Tramadol
 

I suffered a broken neck several months ago. My doctor has prescribed Tramadol for the neck pain and headaches. I will be flying Dallas to London to begin a cruise, and Ft. Lauderdale to Dallas following the cruise. I'm wondering if I can take Tramadol through security without problem if it's in the prescription bottle. I've flown many times with blood pressure and cholesterol meds, but never with a prescription pain med. Thank you.

No problem taking pain meds through security.

It's a prescription medicine in the UK so a note from the doctor would help "just in case"

For what it is worth, in 35+ years of air travel (averaging around 10 flights/year), both domestically and internationally, I have never once been questioned by anybody (airline personal, customs agents and Security agents) about any of the prescription drugs I've had in my carry-on luggage nor have I ever been asked to show the original prescription bottles or a "note" from my doctor.

Thanks everyone! You have relieved my fears.

What people are saying is that for your DFW-LHR flight it is ok.
However, it is not universal. If you are transiting through a airport in a country with strict controlled substances enforcement, you need to be aware of the implication of carrying tramadol even when it is only a transit airport.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/tr...-medicine.html

Thanks for the heads up Greg. We'll only be in airports in Dallas, Atlanta, London, and Ft. Lauderdale for this upcoming trip.

This question has been asked in many different ways. My response remains - be logical. Tramadol is an oval white tablet that looks like many other oval white tablets. TSA or equivalent is not going to start researching what your little white tablet is and will not even open the bottle. If you are bringing a million tablets, maybe. But certainly not in the original bottle.

An MD note for anything is essentially useless - I can create a credible looking letter for anything on my computer in about 5 minutes.

What gail said. This is a non-issue.

My tramadol is a yellow capsule . Just keep in original packaging with your name on and you'll be fine

northie - that is interesting. Mine is white tablet. And makes my point even stronger - how in the world would TSA know what it was. And if you put your yellow capsule in an antibiotic bottle (since there are several that are yellow capsules) even more so - how would they know.

You do NOT need to keep pills in their original packaging! You do NOT need a copy of the prescription! This is not a thing. This is not stated anywhere in the TSA's rules.

They. Do. Not. Care. About. This.

Your only concern should be getting an emergency resupply if anything should happen to your original medications. Prevention of loss includes taking twice as much as you will need, split into two supplies carried differently, and carrying a written prescription from your doctor in case you need to buy a refill.

Security does not care about your personal medications.

I agree about the idea of splitting them up into a couple different places (but keep all with you on the plane, not in checked luggage) and taking a bit more than you think you may need (in case something spills, you are delayed, whatever).

A written prescription from your U.S. doctor won't get you a supply of medication in another country.

The US prescription will accurately describe the medicine, dose, and number of doses for the foreign prescriber. Just telling someone you lost your controlled substance bottle will not get you more.

An illegible scrawl on a piece of paper and a couple of euros will get you a cup of coffee at Macdo. More likely, the doctor abroad will want to contact your doctor at home, in which case the piece of paper will be moot.

Interestingly the comments here are about TSA which is irrelevant for London. Quite often tourists are picked up in countries other than US for not having meds in original packaging.

<<...Interestingly the comments here are about TSA which is irrelevant for London. Quite often tourists are picked up in countries other than US for not having meds in original packaging...>>

But, OP isn't flying out of London or any other city in Europe. OP is flying from Dallas to London and at the end of a cruise is flying from Fort Lauderdale to Dallas.

Regardless, I'll stand by my earlier comments, In 35+ years of International & domestic travel I have NEVER been questioned about my prescription meds and I've been all over the world and I rarely carry them in their original containers. I've been through most of the major international airports and quite a few smaller "third world" country airports. This has never been an issue.

<Quite often tourists are picked up in countries other than US for not having meds in original packaging.>

Really? Quite often?

Thank you everyone for the great info. I feel totally comfortable and reassured that I will not be alerted on by a drug dog due to Tramadol in my bag. I think I've watched too many cop shows. I appreciate all of you taking the time to address my concerns. :)

The dogs you see at airport passenger screening aren't drug dogs, anyway. They're sniffing for explosives.

