<p>My D left today for a summer study program in Italy.
I just noticed that she forgot to pack her prescription allergy medication and I’m wondering if I can just mail her pills to the hotel where she’ll be staying.
Do any of you know if it is allowable to ship prescription medications to Italy?</p>
<p>Sigh. D is in Italy now, and the list of what cannot be mailed there is rather lengthy and somewhat ridiculous. (No fake flowers, leather belts, handkerchiefs, or typewriter ribbons in case you were wondering.) Unfortunately, the list also goes on to specify:</p>
<p>Compound medicaments and medicines.</p>
<p>So technically they’re a no-no. </p>
<p>You can see the full list of prohibited items at
[url=<a href=“Italy | Postal Explorer”>Italy | Postal Explorer]Italy[/url</a>]</p>
<p>Now, as to what you might do: if it is prescription medication, and she has an AMEX card, you may be able to use their emergency service to help her locally obtain a quantity. Alternatively, perhaps there aren’t the same restrictions on Fedex. If it is OTC medication, perhaps you can send her the chemical (not brand) name, and let her see if she can find something similar locally. (Brand names are often different products than what we expect – and this applies to medications as well as candy bars and laundry detergent.)</p>
<p>But perhaps she’ll find that will different flora in Italy than at home that allergies aren’t the problem any longer. Many friends with allergies who’ve moved to new areas have a relatively pleasant first year before their immune systems gear up for the new challenges. Anyway, its a hope.</p>
<p>Get a new prescription from the physician with the chemical name. Send that to her. Also, send her the chemical names of the OTC medications that she has used successfully in the past. Make sure to include the exact dosages. What is OTC here is not necessarily OTC there, and what is prescription here is not necessarily prescription there. She may find that she can pick up the equivalent of her US prescription medication on the shelf as an OTC.</p>
<p>People have allergies in Italy, so I’m sure she can come up with something that will more-or-less work.</p>
<p>Good luck to both of you!</p>
<p>I had to laugh at the list of prohibited items; my favorite was “human remains”.
Thanks for the info, I think I’ll check Fedex or else I guess she can try OTC meds.
How is your D enjoying Italy?</p>
<p>the “compounded” makes me think of something compounded (mixed) by a pharmacist : ointment, suspension or even a capsule. If it is something compounded then your med from drug manuf would be ok. Perhaps you could call drug company & get name of drug in italy or try poison control / drug information. They have data base of foreign drugs.</p>
<p>Pharmacies in Italy will probably sell her the medicine over the counter without a prescription. I have left medications behind and run out of medications in Italy and have never had a problem. If she is there on a study program ----Im absolutely certain they will be able to point her to a local English speaking Pharmacist. Dont worry about it.</p>
<p>Please make sure you have the correct name for Italy to avoid any problems. 
[Consumers</a> Filling U.S. Prescriptions Abroad May Get the Wrong Active Ingredient Because of Confusing Drug Names](<a href=“http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/reports/confusingnames.html]Consumers”>http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/reports/confusingnames.html)</p>
<p>I’m a student who was in Italy last semester. I wish this wasn’t possible, but my dad was actually successfully able to mail me Benadryl in a regular envelope taped to a sheet of paper. When I picked up the envelope, I could actually hear pills shake…</p>
<p>My anecdote aside, I second what others say about getting a prescription at the pharmacy. It’s the fastest, easiest and most convenient.</p>
<p>I want to thank everyone for posting such good advice. I think I’ll mail her a copy of her prescription and tell her to try the local pharmacy.
AiHy, your dad was very inventive, if D has no luck at the pharmacy I may resort to creative envelope stuffing.</p>
<p>If she needs it sooner—just scan it and send in an e-mail (along with a copy of the label of the medication she left behind) That should be more than sufficient.</p>
<p>Musicamusica, thanks for the suggestion.
D just called me to tell me she is sitting on the Spanish Steps, I’m so jealous. Oh to be young and in Rome…</p>
<p>If she’s with a summer study abroad program, then it may be possible to send the medicine to the place where she receives her mail - if she happens to have a mailbox at the study abroad center and mark the envelope - I would just use one of those padded envelopes, and just write “used personal goods” on the form that the post office may ask you to fill out That’s what we were told to put on anything that we mailed from the U.S. to the study abroad site.</p>
<p>hiii there;
who know that,is tramadol pills prohibited in italy? specially in the airport.I mean if in the airport officer see it in our baggage what will they do. (Tramadol is a high level pail killer like codein)</p>
<p>Keep all prescription drugs in their original pharmacy containers while traveling.
“Compounded” is meant that a pharmacist actually mixed the prescription–most often lotions or ointments.
You could probably mail it with no problems.</p>
<p>You can mail the allergy medicine with no problem. I have done this in the past. Leave it in its original packaging, with all the labels attached. Put it in a small box, padded bag whatever and mark it “used personal goods.” </p>
<p>That being said, there is a very good possibility that she will not need the medication while she is in Italy, if what she is using it for is seasonal allergies. Or she may need a different medication. If I were her, I would wait and see, and then if I needed something go to an pharmacy and see what they would recommend.</p>
<p>Whatever yo do, DO NOT mark the envelope with any indication that it’s medical. My d forgot her dental retainer. My DH, against my instructions (of course), marked whatever form or envelope that it was a medical device. It took almost 6 weeks to get it out of Italian red tape and get it to her.</p>
<p>OK A few corrections from from someone with 10 years experience in this.tramadol is not illegal in Italy despite what one of the comments above said.
however given that it is an opiod pain killer even though it is not a controlled substance in the United States it is subject to regulation in Italy so you would need a prescription in order to purchase it there. Tramadol is not comparable to codeine as that post indicated.</p>
<p>tramadol is one of the many medications I take and I have never had seized customs at the airport or any other port of entry into Italy and all the times I’ve been to the country. the only medication that ever presents a problem is adderall. stimulant drugs like adderall or Ritalin are not legally obtainable in Italy. the only stimulate one container strattera which is a non narcotic stimulant drug.</p>
<p>entering the country you should have no problem with having your medication seized however you should always bring notes from your doctor indicating with the chemical name of the substances and what its uses.</p>
<p>this comes from the past 10 years of experience both living and working in Italy and the United States. I have citizenship both here and in Italy. and I have attended both high school and undergraduate school graduate school and medical school here and in Italy. when it comes to mailing medications they may or may not be seized by customs at the mail station it’s completely random and most of the time they do not get seized however if they do they will be held by customs for a minimum of 4 weeks and you daughter or son may never get them. it’s always best when possible to take a supply of the medication before you leave however in certain cases such as adderall or other narcotics that you can only obtain a 30 day supply of this is not possible. if you’re going to try to send one of these medications to somebody abroad specifically in Italy for a 30 day supply medication from the US make sure to include a copy of the written prescription as well as a chemical breakdown of the medication and a written order from the doctor describing its you send medical indications to include a copy of the prescription a written doctor’s order for the medication that specifies the medical condition that the medication treats and a chemical breakdown of the medication so that it stands the best chance of making it through customs.</p>
<p>if push comes to shove she could just see a doctor in Italy or go to the pharmacy at the Vatican were they will fill a prescription from the United States without a problem. and pharmacy is the largest in the world and they keep a large number of medications in stock however they do not carry contraception. contraception including plan B is readily available at any pharmacy Italy without a prescription for very inexpensive prices. when in doubt bring enough for your entire trip!</p>