Quote from: Allie Jayne on Today at 03:05:17 AMThe cost and availability of medications are significant concerns when travelling. In Australia we have government subsidised medications, so visitors can have prescriptions filled, but at the full manufacturers price. And travelling with hormones can cause problems at borders, so you must have a valid prescription with you. While those countries are legally safe for trans people, there are still the same risks that all people face and a common sense approach to your own safety is still required.
Hugs,
Allie
Very true Allie. I have a signed and stamped Doctor's letter covering me across international borders. I paid about $50 for it. I would always recommend people travelling with hormones to have this back up although no one has ever cared-a-less about mine and if you deep dive into biosecurity custom rules, hormones aren't an issue anywhere I've encountered: even somewhere like Singapore. Stringent rules for female hormones would cause global chaos.
If you are happy to go to Thailand you can pick up hormones at perfectly respectable pharmacies over the counter for very, very, little money. I also stock up on my antibiotics for travel there. There's one called South-east Asia Pharmacy near Terminal 21 on Sukhumvit which is excellent. They may ask a few questions but you don't even need a prescription. Mind you, I've done the same thing whilst travelling through parts of Europe. Just rolled up at a pharmacy and bought my estrogen without prescription. You won't tend to find the more unusual types like gels although they can order things in. I once picked up bicalutamide there for example.
Interestingly, according to my Gender Identity Clinic, regular estrogen is generally secure from fakes because it's so cheap that it doesn't pay the con people to manufacture it.
For the avoidance of doubt, I'm not advocating any of the above, nor encouraging it. Nor trying to be radical. Simply reporting how it is. And please bear in mind that I once lived in the heart of the jungle for 6 years and the book 'Where there is no Doctor' was the practical bible. The niceties of prescription etiquettes tend to go out the window when you're in the middle of nowhere without communications to the outside world.
I've also done some very dodgy things in Thailand, including once injecting something which may or may not have been bona fide estrogen which wasn't well sourced. Always go through your physician if you can, and if not then see a good pharmacist.
xx