When you travel, make sure you make a list of the generic names of you prescriptions. The brand name is not sufficient.

An article in the Mar 07 issue of Conde Nast Traveler points out that there are over 120 brand names used for drugs in the US that are identical or similar to brand names for drugs in other countries that have entirely different active ingredients and are prescribed for different reasons.

One instance cited is Norpramin, an antidepressant drug in the US. In Spain, the same brand name, Norpramin, is used for an ulcer medicine. The US generic drug name is desipramine hydrochloride, while the Spanish drug is omeprazole.

Bill