julies

This is related to my other post about packing light. My husband is on a couple medications, plus in allergy season he needs to take his prescriptions for that; I'm on one medication and also have a few Ambien that were prescribed if I want to try to sleep on a plane. Plus, in January when we went to Vietnam and just now when we went to Turkey, we took along a Cipro prescription in case we got really severe, long-lasting travellers diarrhea.

Here's my question. What do you do about medications? Do you consolidate them or put them in small pill organizers, or do you just take them along in the regular bottle. Since we know which pill is which, I used to just put all the ones we'd need for the trip in on or two bottles and it saved a lot of space. The last 2 trips, however, because of the countries we were visiting my husband insisted we needed to have the original containers they came in. To me, this was a lot of wasted space when you just have a few pills in all those standard size prescription bottles.

What is your practice? And, have any of you ever been stopped and questioned because you had pills that weren't in their original labeled prescription bottle? Thanks.

ira

Hi J,

>..because of the countries we were visiting my husband insisted we needed to have the original containers they came in.<

He could have been right. Husbands sometimes are.

So, where are you going now?

Lawchick

And, have any of you ever been stopped and questioned because you had pills that weren't in their original labeled prescription bottle? NO

My father has kidney failure and is on 101 tablets. My mother is a nurse and always consolidates them.

As I believe you are not just bringing hand luggage, stuff them in the checked luggage. Noone will care - unless you are flying from somewhere dodgy and look a bit like a junkie.

nanabee

sometimes husbands can be right??
i'll need to make sure he doesn't see this post! LOL

janisj

TSA's website says it is recommended but not mandatory to have original labels to facilitate screening. Original containers are not mentioned. But that is for TSA - some countries might have stiffer rules - though none in western Europe that I know of

BoniseA

I wouldn't put needed prescription pills in checked luggage. Luggage gets lost.

Barbara_in_CT

To date, ten trips to Europe in ten years, I haven't been questioned about medications. Mine are dispensed by Medco and the bottles are large.

Next year, if I can plan ahead, I'll request an additional label for each perscription from Medco and put the pills in a plastic bag. Small ones are available from craft stores.

beaupeep

I take two prescription tablets per day, one for underactive thyroid and the other for chronic acid reflux and they are just thrown into a little tin that originally held licorice flavored pastilles, along with Advil and a 15 year old worn-out Valium that I hold onto for nostalgia or something. Not once have I had to show this or when it goes through the screener has anyone pulled it out and looked at it.

hat

You can ask your pharmacist for a one page print out of all of your meds to show anyone who asks. I would carry this along with the exact amount of medication you need (plus a few extra pills in case of accidental loss) in the carry-on. Medication should never be put in checked bags re possible loss, temperature issues, etc.

crosscheck

Consolidate - If your husband has concerns, take written prescription along just in case. I have same "system" as Beaupeep - emergency valium mixed w/ Altoids and acid reflux meds. Never have been asked about pills in many yrs of travel.

Make sure you can tell the difference between your Ambien and Cipro.

P.S. If you're going to Europe you can get most meds there quite easily.

sunny16

I am on one medication, plus I bring antibiotics just in case. I play it safe and put everything in labelled prescription bottles. Before my last trip, my pharmacist gave me a smaller vial and printed out a label for me to make it easier to pack. I bring all my meds with me in carryon luggage.

flanneruk

Customs in ordinary emerging countries, like Vietnam, Turkey, India or China, operate just the way they do in rich countries. They simply don't care about how you've packed your contraceptive pills. I've taken hand baggage with about a dozen different prescription drugs, packed in a form that's convenient for me, across these borders in the past year or so - and they don't stop you now and never have. That list of counries includes those, like Singapore, that print "Death penalties for drugs smugglers" on their landing cards.

This common sense advice might not apply in the serious psychopath or crackpot states, like Burma, North Korea or Zimbabwe. For these, don't rely on sites like this. Follow the most prudent advice to the letter.

No-one's ever queried whether all tose white pills are cocaine or aspirin either. But, just in case, I always carry a copy of my prescription with me. Never been asked to show it.

JaneB

I got this tip from my friend who travels extensively with her husband, a medical doctor. Pull off the labels (I did not believe this at first--but you CAN pull them off) and paste it on a small plastic sack. Then transfer the pills to the sack which takes up very little space. She recommended buying the small sacks from a hobby store--usually used for jewelry-making projects.

BlueSea

I agree with sunny16.

Do what I do -- ask your pharmacist to reprint the labels and put on a smaller vials, so you can transfer a smaller amount from larger to smaller.

And pack all in one ZipLoc bag and put in your carry on.

julies

Thanks to all of you for the great tips; we'll go back to consolidating, but I'll take labels or prescriptions with me. We know enough to never pack medication in a packed bag, and so I resent having to take all those bottles in carry-on.

111op

Can someone shed light on recent developments? Would a prescription bottle from a pharmacy be good enough?

I assume that that over-the-counter Advil, etc., is ok?

Are there countries that have additional restrictions on prescription drugs? I'll be in Switzerland, Italy and the UK.

Thanks!