Hello everyone!

I am currently enrolled to study abroad in London next year - I'm at a college in the US right now. I've been on T for almost a year, and when I go over there, it will be about a year and a half. In order to take enough T through customs to last me for my first semester before I head back to the US for Christmas, I have to get a personal import license, since testosterone is a controlled drug in the UK. Right now the whole thing is freaking me out, especially with having to declare it at customs and all - I've never travelled internationally, so I have no idea what it's like.

Has anyone ever had to get one of these licenses and go through customs with it, or studied abroad while on HRT, and can tell me what it's like? Also, if for whatever reason it got confiscated at customs, does anyone know what it would be like getting my prescription over there? I will have a doctor's appointment set up over there soon after my program begins, and will have a copy of the US prescription to show them, but it still concerns me since I know pharmacies over there can't honor US prescriptions.

No advice here, but have you spoken to your doctor about this issue?

Yes, I've talked to my doctor about this - I go to a transgender-friendly clinic with a doctor very experienced with transgender healthcare. They'll be writing me a letter to explain why I have syringes when I go through TSA/customs, and they'll have a copy of my prescriptions I can keep on me. They're aware of how long I'm studying abroad, and that I have to get an import license to bring more than 3 months supply of testosterone through customs.

My program knows about the fact that I'm on T, both the study abroad people and the uni I'm going to. And I'll have health insurance specifically for international travel.

I'm more curious if anyone has ever had to apply for this license to bring their t into the UK, or knows anything about it, or if anyone has lived abroad for long periods of time in the UK while on HRT.

If you need to bring more than 3 months supply, you will need a license?
So why can't your doctor just write the letter saying a dosage that is actually higher than your actual dosage. Then you can bring enough to last a whole semester and it is still officially less than 3 months supply.

Quote from: vic93 on March 22, 2014, 10:28:45 PM
I'm more curious if anyone has ever had to apply for this license to bring their t into the UK, or knows anything about it, or if anyone has lived abroad for long periods of time in the UK while on HRT.

I see.

Hi,

I thought a prescription from a doctor was needed for more than 3 months and that none was required for less than 3 months 

I'm studying in the UK and I'm from abroad (a European country though). When I fly back home and come back to the UK I take six months' worth of T through customs (in my carry-on bag since the vials are (by far^^) less than 100 ml, and syringes/needles in my hold luggage). I always have a copy of my doctor's prescription for six months of T in my carry-on bag as well as a copy in my hold luggage (in case it gets opened), nobody has ever asked me any questions about it or asked to see the prescription.
Maybe it's different if you're coming from overseas though. I thought the doctor's prescription proves that it's for personal use and that no license is therefore needed (or maybe I got it wrong all along and I'm just lucky^^).

I find the process of buying even just one missing needle in the UK terribly complicated (you have to have a GP's prescription for everything, otherwise employees in pharmacies tend to think it's for drug use - even if you clearly specify it's for an intra-muscular injection - and tell you to ask at a drug addiction help centre), so I would advise you to take everything you need with you so that you don't have to worry about that once you're there, or at least 3 months to give yourself time to register on the NHS and find a GP.

I can't help you too much on the issue.
I have only traveled abroad not studing abrod yet, and the time I was in London I was pre-T =/. For traveling there haven't been an issue, I been told to take a paper with me who said I took this and that medication in caise there would be trouble. (like transguy) in my country it also consider drugs so you need a precription to prove that you are taking it for medical purpose.
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You must ask someone from UK to get it all the exact details you need, maybe join a UK forum or facebook group.
also you should ask if your homones you get are available,  I heard in US people generally get a higher dose than in Many European countrys + that the types of T in many EU countrys are diffrent than in the US so just ask if that will be the caise or not.
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In general I don't think you should worry to much unless you are below 18 or pretty famours.
I know some transfolks from my country travel back and forth to the UK to get homones because it more easy there to get it so I dont think it will be too much of an issue if you just guide yourself into understanding the british system.

Hope you enjoy your time in our lovely country!

Transguy is kind-of right about the 3 month thing, but Transguy, it sounds like you're taking a big risk. You need your doctor's prescription for any amount of T, but if you're bringing more than 3 months' worth into the UK (or taking it out), your doctor's prescription is not enough: you also need a licence from the Home Office. You're lucky that you haven't been asked for this yet, because under the Misuse of Drugs Act a customs officer or police officer is entitled to stop you and demand to see your licence, and if you don't have it with you you're committing an offence under the Act and you risk having your T confiscated. The form is here:  I urge you to use it if you're bringing more than 3 months' worth into the UK. And here are some more details on who needs licences (testosterone is a Schedule 4 Part II drug). It's a mere formality, but it'll save you lots of hassle in the long run.

