Bipolar Disorder and Travel? Think Ahead About Your Meds

I just had an email from a person who is moving to China. He wondered how he would get his Lamictal and Risperdal in China.

Here is my answer….
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You ask an important question about medications. Lamictal is with Glaxo Smith Kline.  Risperdal is from Janssen. – I would assume they have different contracts with different countries. Of course, if you are taking generics, you should talk with your pharmacy and see how they work with other countries.

If you still take the brand names:

Here is the contact for Glaxo Smith Kline- the makers of Lamictal.     1-888-825-5249
Here is the number for Janssen- the makers of Risperdal:       1-800-526-7736

I am sure they can answer your questions or at least point you in the right direction. Considering all of the people from the US who are working in or moving to China, there must be a way to get the information.

I took Lamictal for five years- it worked wonderfully for me when  my depression simply wouldn’t calm down. I certainly never thought I would use the word medication and wonderful in the same sentence! But I love the fact that there are some drugs out there that work without 24 hour side effects. The generic for Lamictal is lamotrigine.

I always stock up on the meds before I travel so that I have emergency rations when I’m there. You can also leave extra meds with a family member in the States. I always recommend this when a person travels. You can ask for extra meds from your doctor-though it’s not loved by insurance, your health care professional can prescribe a higher dose than you take, so that you can have extra meds.

If you simply have a copay for your meds, then this saves you a LOT of money.

Also, if you travel with meds on your way there, make sure they are clearly labeled- you can even take a letter from your doctor. Just in case.

As you probably know, a move can be a big, big trigger for bipolar disorder- especially mania.  A lot of this has to do with sleep changes. I suggest you have a plan in place before you leave. I have lived in Japan and traveled in China, so I know the risks that come with the excitement.

I’m very impressed that you’re taking care of things before you travel- believe it or not, some people don’t and that’s when problems start.

Julie

PS: I just had a great comment below about my opinion on generic Lamictal. Michael asked if I had changed my mind about Lamictal and it’s generic form lamotrigine- I answered the comment with the following:

Hi Michael, this blog chronicles my experience with generic Lamictal (lamotrigine)  the first month it came out many years ago. You probably read an older post.  It was not well regulated and people all over the world were having different experiences with the lamotrigine. It didn’t work for me at all– whereas others found it exactly the same as the brand Lamictal. It’s now many years later and the generic lamotrigine seems to be working fine for people. Lamictal is the most benign of all bipolar disorder drugs- yes, it has the rash- but if you’re careful, the rash is extremely rare. Overall, it helps the most for bipolar II and has the least side effects of any bipolar disorder drug on the market. These days, I think it’s very safe to use the lamotrigine. I stuck with brand name Lamictal for years simply because I didn’t want to risk the generics. Now, if I were jut starting out with a prescription, I would take the lamotrigine- but if it didn’t work, I would try the Lamictal. The problem is that Lamictal is incredibly expensive and insurance companies don’t like to use it.  I believe in big management plans with the least drug use possible, but many of us must take drugs and Lamictal/ lamotrigine is a good one. Julie