When Medications Also Have to Make the Trip : From heart medicine to birth-control pills, here’s some expert advice on what to pack and how to store it.

Warned by tales of wayward suitcases, most travelers know better than to stow medicine in checked luggage. But many are guilty of other gaffes when it comes to taking medicine along on vacation.

* One in five travelers forgets to take needed medication while on a trip, according to a telephone survey conducted by the Council on Family Health, a New York-based public service organization supported by the pharmaceutical industry.

* One in eight travelers runs out of medicine before arriving home.

* One in three skips doses, a potentially hazardous practice for people with chronic medical conditions or women on birth-control pills.

With minimal foresight, however, packing medicine safely and effectively, even on a whirlwind vacation, is fairly simple.

Take along a list of all the medicines you need, both over-the-counter and prescription, and carry it in your wallet, experts suggest. Packing extra copies of a prescription can also be wise, said Al Brill, a Sylmar pharmacist and developer of MedScreen, an interactive software program that helps pharmacists and patients select appropriate over-the-counter medicine.

International travelers who take prescription drugs should also ask their doctors if the brand names used in the United States will be the same as at their destination, since names sometimes differ from country to country, said Chris Lomax, director of the pharmacy at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. And take along enough medicine, maybe more than enough, to last the trip. Don’t assume you can easily get refills at your destination.

For those on daily medication, extra precautions are necessary.

Women on birth-control pills, for example, should stay on their home-time schedule on short trips, Lomax said. For longer trips, it is a good idea to ask your gynecologist’s advice. If just one dose is missed, there is little likelihood of ovulation, but the possibility increases with each missed dose. If more than one pill is missed, doubling up by using an additional form of contraception is wise.

To minimize problems while going through customs, diabetics should carry a doctor’s letter outlining the need for insulin and syringes, suggests literature distributed by the American Diabetes Assn. If travel is with a group, it is a good idea to tell the group leader and roommates of your condition and to alert fellow travelers about how to recognize hypoglycemia and what to do, should it occur. If you are traveling alone, consider alerting your seatmate.

When you take insulin aloft, remember that insulin enters the syringe more easily at high altitudes, according to the American Diabetes Assn. Diabetics traveling to foreign lands should learn how to say, “I have diabetes” or “Sugar or orange juice, please,” in the language of the country being visited, the ADA also suggests.

If you cross more than one time zone, ask your doctor about adjustments in your insulin schedule and don’t make major changes in your meal plans without first consulting your doctor.

The American Heart Assn. recommends that heart patients consider carrying a copy of their electrocardiogram, along with their physician’s business card, a summary of their condition and a list of necessary medicines (including dose and generic name). With this information in hand, a heart patient who has an emergency can bring the doctor at his destination up to speed quickly about his medical condition. If you are changing time zones, especially if it is just for a few days, keep the medication schedule on your home time, suggests the AHA.

If medicine needs refrigeration, consider carrying a small cooler if the trip is long. (Check with your pharmacist to find out if refrigeration is necessary.) “Bring a doctor’s note stating what the medicine is and who it is for, just in case there is a question when you go through security,” said American Airlines spokeswoman Kim Diamond.

If you are cruise-bound with medicine that needs refrigeration, “take the medicine to the purser’s office” and ask that it be refrigerated, advised a spokeswoman for Carnival Cruise Lines. Or keep it in the ice bucket in your room and alert the cabin steward that you need frequent ice replenishment.

If you are traveling by train, take your own cooler to keep medicines cold, said an Amtrak spokeswoman, and “ask the train attendant to accommodate you with ice.”

Leave all medicine in its original container, Brill warned, especially if you are taking controlled substances such as Tylenol Plus, codeine or sleeping pills. “If you put the medicine in an unlabeled vial, you could be accused of smuggling,” Brill said.