So, you only need that licence if you're going to bring in enough for 3 calendar months or more. However, it'll pay for you to think in advance: do you want to keep going back to the States every few months to get a new prescription, and reapply for a new licence every time? Could you get your doctor to prescribe you a whole year's supply to take with you (including needles?) Or would it make more sense to take your first few months' supply with you, and then register with a doctor in the UK to get them to prescribe it for you?

Here are a few things to think about:

• When travelling internationally on any airline with any prescription medication, please make sure that you keep it in the original packaging with the prescription details on it. A letter from your doctor would also be helpful. But most importantly, please tell your airline in advance before travelling that you'll be carrying syringes and medication and ask for their advice. I also tend to tell the check-in staff when I get there, just to be sure. Take it in your carry-on luggage if you can, and if the air stewards/captain etc. have concerns about you having needles with you, you can ask the crew to keep them in their galley for you until you disembark.
• If you need to have your prescription refilled in the UK, you'll need to see a UK-based doctor to get a new prescription... because pharmacies in this country don't like to fill prescriptions from doctors outside the UK, but especially from outside the EU.
• The good news is: it's free to register with a General Practitioner in the UK. So once you get here, you can either register with your University/College's doctor, or you can find one in your local area. It's free to see them as many times as you like, and once you get a prescription, each item on the prescription will cost you £8.05 (US$13.25) at any pharmacy. That means each vial of T, and each syringe, could cost £8.05. However, I'm on Nebido which has to be injected by a nurse at my GP's surgery, so she supplies the needles and I don't need to pay for those; I just pay for my Nebido.
• If you want a repeat prescription in the UK, it'll save you a lot of hassle if you get a very detailed letter from your current prescribing doctor stating that you're transgendered and giving full details of your T prescription. If you give that to the new doctor in the UK, they're more likely to let you have a repeat prescription. Otherwise, they might want to send you to a GIC in this country before prescribing any hormones, and you ain't got time for that (it takes months or years to get your first appointment at a British GIC).
• Please be aware that we might use different brands of testosterone in this country than you're used to. The current preferred injectable form is Nebido; you might have problems getting hold of Sustanon etc. Gels are also available if you'd prefer to use those whilst you're here.

Transguy: That's interesting! On the customs website, it seems so stringent regarding bringing it through - maybe I'm freaking out a bit too much about the whole process. I have a family member who has gone to the UK before, and they said that customs isn't bad at all, but I was afraid it would be different having T on me - guess not. Then again, it also seems like they are less strict with the other EU countries, but I'll be coming from out of the EU.

Also good to know about the syringes!

FTMDiaries: Thanks for all that info! I'm looking forward to living in England, and part of the reason I'm so paranoid about making sure everything is in order is because I don't want all that excitement to be ruined if problems arise! I'm definitely going to be applying for the license - just waiting to get the letter that I need, which should be sometime this week, and then I'll send off the application to be sure I'll have it in plenty of time.

I'll have a letter explaining my syringes and liquid medication for my flight, especially since I'm coming from the USA with all the TSA policies, but I like your suggestion about contacting the airline as well.

I'll be set up with a UK doctor by my study abroad program soon after I get to the country, just in case anything goes awry and I need to get a new prescription. I already have a letter on file with my program explaining everything, including my medication and dosages, and I'll be bringing a copy of it with me.

That's interesting (and slightly concerning) that you have different brands - I looked up the ones that you mentioned, and they seemed to be different from what I use. I use testosterone cypionate, which from what I can understand, is rather the standard in the USA for transgender testosterone injections. Do you know how available that is in the UK? And are different kinds of testosterone different as far as their effects on the body, or would it make a difference? I don't think I'll have to get a refill though - it would only be if something happened where it got confiscated or something.

The reason why Transguy has been lucky so far is that British Customs are relatively lax when it comes to EU citizens; they generally only do the occasional spot check. They're much more thorough with non-EU citizens though so you're more likely to get searched, especially if you're nervous about them confiscating your T.

As for the brands of T, I could be wrong (perhaps someone could correct me) but as I understand it, testosterone cypionate is pretty much an American medication that is not prescribed for transguys in the UK. The only two injectable brands that are prescribed by GICs in the UK are Sustanon (which can be hard to get hold of and is being phased out) and Nebido, which is their current preferred prescription. From what I can tell, here in the UK cypionate is mostly bought on the black market by bodybuilders as an anabolic steroid, so you might have problems getting it prescribed. And with that being the case, it's vital that you get the licence so you can prove you're not importing it to sell on the black market.

Testosterone is testosterone and all the major brands pretty much do the same job in the end, but whereas you probably inject quite frequently, Nebido should be injected once every 10-14 weeks as it is a slow-release formulation. It is also supposed to be injected by a nurse or other trained professional, although that is a free service provided by your doctor. So if you wanted to go that route you'd probably need to do some preparation to come off cypionate and start on Nebido.

