Jed

I do not carry labelled bottles and
never been questioned getting on a plane about medications.

But if you feel it is necessary to have it labelled, you can ask your pharmacist to put it in small envelopes. There is no law that says that medications have to go in bottles. Or ask the pharmacist to make a copy of the labels to show if asked.

dwooddon

To reiterate, at least in California, it is a felony to carry Rx meds except in containers labeled by the issuing pharmacy with specific info including date of issue, content by its medical name, dosage, physician issuing, and name of person to whom it is prescribed. As for the previous suggestion that one could simply create a label on their personal computer, that's also a serious felony in California and, I would imagine, most states.

janis

All these people saying "I have never bothered and have never been asked" or similar are totally wrong to advise others to do the same. While it is true that only a small % of people are questioned - IF you are one of those, you will be very sorry you did not have original containers. You could 1) have your meds confiscated, 2) be delayed enough to miss your flight, 3) or worst case, be arrested.

The 9 times you are not stopped will never make up for the one time you are. It is federal and state law - so take original packaging. As others have said - most Pharmacies will provide small containers for travel.

AND - quit telling people they don't need to worry about it, OK?

stevecat

dwooddon, you just don't get my point. A person who has the intent of importing illegal drugs could care less about some "felony for printing fake labels". The fact is, having a prescription label read by a security guard with a high school education is a total joke and only penalizes 99.9% of the population.

dwooddon

stevecat: I'm afraid you don't get my point. People are blithely advising others that it doesn't matter. It does!

The chances are nothing will happen. However, that "security guard with a high school education" may be better trained than you think and, in any event, he/she is backed up by highly trained law enforcement personnel.

If a traveller is stopped with Rx meds, not in their containers, as a previous poster pointed out, they may be delayed, may miss their plane, and may even be arrested. If they are stopped with counterfit Rx labels, I can almost guarantee they will be arrested. As I pointed out, in California, both are felonies-extremely serious crimes. My educated guess is that they are also serious crimes in most, if not all of the other states. At a minimum such charges will cost a great deal of time and money to resolve and can subject you, if convicted, to time in state prison.

Isn't it just easier to carry the damn pill bottles?

OliveOyl

I would be more concerned trying to go through customs with unlabeled items, but frankly, it isn't much of a problem to just carry the original containers and certainly they are more secure for the meds than the "pill minders" whose lids pop open at the slightest provocation.

Customs is another matter though. Some are wonderful--some stinkers. My husband was questioned interminably about his camera, not even new, coming back from Cayman. I'd bought a watch and had considered (briefly and stupidly) checking it in my luggage to avoid duty. Fortunately wore it and declared it, as the suitcase was lost by Cayman Air and opened in whatever destination it erroneously traveled to. Anyway, it seems Customs gets bored and needs occasional stimulation to get through their day. Don't you be the ones to provide that by tweaking any rule or regulation they might be able to conjur up!

Scarlett

I seem to remember an actress arrested for shoplifting - also getting into big trouble for carrying drugs in her bag without being in a prescription bottle.
It does seem to be much easier to just carry the bottle and not have to think about it, doesn't it?

stevecat

dwooddon, I'll give you $100 for a security guard that can tell the difference between Tylenol and Tylenol #3. Having security guards (who nonetheless failed their local police exam test) pretending they know the equivalent of a 4 year medical/pharmaceutical degree is a total joke and serves nothing but to inconvenience the public. It's this type of insanity that's keeping the real criminals happy, knowing that stupidity will allow them clear access through. That's my point here.

hoosier_native

Leave your pills (as I do) in their original bottles. With all of the hassles of air travel these days, why put yourself in a position of being quesitoned about something when it's so easy to avoid the situation in the first place? True, 99.99% of the time, a person won't be asked about the pills they're carrying, but if you're that .01%, it's a a big deal.

Cassandra

I think Sluggo has already departed. But for those still wanting to bat this around -- on a similar thread somewhere else, I remember someone saying they asked their pharmacist to provide a labeled bottle with exactly the number of pills needed for a trip. This is particularly useful if your regular prescription is for a 90 day supply of huge horse pills that come in a big "barrel" of a prescription bottle.

This won't help you much if you get your RX through the mails or if your pharmacist is busy or unhelpful, but a possibility otherwise.

theladyjess

Not only do I travel with all my meds in their bottles, I also carry a list of all my doctors with phone numbers, and a list of my medical conditions. This is helpful for emergency medical personell in case you are unable to provide this information due to injury or illness.

TC

I take the pills out of the original bottles and put them in individual zip lock snack size bags. I peel the labels off the original bottle and attach them to the inside of the corresponding zip lock bag. It all looks very official, but saves tons of space in my carry-on. I've traveled the world over this way and never been questioned.

sandi

You either are a law abiding person or not. The law says what it says and some abide and others do not. If you have to ask the question, then you already know what the answer is. And might be hoping someone will tell you otherwise.

Lots of posters have said they don't carry meds in original containers. And just as many do.

Personally, I throw my script and otc meds into one bottle, never take the original scripts (of which I'm always given a copy when filled, so I don't have to ask for copies). They go into my handbag with lots of other stuff and I've yet been asked about them or anything else I'm carrying.

One day,I might be, so I'll worry about it then.

So again, you do what you are comfortable doing - lawful or not!