Or food.

IME of 20 or so transatlantic trips -- no problem carrying through or traveling with meds; I've had them in the little days-of-the-week container but mostly keep in original containers and DH (an MD) always does.

More to the point (I think) is having the generic vs. trades names available when traveling--if you were to decant meds from original containers, at least take a photo of the original container with name/dosage.

I would take a pic of the original Rx if you have it. No biggie if you don't.

I agree with taking extra (having been personally delayed in Ireland/UK on 9-11) and ideally in two batches and carried on.

NewBe - the dogs at many airports screen for food and drugs .
. Yes Canada, UK , NZ and Australia have Border patrol tv shows which show people being questioned about drugs not in original packaging . Obviously I don't have the numbers and I realize the shows are edited but IMO happens frequently .

Roams around - OP is leaving London airport so customs operate when you are leaving an airport too.

northie - Customs still shouldn't be an issue for OP and her prescription drugs. Upon arrival in London OP simply goes through the "nothing to declare" line and probably won't even see a custom's agent let alone be be stopped by one.

I'll say it again, I've been all over the world, including NZ, Australia, UK and Canada scores of times and have NEVER, REPEAT, NEVER been questioned about my prescription drugs.

"Roams around - OP is leaving London airport so customs operate when you are leaving an airport too."

Huh? I have flown out of a lot of airports, including multiple trips out of LHR and LGW and I have never encountered customs agents. Passport control, of course, security, yes, but customs, no. Customs is all about collecting duty on stuff you are bringing IN - along with keeping out prohibited items. Why would they care on the way out?

<so customs operate when you are leaving an airport too>

No they don't.

Customs is only upon entering, not departure.

I think people are going around in circles about terminology here. OP will "leave" the airport in the sense of walking out of it after getting off an international flight. That means s/he will enter the UK and go through HM Customs.

@Jeff - ah yes. This thread has gone on long enough I had forgotten she was flying into London and not out.

Customs isn't just about collecting duty at all - I know that I have never seen a customs agent in UK but people are constantly picked up coming into Australia , NZ, Canada for inspection for food, , drugs . I agree prescription meds are not likely to be questioned . I have certainly been questioned by customs coming into US re food we had .

@northie:

I wrote: "Customs is all about collecting duty on stuff you are bringing IN - <b>along with keeping out prohibited items.</b>"

Please explain how you read that as "just about collecting duty".

Thursday's - ok I misread your statement - apologies .

@northie - apology accepted, thanks.

Dont worry about it.. I have traveled to Europe many times with with Schedule 2 drugs.. I wouldn't be so blithe about it if going to Dubai obviously.. but we are talking Europe here and they wont care about your medicines .
Trammadol is only a Schedule 4 drug.. so even less to worry about.. not that anyone has ever even looked at my medicines in over 30 years of travel.. not once. I still always pack it in original prescrition bottle ( but throw stuff like vitamins and aspirins etc all into a baggie)

Tramadol is Schedule 4 in the US, but Schedule 3 (although exempt from safe custody requirements) in the UK. Not that I would expect it to matter.

I agree..this is a non-issue, and a question that has been asked before, with the same type of responses. Pretty silly, really. I've been traveling internationally for more decades than I care to count, and ONCE, only once, has any airport employee paid any attention to my medications, and that was a spray bottle of Afrin nasal spray which apparently was once taboo to bring into Japan, who knows why.

Forget it and concentrate on your clothes.

Last time we flew, an elderly gent who was having enough trouble just getting through security as it was pulled two large ziploc bags stuffed with original Rx bottles out of his bag and loudly said "I suppose you'll want to go through all these!"

The TSA agents on duty ignored him. They could have been nicer about it, because he was pretty confused after that, but they just gestured for him to put them away and keep moving.

My point is that I really, really wish correct information about this would get around, because people don't need to haul those bulky bottles, nor do they need to fret about it.

(I guess no one cares about privacy any more?? It surprises me that anyone thinks TSA has the right to go through your meds!)

I thought TSA could go thru anything they wanted to.

If not TSA, certainly customs. Including electronics. Not that I think that's a good thing!