will disinfect the skin and prevent it from infections. After cleaning it with an antiseptic solution, you need to apply an antiseptic ointment over the wound. The ointment helps in treating wounds and cuts. Antiseptic solution and ointment can effectively treat cuts, insect bites, stings, and abrasions.

10. Band-aids

You must carry a couple of band-aids in your medical kit. Band-aid is an adhesive bandage which is used for treating minor wounds and injuries. It prevents dirt and germs from entering the wound, thereby promoting faster healing. If you get a minor cut or blister, you can apply a band-aid to prevent infection.

11. Wound dressing items

Although band-aid is suitable for minor wounds, it won’t be useful if there is a major injury. You cannot predict the events when you are travelling. There is no guarantee that you will get first aid immediately if you are wounded. Therefore, you must carry wound dressing items in your travel medical kit. Crepe bandage, medical adhesive tape, hydrogel or foam dressing, and gauze swabs are important items for dressing a major wound.

12. Insect Repellant Cream

It is important to carry an insect repellant cream when you are travelling. Some places have plenty of bugs and mosquitoes that can harm your health. Dengue and malaria are infectious diseases that are caused by mosquito bites. Choose an insect repellant that contains DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide). It is the most important ingredient that repels insects. An insect repellant cream will prevent you from insect-borne diseases and insect bites.

13. Mild Laxative

Constipation is a common health condition that affects people while travelling. Difficult and painful bowel movements characterise constipation. Laxatives can treat constipation by softening the stools. So, you must carry a mild laxative in your travel health kit.

14. Antifungal or Antimicrobial Cream

It is wise to carry an antifungal or antimicrobial cream with you when you are travelling to a remote place. They contain ingredients that are effective in treating bacterial or fungal skin infections.

15. Multi-Vitamin Tablet

A good multi-vitamin tablet can give you the much-needed energy on your trip. As your diet can suffer due to the hectic travel schedule, a multi-vitamin tablet can keep you energetic. You can have one tablet every day after taking your breakfast.

16. A Pain Relief Balm

It's common to sprain for ankle or back during any trip. So, a pain relief balm always comes handy.

These are the must-have items in travel medical kit that you should not forget to pack. When you are packing your medical bag, go for more tablets than syrups. Choose a travel-friendly pouch that will hold all your medicines neatly. You should also carry a digital thermometer, a sunscreen cream, and scissors with you. Before going on your trip, visit your doctor for a checkup. Carry your prescription medicines along with the essential items in travel medical kit.