It’s no secret that more and more people are using GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Mounjaro as a weight management aid, but as a flight attendant, I wanted to share with you some knowledge about traveling with these drugs that all too often catch even frequent travelers off guard.
Anyone who uses these medications will know that GLP-1 injectables should ideally be kept refrigerated, but when you’re embarking on a lengthy trip, those storage instructions throw up an obvious problem… How do you keep the medication chilled when you’re traveling?
The good news is that Wegovy doesn’t necessarily have to be refrigerated at all times, but I’ve certainly found that an increasing number of passengers are worried about their medications spoiling during long trips.
So worried, in fact, that passengers are increasingly asking flight attendants to store their medications in refrigerators on board the aircraft.
The bad news, though, is that there are several reasons why this isn’t allowed:
- First off, some planes don’t even have refrigerators, and there’s no guarantee that your flight will have the necessary equipment to keep your medication the right temperature.
- Even if the aircraft is equipped with a refrigerator, these are designed solely for food and beverages. Airlines will refuse to store medication in these fridges for fear of cross-contamination.
- And if you do find a flight attendant willing to store your medication, be warned. Airplane fridges have a life of their own: Sometimes they get so cold they’ll freeze everything inside. Other times, they’ll gently warm their contents.
In short, if you are traveling with any kind of medication that needs to be kept chilled, do not expect the airline to be able to provide any kind of service to accommodate this.
You do, however, have options.
One of the most popular solutions is to buy a medicine cool bag, which will typically have one or two ice packs inside a padded case to keep drugs chilled and protected.
These are readily available from drug stores or from online retailers like Amazon, but, of course, do your research before purchasing because the quality of these products can vary greatly.
Medicine cool bags are great for shorter trips, but what if you’re traveling long-haul and have a lengthy transit somewhere? An ice pack is going to warm up eventually, which is going to lead to understandable anxiety during a very long travel day.
If this is the case, you might have to invest in a more costly solution, such as a battery-powered cooling bag. This is completely unsponsored, but the German airline Lufthansa markets one particular solution from Tec4Med LifeScience called the Cube, which has a runtime of at least 60 hours, even in sweltering summer temperatures.
The price for the Cube starts from €349 (US $404), so it’s definitely not cheap, but it’s certainly cheaper than letting your medications go to waste.
Whichever solution you opt for, make sure you’re well prepared before heading off to the airport, because flight attendants cannot help you refrigerate your medication, no matter how badly you might want them to.
