rolngstn

My husband and I are leaving forKenya and Tanzania in 3 weeks. Will I need to take the original bottles for our perscription medications or will they be ok in those "day of the week" containers?
Thanks

Judy_in_Calgary

Hello rolngstn,

I've never been to Kenya or Tanzania, but I would never attempt to cross any border, not even the Canada-USA border, with prescription medication that has been removed from its original container.

If you find the "day of the week" containers helpful, I would suggest taking them along and transferring the pills to them once you're at your destination.

jules39

I think Judy has it in a nutshell. Take the original container. I always do this whenever I cross a border.

Happy travels

J

sandi

That's the preferred way to transport mediations. However, since many meds are in large bottes, these can take up too much room. Personally, I throw all my meds into one large pill bottle and that's it. To-date, I've never been stopped crossing the border between the States and Canada, in Europe, Africa, Asia, elsewhere. Though it's always possible that one day someone might ask what I have... "vitamins" You have to do what you feel most comfortable in doing.

Favor

I too travel with many interesting looking pills (green tea extract, folic acid, beta carotene, sudafed, melatonin, etc.) in a "day of week" type container. I've been across many borders and have never even been casually asked what sort of pills I had. Nor have I ever seen another traveler asked this question.

In the spirit of "your mileage may vary", I have to allow that I've never been concerned about them either and maybe that showed at the crossings. Not truly needing them, I was never worried they'd be confiscated or thrown away. The only border hassles I've had have been related to vehicle permits, insurance, reservations, visas, etc.

I wonder if a photocopy of the bottle label would suffice.

TC

When we traveled to Kenya and Tanzania no one ever looked at our meds. I, too, was told to take everything in the original bottles.

Here's a tip that I use now -- put your meds in small, snack size ziplock bags. Peal the label off the med bottle and adhere it to the bag. I usually stick mine on the inside of the bag so it doesn't come off so easily. These bags of meds take up no room in your luggage and no one will ever know that they didn't come that way from the pharmacy. The point is just to have the lables along and you'll be o.k.

PS: Topping my trip report with packing tips for you. Have a lovely time. This is an amazing journey.

hlphillips2

It may be worth talking with your pharmacist about transferring some meds to smaller bottles or even to ziplocks (our pharmacy put our malaria pills in a ziplock with the appropriate attached label when we got the Rx filled). No guarantee they'll do this, but if you have a good relationship with them (and go when they aren't swamped with other customers) it can't hurt to ask.

Jed

It seems to me a good idea, that if you are concerned about it, to put your meds in Ziplock or other small flat bags. My pharmacy, Eckerds, gives extra labels with my prescriptions. Or make a copy of the original prescriptions and carry those.

But in 40 years of travels to over 40 countries, including Kenya and Tanzania, I have never been asked about pills in my bags. I put my meds together in small containers, with a label on which I write down what they are. I don't think they are concerned about a few pills that you carry.

Has anyone actually been questioned about pills in your luggage?

Judy_in_Calgary

>>>>>>Has anyone actually been questioned about pills in your luggage?<<<<<<

It's never happened to me. Someone on the Fodors Australia forum, however, said that Australian customs officials had given them the third degree because they had medication that wasn't in its original container.

Risk is comprised of two factors : likelihood and severity. I think the likelihood of Kenyan or Tanzanian customs officials questioning travellers about their meds is extremely low.

However, the severity of the consequences in the unlikely event that it did happen would vary from traveller to traveller. How life threatening would it be if the meds were confiscated from the traveller? This is something rolngstn and her husband know, but the rest of us on the forum don't know. How feasible would it be to replace the meds in Kenya or Tanzania? From what I've read and heard, it is difficult to obtain western drugs in East Africa.

So, while I think it's highly unlikely that rolngstn and her husband would be separated from their meds, I think the consequences could be quite severe if it did happen, and the severity would vary depending on the medical conditions for which they are taking meds in the first place.

The measure that would reduce the risk considerably, namely, carrying meds in labelled containers (ziplock bags with official labels sound good to me), although it is less convenient than "day of the week" containers, seems to me to be worth the trouble.

JackieSun

We have never been asked, but since some of the meds are critical... we have never wanted to take the risk. My husband and I put both of our meds in one presciption bottle to save on space. Our parmacy also put our malaria meds in a zip lock bag wit the presciption label stuck on the bag.

jules39

I have to say I have been questioned twice. Once going back to Oz and once going into India. It scared me enough to make sure I have all the official tags for the recpective pills.

J