Parkinson’s medications and travel across time zones

We know that traveling over several time zones upsets your sleeping and eating routines, but it also messes with Parkinson’s medications that are taken on a time schedule.

Especially if you’re planning a far-away outdoor adventure, you want to feel at the top of your game. Medications are part of the equation. And adjusting meds to a new time zone can be tricky.

Some Parkinson’s medications – like levodopa, which is commonly used to control tremors – have strict time schedules. There’s a reason for that, I’ve learned, as a person who will lose track of time, forget a pill, and then wonder why my whole right side is acting like it’s in a bounce house. 

A woman takes a drink while holding a pill in her hand on top of a mountain.

It’s simple: Parkinson’s – and other – medications are most effective when taken as prescribed.

(Even if that means taking a pill at an unusual or unexpected location.)

I’ll share what has worked for me when I travel as well as what experts say. Of course, this is no substitute for advice from your medical team or pharmacist.

First, get one of these

A woman's hands are holding a pill box organizer.

A pill organizer box is a traveling essential and will help ensure you don’t miss a dose. They’re cheap and found in drug stores and dollar stores. If you’ll be gone more than a week, choose one that has 14 compartments.

Some other basics:

  • If flying, keep all your medication with you, not in luggage that’s checked in. Lost luggage is a real thing.
  • Pack enough medication for the whole trip plus about 4 extra days. Unexpected delays are real, too.
  • Keep one day’s dosage of all those pills close to you, in a pocket or purse.

When traveling across 1-3 time zones

If you’re headed for a place only a couple of time zones away, it may be easiest to stay on the schedule you use in your home time zone. 

However, that might mean waking up two to three hours earlier to take a pill. Unacceptable!

A hand holds several different colored pills.

I figured out a way to avoid that on a trip to Arizona, which was in a time zone two hours earlier than my home time. Of course, everyone’s situation will be different, but at least you can see the thought process.

Here’s how I did it. (Warning: excruciating details ahead, but stay with me.)

  1. I normally take a pill every four hours during the day: 7 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.
  2. On the day I left, I took the first pill when my plane took off at 7 a.m. home-base time. 
  3. After a four-hour flight I landed at 9 a.m. AZ time. But it was 11 a.m. home time, and it was time for my next pill. 
  4. I knew I needed to stretch my dosages to get back onto the 7-11-3-7-11 schedule in AZ time. So I took the normal 11 a.m. (home time) pill at 10 a.m. AZ time (5 hours between doses). 
  5. Then that day, on AZ time, I took a pill at 2, 6, and 10 p.m.
  6. The second day, I stretched another dose an extra hour, taking my first pill of the day at 7 a.m. AZ time (9 a.m. home time). 

That put me on my regular time schedule for the remainder of my trip, and I barely noticed the change!

Going home, I just reversed the process. Instead of stretching the doses, they needed to be compacted a bit. Some experts say it is better to have a bigger gap between pills than a smaller one, so check with your doctor to see if a condensed schedule is a good idea.

If you’re staying only a couple of days in the new time zone, it’s probably easiest to stay on your home time zone schedule. When I do that, I wear a watch still set to my home base time to keep track.

Crossing 3 or more time zones

A man with a small suitcase looks out an airport window.

When traveling through many time zones, adjust by gradually changing your medication schedule while in transit, or change to a new schedule after you arrive in the new time zone.

Staying as close to the correct intervals between doses is the goal.  

Here’s some advice from Dr. Christopher Goetz, a Parkinson’s specialist in Chicago: 

“I tell my patients that as soon as they are seated comfortably in the plane seat (for long-distance travel) to immediately change their wristwatch to the site of destination and follow the usual dosing schedule according to the new wristwatch hour.”

He added that there will always be a bit of “drug-dosing instability” when hopping through time zones. (Rush Parkinson’s Newsletter, Summer 2023)

Again, be sure to consult with your doctor or pharmacist regarding your medication schedules.

Don’t stress out!

It’s easy to get anxious about adjusting the schedule to a new time zone. But stress only exacerbates Parkinson’s symptoms! Relax. Usually it is safe to take scheduled meds within an hour or two before or after the scheduled time. (There’s a specific question for the doc.)

Writing schedule changes out on paper can help you with your calculations. There are apps that can help you sort out new times, too. And if it helps, set a timer on your phone to remember the next dose of Parkinson’s medication. When I’m out hiking, I don’t always keep track of time.

Getting through TSA with meds

Yes, you can take your Parkinson’s medication through security. The Transportation Security Administration has a few guidelines, but I found that they are surprisingly accommodating.

  • TSA doesn’t do any pill counts that’ll slow you down.  
  • Their website advises travelers to pack meds in hand luggage. 
  • Also, TSA prefers that you keep medications in their original bottle with your name, but it’s not required. Mine are usually in the pill organizer when I arrive at the airport.
  • However, there may be some states and countries that have specific rules: Know before you go.
  • If you have a liquid medicine that’s more than 3.4 ounces, inform the officer before you put your bags on the conveyor belt.
  • X-rays are generally harmless to medications, but if you don’t want yours to go through the machine, you can request a visual inspection.
  • I try to be alert, quick to respond, and generally nice to TSA workers. Their jobs can be a bit demanding.

Happy trails!

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2 Comments

  1. I appreciated seeing two different ideas for how to adjust to different time zones, thanks for sharing! I haven’t thought ahead this much before trips, and that is useful

    1. Thanks, Jaime! With multiple ways to work this, a person really has to experiment. It’s a work in progress — just like getting the meds right WITHOUT the challenge of traveling is.

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