vitamins and medication
 

Hi, all. I've read on postings that we have to be sure to bring our prescription bottles to ease the way through customs. That's fine, but I take many vitamins daily, and at home, I collate them into plastic bags for the week, so that I don't have to bother hauling out the very large bottles they come in. I was planning to do that for our trip. Do you think I may have a problem?

I take several prescription and OTC meds, too. I use plastic 7-day dispensers to assist my declining memory. No original bottles. I packed them in my carry-on luggage. No problems going through customs in BKK.

And, BTW, no problems with customs in Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Europe or Africa.

I had heard about the "original container" rule, but have not been questioned/inspected.

I've taken my vitamins in baggies on every trip and have never had a problem. But it might depend on where you are going. I also suspect that they do some profiling and I don't fit the drug profile.

in ten trips to bkk and many trips in an out of the country while there, we have never been stopped for any inspection in customs....it is very laid back....often you never see anyone in the area...they are behind glass windows, i think... they stop prototype people and people with huge boxes that look commercial...and young people...

i would not worry....take any hard drug bottles if you have them...or have your doctor write you a letter...

Inspectors know exactly what the various nasty pills look like, as well as most vitamins by sight. If they have any question they have reference photo pages available.

If they suspect any wrongdoing, they will first look to see if the pills are the shape, color, size they are looking for and then, if so, look for the presctiprion or pharmacy bottle. They will ignore vitamins.

Hi,
Can you get antibiotics such as Zithromax without a prescription in China?
Judy

You cannot get it in Hong Kong without a prescription. If you find it available in China over the counter I would be VERY wary that it is counterfit and in fact fake. This is a growing problem with drugs in Asia. I would be very careful.

been all over the world, and not once has anyone looked at any meds, prescription or not. What`s to say you didn`t put meds in different bottles anyway, and how would they know?

I always take my daily prescriptions in the 7-day plastic sorters plus a listing of each drug's name and generic name, dosage, doctor who prescribed, and his/her phone number. (This is handy to take to doctors' offices at home because they always ask you what you're taking and it's convenient to have a list.)

For antibiotics and travel-only things, I generally take the original container because it has the dosage, etc., that I don't know from day-to-day usage. If I were to be taking pain meds or drugs that are commonly misused, I would take the original container just in case. I agree with others who say the customs officers surely know what the abused drugs look like and I would rather not waste time as a possible suspect.

However, out of countless "ramdom" searches, only once has any agent even paid attention to my prescriptions (both in the 7-day and bottles) and he just said, "Are these yours?" I said yes and he passed me along.

K.

A doctor friend told me this: Put your pills in small individual ziplop bagies (the kind you get at HobbyLobby for jewelry making is what I used), peel off the prescription label from the bottle and paste it on the baggie. It works! I didn't think the labels would come off the bottles and reattach to the baggie--but it was easy.