Carrying medicines while connecting at Dubai airport

Hello,

I have a flight connection through Dubai airport (not leaving the airport) and would like to know if I can carry some over the counter medicines such as panadol, ibuprofen, imodium in my carry on bag or these are not allowed without letter from doctor. UAE has quite long list of restricted/controlled medicines and I am not sure if I can have some problems for carrying these medicines.

Many thanks for help.

Just look at the list here to see if those medications are not allowed.

Essentially they ban individuals from importing controlled substances (things you might need with a prescription). Panadol and such is not a problem.

You can buy all of those over the counter in Dubai so it shouldn't be a problem. For prescription medicines it's wise to carry a doctor's letter and made sure they are in the original bottle or package.

hi jxzv
For god sake dont bring any thing with Codeine phosphate in it..even headache tablets like Panadol forte are a BIG BIG NO NO

was a lady here 3 years ago found her with tablets with Codeine phosphate in them,, she spent a month or two in the big house (jail) till they got a doctors certicate from the uk to get her out
there has been many similiar cases in the past 3 years

reef

How about anticonception (the pill)?

Absolutely no problem with contraceptive pills - they sell them over the counter here.

Thanks for your response! I will be on a 3 day stopover (so not just in transit). Don't need a doctor's prescription either? Just bring the pills in their original box and that's it?

They wouldnt even care if you dont have a box, the last time I had my bags checked (which is very very rare) I was coming back from an unexpectedly abbreviated trip, and had 6 strips of them in my bag. The customs guy laughed and said "seems like you really dont want to get pregnant!"

Thanks for the reassurance :) I guess it's just the few scarce crazy stories out there about Dubai customs that makes you kind of freak out about everything. The only thing we have to keep in mind are possible pain killers, I guess... We go to Dubai after my boyfriend will have had some dentist work done, I hope he won't need any medication!

That lists positvely scary for anyone who is not a pharmacist. I notice that the travellers friend in an emergency, Lomitol is banned and thats the end of the Nurofen for pain relief when my knee gives out after too much walking as its codein based.

Hi

I wonder if anyone can help me on this too.

I take the contraceptive pill Microgynon which as of some time in 2008 (according to a Dubai expat website forum I found) is no longer available in Dubai. One of the substances in Microgynon is on the restricted list, which is I assume why it is no longer available there. I will be passing through on my way to Thailand next week (stopping for a couple of hours in Dubai and not leaving the airport) and I wondered if anyone knew if I can take it with me or not. I have asked the UAE Ministry of Health, who publish the list and the Dubai Health Authority, but neither have replied to me.

Many thanks

I can't give you any securities, but like one poster said above they don't bother much about contraceptive pills and I think if you don't even leave the airport it probably won't be a problem... but then again, I'm not sure. Sorry!