Lighten up, and other tips on coping with new rules for fliers

TRAVELING light has taken on a new meaning now that the U.S. Transportation Security Administration has prohibited passengers from carrying on most liquids and gels in aircraft cabins.

For fliers, the new rules raise practical concerns and uneasiness. “Airlines are taking all this baggage, and people are going to worry,” says Frederic Medway, a psychologist in Columbia, S.C. “There’s anxiety not so much over giving up our stuff temporarily but anxiety over getting our stuff back.”

Added to that, he says, is the worry over how to comply with the shifting rules, which already have been revised once since the ban was put in place. Originally, fewer exceptions were made on the ban on liquids and gels.

People want to know ahead of time what is OK, Medway says. If the TSA “keeps switching the rules, that is going to make it more difficult” psychologically on passengers.

Suggestions on how to cope:

* Stay up to date with the rules. Before departure, check online at the TSA website (www.tsa.gov) to be sure you know what’s allowed on board.

* Have a medication plan. If you need large quantities (more than 4 ounces) of nonprescription liquid medicines, work doses around flight schedules.

“Unless you are on a really long flight, you can take medications before or after,” says Dr. Rick Kellerman, a Wichita, Kan., physician and the president-elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

If you are on a daily medication, ask your doctor to write an extra prescription to take with you. If you decide to put your prescription medications in checked luggage (which experts advise against) and the bags are lost, you can get the prescription filled at your destination. (Prescription medicines with a name that matches the one on the passenger’s ticket, as well as up to 8 ounces of liquid or gel low-blood-sugar treatments for diabetics are permitted in passenger cabins.)

But restrictions may apply, says Kristina Lunner, a spokeswoman for the American Pharmacists Assn. in Washington, D.C. “Every state has its own regulations governing whether the pharmacist can dispense an out-of-state prescription,” she says.

If the out-of-state prescription is for a controlled substance such as a narcotic pain reliever, the pharmacist would probably take extra precautions to be sure the prescription is legitimate.

Another possible avenue, Lunner suggests, is to call your local pharmacy and request that an emergency refill be sent to the out-of-state pharmacy.

* Substitute solids for liquids. Many liquid over-the-counter medications are available in tablet or chewable forms and are especially useful for children, says Dr. Dennis Woo, chairman of the department of pediatrics at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center.

The antihistamine Benadryl (diphenhydramine), used to treat cold and allergy symptoms and sometimes to induce drowsiness, comes in tablet form, as do over-the-counter pain relievers. Some over-the-counter cough and cold remedies are available in melting strips, Woo adds, that can be placed on the tongue. Melting strips would not be considered a gel, according to TSA spokesman Nico Melendez.

* Convince yourself that traveling light is OK, says Frank Farley, a psychologist at Temple University in Philadelphia. “Remember [George] Carlin’s routine about ‘stuff’?” he asks. The comedian ridiculed our need for stuff and our obsession with taking much of it on our travels. “We overstuff our lives,” Farley says. “Simplify.”

Kathleen Doheny can be reached at kathleendoheny@earthlink.net.