It'd be a good idea for you to think about whether you want to continue using cypionate whilst in the UK, or if you're going to be in the UK for quite some time, would it be sensible to switch to Nebido (and then presumably, back to cypionate when you return home)?

@FTMDiaries: Thank you very much for the information! I will look into getting a license for next time then (if there is a next time).

I know an American guy who used to be on cypionate and can only get prescribed Nebido by his GP in the UK. I take testosterone enanthate and it definitely isn't available here either, so I would confirm that the only injectable options seem to be either Nebido or Sustanon (once it's available again).

I don't think it really matters what kind of molecule you decide to take, but one of the main reasons why I don't want to take Nebido is that it's a lot to inject at once, making it almost impossible (please do correct me if I'm wrong) to do the injection yourself at home.

You're right that Nebido is not for self-administration (we're not supposed to discuss dosages, by the way). It has to be administered by a medically trained professional. In fact, some doctors insist on storing it at their offices so that you won't be tempted to self-administer. My doctor just gives me a prescription, which I then fill & take to the nurse so she can inject it.

As an alternative, doctors could prescribe Testogel, if you prefer getting a regular dose.

It's really not that big a deal being on nebido, it's given every 10 - 14 weeks, so that's 5 times a year at most. And once you're registered with a GP it's free to get it injected. I would say that's less hassle than injecting yourself every week or two, or rubbing gel on every day.

Quote from: lxndr on March 25, 2014, 11:28:14 AM
It's really not that big a deal being on nebido, it's given every 10 - 14 weeks, so that's 5 times a year at most. And once you're registered with a GP it's free to get it injected. I would say that's less hassle than injecting yourself every week or two, or rubbing gel on every day.

Agreed. And it also means that once you've got the interval right, you'll have stable T levels every single day.

@FTMDiaries : sorry, I hadn't thought it would be considered a 'dosage' when I wrote it. I have edited my post

Quote from: Transguy on March 25, 2014, 12:24:09 PM
@FTMDiaries : sorry, I hadn't thought it would be considered a 'dosage' when I wrote it. I have edited my post

Thanks! There are people in different countries experimenting with different dosages of Nebido, so it pays to be careful.

Apparently they're rather lax on Americans, too - I talked to someone who recently went to the UK and once they saw on their passport that they were from the USA, they let them breeze on through. But still good to have all the paperwork in order, especially if cypionate isn't regularly prescribed.

And good to know about the Nebido thing, too! After doing research on it, I'm kind of disappointed that it's not available in the US - seems much easier and better than cypionate injections. I'll talk to my doctor about it and make a plan if I have to use it. Like I said, it would only be if something happened to my T on the flight/through customs, but still good to have a backup.

I guess my only other concern is the fact that my import license will be for the length of my first semester only - I'm going back to the US for the month I have off in between, and I have to write my travel itinerary on the license. But my visa will state the full time that I'm studying there. It's a multiple entry visa, and of course my plane ticket will show that I'm going home at the end of the semester, but do you think I would get questioned at all about that? I'll have documentation to prove that I am in fact leaving the UK for the break, including a letter from my program, but I keep worrying that they'll think I'm trying to trick them or something (yup, I know, I'm neurotic).  I'll be applying for another license for my second semester so I can bring enough for then.

Quote from: vic93 on March 25, 2014, 10:47:42 PM
Apparently they're rather lax on Americans, too - I talked to someone who recently went to the UK and once they saw on their passport that they were from the USA, they let them breeze on through.

UK Customs is very hit-and-miss, sadly. But the point is, if you have your paperwork in order then you won't have to worry about getting your T confiscated. It's worth it just for that peace-of-mind.

Quote from: vic93 on March 25, 2014, 10:47:42 PM
And good to know about the Nebido thing, too! After doing research on it, I'm kind of disappointed that it's not available in the US - seems much easier and better than cypionate injections. I'll talk to my doctor about it and make a plan if I have to use it. Like I said, it would only be if something happened to my T on the flight/through customs, but still good to have a backup.

There are people using Nebido in the US. It was approved by the FDA a few weeks ago, under the brand name 'Aveed'. Perhaps your doctor can research it for you?

Quote from: vic93 on March 25, 2014, 10:47:42 PM
I guess my only other concern is the fact that my import license will be for the length of my first semester only - I'm going back to the US for the month I have off in between, and I have to write my travel itinerary on the license. But my visa will state the full time that I'm studying there. It's a multiple entry visa, and of course my plane ticket will show that I'm going home at the end of the semester, but do you think I would get questioned at all about that?

Nah, I think you'll be fine. As long as you have a licence for each period you're in the UK, you shouldn't need to worry.