Airline Travel Packing Restrictions
 

Could someone please tell me what the rule is on packing medical prescriptions in the form of pills? I looked up the 311 rules and it is not clear on pills. Do they have to be put all in a separate bag? I'm pretty sure you have to take the original containers with your name on the label and that you cannot take them in a pill dispenser. Can anyone give me information on this subject. Thanks

if you carry the pills in checked luggage you can do whatever you want with them. in carry on the separate quart size baggie is for 3oz containers of liquids and gels - no dry items. i would leave them in original containers in any event, to make replacement easier at your destination if necessary, but it is not required.

The rules for carrying on Rx pills is the same as it ever was, no need to seperate them or do anything differently from before.

Regarding meds in liquid form--Rx meds are exempt from the liquid/gel allowance and you do not need to put them into your quart-sized baggie. However they must be claimed seperately as you go through security. This is current information because just last week I flew with my diabetic mom and stepdad. They claimed their insulin in their medicine bag, then in a seperate quart-sized baggie they had their other gels and liquids.

I was looking over the information on tsa.gov, as well as the different airlines and there is only one place that addresses prescription meds (non-liquid). I got the impression that if you readily need them, that you put them in the originally dispenser (with your name on it, which has to match the boarding pass), and you put the bottles, in a baggie. You can either have them HAND inspected or leave them in the check in. I got the impression you had to hand them over for manual inspection, instead of detector inspection. I wasn't that clear on it. I will try to find it again.

Here is the link and what it says:

Medication & Special Needs Devices

Please make sure your medications are properly labeled with a professionally printed label identifying the medication and manufacturer's name or pharmaceutical label. The prescription medicine must match the name on the passenger's ticket.

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtrav...d-items.shtm#2

"Baggie" usually refers to a fold-top or twist-tie-close sandwich or food storage bag. These are not acceptable; one must use a ZIP TOP bag. (brand-name Ziploc (R))

swaying palms is entirely correct. it must be a zip-loc bag.

I agree about Ziploc, but that is
VERBATIM what the www.tsa.gov website
says about it. :-0

Pills without liquid center? Any amount, in the original container, with the original pharmacy label. Put in your purse or a carry-on. No separate bag needed.

The 3-1-1 rule applies to pills with liquid center, sprays, ointments.

When it says on the TSA that the daily dosage containers with meds in them need to be "screened", does this mean via XRay or manually by the TSA personel? This is what the TSA's website says: (as of 6-10-08)

Medications in daily dosage containers are allowed through the checkpoint once they been screened.

Medication and related supplies are normally X-rayed. However, as a customer service, TSA now allows you the option of requesting a visual inspection of your medication and associated supplies.

You must request a visual inspection before the screening process begins; otherwise you medications and supplies will undergo X-ray inspection.
If you would like to take advantage of this option, please have you medication and associated supplies separated from your other property in a separate pouch/bag when you approach the Security Officer at the walk-through metal detector.
Request the visual inspection and hand your medication pouch/bag to the Security Officer.
In order to prevent contamination or damage to medication and associated supplies and/or fragile medical materials, you will be asked at the security checkpoint to display, handle, and repack your own medication and associated supplies during the visual inspection process.
Any medication and/or associated supplies that cannot be cleared visually must be submitted for X-ray screening. If you refuse, you will not be permitted to carry your medications and related supplies into the sterile area.

"Medication and related supplies are normally X-rayed. However, as a customer service, TSA now allows you the option of requesting a visual inspection"

This sounds to me like you can leave them in your luggage when it goes thru the screening xray, but if you don't want to send them thru, then tell the inspectors ahead of time and be ready to pull the meds out and show them.

What abt if you are packing stuff like Advil, Simply Sleep, etc that are non-prescription dry pills? I am going to Argentina tomorrow and I put a bunch of this stuff into a baggie into my carry-on. I also have a baggie with my prescription stuff in the original bottles. Is this ok? Thank you.

