1965

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.

NewbE

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

suze

Or food.

annw

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.

northie

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.

RoamsAround

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.

thursdaysd

"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?

suze

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

No they don't.

Customs is only upon entering, not departure.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

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.

thursdaysd

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

northie

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 .

thursdaysd

@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".

northie

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

thursdaysd

@northie - apology accepted, thanks.

justineparis

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)

thursdaysd

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.

ekscrunchy

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.

NewbE

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!)

suze

I thought TSA could go thru anything they wanted to.

thursdaysd

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