Vagabonding with epilepsy

[satsujin]

I am 36 years old now and have seen a lot of blogs on solo travel being a possibility even on a budget. I am wondering if that's true for someone with epilepsy though. Anyone out there with info on this?

I have a good financial base but am not sure of the availability of medication in the places I would be visiting. I would only be travelling Asia as my currency would be based in Rupees. My seizures and psychosis are almost completely controlled by my anticonvulsants and antipsychotic medications but I would be willing to slowly tune out the anticonvulsants to risk even having seizures if I wasn't afraid of being robbed while I was unconscious. I have almost no work experience also as I have lived a very sheltered life but wouldn't mind doing grunt work occasionally to supplement my income. Not sure what I could do though as I am not very strong.

Would love to hear from others about this......

 

[Nakamova]

I don't recommend that you taper off your anti-seizure meds just because you are worried about their availability while you are traveling. That's just asking for trouble.

When I travel, I get an extra month's prescription from my neuro as a "back-up" in case I were to get stranded. My neuro will also prescribe a small amount of lorazepam or valium to carry in case I need to stop a seizure if I'm not near a hospital. You could ask your doc about those options.

There are sites that offer short-term travel accommodations for free: See http://www.globalfreeloaders.com/
There are also sites that can help you find a travel buddy, such as http://vivitrip.com/trips/travel-partner/

If you are still determined to travel alone, there are solo traveler forums that may be able to give you tips about localized medical care.

 

[AlohaBird]

Also google "Air B'n'B" and the term "couch surfing". These are both ways you would be able to stay in people's homes instead of big hotels or noisy hostels. Easier to get some good sleep that way.

While I have done a lot (and plan to do a lot more) traveling, I don't think that being on the road is a good time or place to be changing up the med doses. That is one more stressor your body doesn't need.

As Nak said, stock up before you leave. Another suggestion. Don't keep your whole stash of meds in one spot in case some gets lost or stolen. Separate it out into several bags/backpacks etc. with at least a one week supply ON your person at all times. (Lost luggage sucks.) Also take a paper copy of your prescriptions with you. (You might need to prove that they are really prescriptions and you are not smuggling dope.)