Dimensions Newsletter | Spring 2026

Expertise and Solutions

Seasonal Tr_xends

Traveling Soon?

Don’t Let Medication Mishaps Disrupt Your Spring Adventures

Spring is here — and after a long winter, many of us are ready to hit the road, take a flight, or plan a well‑deserved family getaway. As warmer weather arrives and travel plans take shape, it’s easy to focus on itineraries, sunscreen and packing lists. Yet one of the most important travel essentials often gets overlooked: your medications.

Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway, a weeklong vacation, or traveling with children during school break, proper medication planning can make the difference between a smooth trip and unnecessary stress.

At Pharmacy Benefit Dimensions, we understand that traveling with prescriptions — especially for families — requires a bit of strategy to ensure safety, adherence and uninterrupted therapy. A few simple steps can help you stay healthy, prepared and worry‑free no matter where you travel.

Before you leave, take a moment to ensure your prescriptions are truly vacation‑ready. Whether you or a loved one relies on daily medication, manages a chronic condition, or simply wants to be prepared for the unexpected, planning ahead protects both your health and your peace of mind.

Vacation‑Ready Prescription Tips

Getting prescriptions travel‑ready starts before you pack your bags:

Check refill timing early: Make sure prescriptions won’t run out while you’re away. Request refills several days before departure to avoid last‑minute delays.
Know where to refill on the road: With our extensive national pharmacy network (see links below), help is available wherever your travels take you.
Set reminders: Travel routines can disrupt normal schedules. Phone alerts or pill organizers help keep doses on track.

Traveling With Children?

Traveling with kids adds excitement — and extra preparation. Children’s medications require special attention to ensure safety and consistency while away from home.

Pack enough medication for the entire trip (plus extras). Illnesses, delays, or schedule changes can happen unexpectedly.
Keep children’s medications clearly labeled. Original containers help avoid dosing errors and are especially important when traveling with caregivers or relatives.
Bring age‑appropriate dosing tools. Include oral syringes or measuring cups for liquid medications.
Prepare for common travel needs. Items such as inhalers, allergy medications, epinephrine auto‑injectors, or motion‑sickness treatments should always be within easy reach.
Store medications safely. Keep all medications out of children’s reach, even while traveling.

Pharmacy Tips for Traveling With Medications

Whether traveling solo or with family, these best practices help protect your therapy while on the go:

Keep medications in original containers. This prevents confusion, ensures correct dosing, and helps avoid issues during security screenings or border checks.
Pack medications in carry‑on luggage. Checked bags can be delayed or lost. Keeping medications with you ensures accessibility and proper temperature control.
Review time‑zone changes. For maintenance medications, adjusting dosing schedules gradually — or consulting with a pharmacist — helps maintain therapeutic effectiveness.
Understand storage needs. Some medications require temperature control. Pharmacists can recommend portable cooling packs or safe storage solutions.
Carry an up‑to‑date medication list. Include medication names, doses, prescribers, and pharmacy contact information for emergencies or refills away from home.

Supporting Your Travels

As your pharmacy benefit partner, we encourage our members to check prescriptions before traveling, request refills early, and connect with a pharmacist for guidance on dosing changes, storage needs, or travel‑related questions. Helping you and your loved ones stay on track with medications — wherever life takes you — is central to promoting healthy, worry‑free travel.

You are covered both locally and nationally through our extensive pharmacy network. To find a participating pharmacy near you, view our directory:

2026 Pharmacy Directory
Find a participating pharmacy near you

For Good Measure

Use Pain Medications Safely to Move More this Spring

Spring and the warmer weather often bring a return to outdoor activities — walking, running, bike riding, landscaping chores, home projects and sports like golfing, pickle ball and tennis. As people become more active, aches, strains and minor injuries can happen.

At Pharmacy Benefit Dimensions, we want our members to know how to use pain medications safely to help you stay active while protecting your health.

Key Tips for Spring Pain Management:

Over-the-Counter Medication: Over the counter (OTC) nonsteroidal anti‑inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen or naproxen) can be used to help manage acute pain. If your pain lasts longer than a few weeks, worsens over time, you have additional symptoms, like fever or weakness, or underlying health conditions, such as kidney or liver disease, talk to your doctor or health care provider.

Topical Relief: Diclofenac sodium topical gel (Voltaren) or lidocaine/menthol patches can be used for localized joint pain, offering relief without systemic side effects. You can also use cold or heat therapy, by applying a cold compress or ice or using a warm compress or heating pad to help reduce swelling and alleviate muscle pain.

Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water. Proper hydration reduces swelling and joint pain, while dehydration can make pain worse.

Manage Heat Sensitive Meds: Do not leave medications in a hot car. High temperatures can degrade medications.

Don't Overdo It: Even with pain relief, start new spring activities slowly to avoid injury, ensuring you are not masking pain that may indicate damage.

Tips for Safe Use

Follow the dosing instructions on the label or instructions provided to you by your doctor
Check the label and avoid taking multiple pain medications with the same active ingredient
Be aware that many pain medicines should not be mixed with other drugs or alcohol
Use the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible time
“More” is not better — taking too much can increase the risk of side effects

Staying active is great for your health. We encourage you to talk with your pharmacist or doctor if you have any questions about taking OTC pain relief medications.

The Pharma-Scene

Here are the quarterly changes to the Pharmacy Benefit Dimensions drug formulary.

The following medications will be added to the formulary:

Drug	FDA-Approved Indication	Tier	Comments
Cardamyst™ nasal spray	For treatment of acute episodes of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (a heart rhythm disorder causing acute episodes of sudden, rapid heart rate) in adults to convert back to normal heart rhythm	NPB	PA
Hyrnuo® tablets	For the treatment of adult patients with a specific type (detected by an FDA-approved test) of locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have received a prior systemic therapy	NPB	PA, SP
Voyxact® subcutaneous injection	To reduce excess serum protein in the urine in adult patients with primary immunoglobulin A nephropathy (a rare chronic autoimmune kidney disease) at risk of disease progression	NPB	PA, SP

The following new generic medications are available:

Brand Name	Generic Name	FDA-Approved Indication
Adzenys XR-ODT®	amphetamine er tablets	For the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in patients 6 years and older
Besivance®	besifloxacin ophthalmic suspension	For the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis (a type of eye infection) due to susceptible organisms
Cipro® HC	ciprofloxacin-dexamethasone otic suspension	For the treatment of acute otitis externa (bacterial ear infection) in adult and pediatric patients
Fycompa®	perampanel oral suspension	For the treatment of partial-onset seizures in patients with epilepsy 4 years of age and older or as adjunct therapy for treatment of generalized tonic-clonic seizures in patients with epilepsy 12 years of age and older
Gleostine®	lomustine capsules	For the treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumors or for the treatment of Hodgkin’s lymphoma (a type of blood cancer) in combination with other chemotherapies
Mavenclad®	cladribine tablets	For the treatment of adult patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS)
Zylet®	loteprednol-tobramycin ophthalmic suspension	For the treatment of steroid responsive inflammatory eye conditions with bacterial eye infection or risk of infection