Medication is exempt from the rules about liquids. It does not matter if medications are liquid centers, liquids, over-the-counter - they don't count in the 3-1-1 nonsense. Eyedrops, contact lense supplies - also do not count in 3-1-1.

Anything you want can go in checked baggage.

For carry-on, for convenience, put them in a separate bag - again, the 3-1-1 ziplock nonsense does not apply here - you just need to be able to pull them out so someone can look at them. I always put them in a second ziplock bag, but when I forget to pull them out, no one ever cares nor do they find them in my carry-on.

Officially, prescription medications have to be in professionally labeled bottle from pharmacy. There have been several million questions about this here, since many people get 3-month supplies or pack in pill reminder boxes that make bringing the pharmacy bottle silly. I do not recall one post here of anyone denied boarding with their pills if they were NOT packed and labelled in original containers.

From a practical point of view, if I were traveling with some medication that I knew might get someone somewhere upset, I would be more careful. Things in that category would be insulin or other syringes, large amounts of narcotics. For these I WOULD make sure they were in original packaging.

Another practical thought - it is the job of the TSA to check on airline security. They are not ATF agents; they are not DEA agents; they are not your local narcotics police; and they are not pharmacists. If you were going to carry 100 Percocet prescribed to your brother-in-law and were to put them in an aspirin bottle, it is extremely unlikely they would know or care. When they look inside the weekly pill boxes of some travelers it is my opinion that they are just making sure you do not have non-TSA approved items, like plastic explosives, tucked into that pill box. There is no way that when they see 3 red pills, 4 blue capsules, etc. that they have any idea, nor concern, as to whether or not these are what you have neatly hand-written on the box.

I pack enough medicine for my entire trip and put the pills in weekly boxes. That is all the pills are in Monday slot, Tues slot etc.
I put these in my carry on bag and TSA has never questioned them.
I would never pack my medicine in a checked bag. I lost luggage for 8 days when on a Norway cruise.

I have traveled with my copaxone injectables.I only take enough for the trip.I don't take the whole box.My insurance pays 2,500. for a month supply,so they are in my carry on.I have had no problems.they can be kept off ice for a day, but not good to be under direct light.I take the rx paper work. no problems yet.

What SCAPL said. My husband takes 14 different pills every day, in a weekly box. It has NEVER been questioned in any way.
Why wouldn't meds be X-rayable?

Hi all,

I keep an epipen in my purse ALWAYS and another with my meds. The epipen is larger than most syrines so I don't keep it in its box. The lable is on the box, I guess I could take to CVS and they would label the syrine which would then cover the directions.

I didn't have any problems going thru TSA to Kauai but I am going thru customs in 9 days (!!!!!!) and wonder if they will be as understanding.

No problems here either - usually put the bottles in a ziplock bag to keep them organized and on the chance I am asked to pull them out. They always stay in my carry-on through security and no one has ever asked about them.

Gail and all:

While I would like to think that that is the case, (see Gail's post below), if a flier was not going to be questioned about it at some point, somewhere, they wouldn't ask you to put it in a labeled bottle.

In a labeled bottle, they have the ability to: 1) see your name (that isn't their job) 2) see what kind of medicine it is (narcotic or not) - again, as you said, that is not their job.

So, while I encourage TSA to look for NON-TSA items in medicine bottles, I believe that making fliers take their pills in original containers with all their info on it, is pushing the privacy thing a bit too far. What do they care if someone needs to take 2 Valium instead of 1, for example?

On 7/11 Gail said:
Another practical thought - it is the job of the TSA to check on airline security. They are not ATF agents; they are not DEA agents; they are not your local narcotics police; and they are not pharmacists. If you were going to carry 100 Percocet prescribed to your brother-in-law and were to put them in an aspirin bottle, it is extremely unlikely they would know or care. When they look inside the weekly pill boxes of some travelers it is my opinion that they are just making sure you do not have non-TSA approved items, like plastic explosives, tucked into that pill box. There is no way that when they see 3 red pills, 4 blue capsules, etc. that they have any idea, nor concern, as to whether or not these are what you have neatly hand-written on the box.