Do meds need to be in their original containers?

[kitty9]

I'm wondering if it is even legal for the TSA agents to take the pills. That is not their jobs. Their job is to make sure the plane doesn't get blown up or hijacked. Not to stop the smuggling of drugs.

 

Have you read the stories of what TSA agents try and get away with? I'll give you another example: We were flying to Las Vegas and my mom had a bit of cash in her wallet, for her love of slot machines. The TSA agent went through her purse, took out her wallet, opened it and asked what business she had carrying so much money. So, what business is it of the TSA to ask such questions. You get rogue TSA agents who think they have more power because they wear a uniform and a badge, and they go beyond their scope of authority. And woe to you if you dare question that agent or case a stir----you can bet you'll find yourself in handcuffs.

[PennyAgain]

Darcie, you are so correct about the Sydney airport. I had a granola bar in my purse and the sniffer dog found it. Huge BIG deal over that. It took nearly 2 hours to go through Customs there as each person's stuff was gone over bit by bit.

 

The TSA does what they do and that's it. They are eager to call over uniformed police officers and undercover Federal officers if they think you have illegal pills. Maybe they get reward money?

[vjmatty]

How do you carry vitamins? I buy the large bottle that holds 500 pills, I don't want to carry these sized bottles with me. DH has to take 5 per day as per doctors order for prostate cancer. His other pills are in their original containers.

 

Vitamins wouldn't require a prescription, but just to make sure I don't get some argumentative agent at the airport I take gummy vitamins and chewable calcium squares. I don't know if alarmists will tell me to carry those in their original bottles as well, but containers are simply too large.

[vjmatty]

When the prescription is filled, we are given a print out of the exact label that is on our bottle (from CVS).

 

Our local drug store does that as well... in fact I thought all pharmacies did this now.

 

Anyway, with these you can get as small a pill bottle as you want so you don't have to carry the big huge ones in your carryon. There is no way anyone would know what size container the pills originally came in, and they don't really care, they just want to make sure you have a prescription. The "original container" rule is about the prescription label, not the piece of plastic that they are placed in.

[vjmatty]

I have always been told by well known pharmacies (Ex. CVS, or mailorder such as Medco), that they can not legally give you extra labels or additional small labeled bottles.

 

No, having more labels or bottles than pill allotments isn't an issue... it is the other way around, having more pills than you have prescriptions for, that is problematic. ;)

 

Most pharmacies here give you a labeled bottle as well as a separate unstuck label. Usually people throw away the extra label but those of us who travel find them useful.

[kenish]

A colleage had Sudafed in his luggage on a biz trip to Japan. Had I known that, I would have told him to toss it out. Sudafed has never been legal there; Japanese Customs politely confiscated it. He said they asked if he had any cold meds...they seemed used to Americans unknowingly carrying it.

 

I also ask my pharmacy to put my refill into two smaller bottles before I go on a trip. My supplements and vitamins aren't essential so I just put them all in another unlabeled bottle. If they get confiscated it's not a problem and I'm prepared to willingly surrender the bottle.

[PennyAgain]

Correct about Sudafed (or generic) in Japan as well as anything with needles. Needles are a huge issue and require a lot of documentation.

[2SeaWithMe]

I take pain medicine, and when I travel, I carry everything I can with me (I have MD) even things I no longer take on a regular basis (like morphine or a muscle relaxer) because If you've ever been in a situation and needed it, and couldn't get it, it could ruin your trip.

 

On a recent trip I ended up falling and wrenching my back on a broken sauna bench. I had all of my meds in their own RX bottles for the same reason all my law enforcement friends have told me. I also carry a letter from my doctor that states I'm disabled and I am in possession of controlled substances (not needed, and really kind of worthless, but you'd be surprised...)

 

Anyway, I took all my meds to the doctor on board when I went to the infirmary, and she and the nurse both told me: "It's a good thing you have all these pills in their original containers, because if you didn't, I'd have to confiscate them."

 

An ounce of prevention...

 

Oh, and use the safe!

[lucyintheskywithdiamonds]

why risk getting arrested. just carry the original container to ease your mind. you can definitely go to jail if you can't prove it's yours.

[6rugrats]

.. you can definitely go to jail if you can't prove it's yours.

 

That's a pretty sweeping statement. What is this based on? Who has gone to jail?

[6rugrats]

.. you can definitely go to jail if you can't prove it's yours.

 

That's a pretty sweeping statement. What is this based on? Who has gone to jail?

[Donray]

why risk getting arrested. just carry the original container to ease your mind. you can definitely go to jail if you can't prove it's yours.

 

This is a very paranoid statement.

Tell us how you prove that the vitamins you are carrying are not in facts drugs?

Tell me how you prove that the labels on your prescriptions are not forged? All prescriptions labels can be printed at home with no problem.

In twenty years of travel (every week before I retired) I was never questions about the small about of medicine in weekly containers.

[CtheW0rld]

here's but one article, the result of a quick google search, that should quiet the 'know-it-alls':

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/7801410/Dubai-warning-to-travellers-over-prescription-medicine.html

[SwissDave]

From the UK Government travel website:

 

If you are taking medication with you on a trip or holiday:

 

• make sure that you have enough for your whole stay - and an extra supply in case of delays or emergencies
  
• get a letter from your doctor to say that you need the medication and keep a list in case you lose it or need to get more during your stay
  
• list the proper names of the medication - not just the trade names. Keep it in its original packaging
  
• keep a written record with you of any medical condition affecting you such as diabetes or haemophilia
  

 

 

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/TravelHolidaysAndBreaks/PlanningATrip/DG_4018622

[PennyAgain]

After reading this discussion, I asked at COSTCO about the item marked 'receipt' that comes with Rx's. Is it in fact a label that could be used for travel.

 

The pharmacist insisted that it is not, in fact, a duplicate label, but it wouldn't hurt to take it along with the medicines in their original containers with correct labels.

[vjmatty]

All pontificating aside, I'd rather take my chances with the extra label that I get from my pharmacy (not Costco, FYI) on a smaller bottle than take a big bottle with over 200 pills, which I'd think looks much worse and more suspicious. If they know I'm only traveling for two weeks, I don't think security would be happy with me having ten times what I need. As far as I know they don't have cameras in my house so they aren't going to have any reason to question the smaller pill bottle.

[Wingtips56]

U.S. Customs can officially be fussy about the original Rx containers. But I would think we should be OK if we put our pills in a weekly pill case but carry a print out of the Rx if it shows the description of the pill and code number that's engraved in the pill. "Round, white tablet, code 123456", for example. Anyone can Google the code to find out what it is. The Rx shows you're entitled to have it.

[mjesf]

As one who believes that it's better to be safe than sorry, I make sure we take the containers. On one trip someone had their bag searched in customs. The agent saw the original containers, zipped up the bag and told her, "Feliz viaje," which reminded my as to why this course of action works.

[lucyintheskywithdiamonds]

i won't argue with ... ask rugrats

[lucyintheskywithdiamonds]

That's a pretty sweeping statement. What is this based on? Who has gone to jail?

 

maybe you'd like to see the green sheet from the county jail?

[PennyAgain]

No one has said that you have to take every pill you own on an Rx in order to travel and go through various country's customs.

 

I save a few of the empty Rx bottles (with their labels in tact) for at home storage of pills that are not going to fly with me.

 

I put what I need for the trip (plus a safety factor of about 50% in case I get delayed) in the most recent original bottle and off I go.

 

I travel a great deal more than most people who post on Cruise Critic as I travel both for pleasure and for my work. I have learned through hard experience not to argue with bureaucrats of any government be they TSA, customs or just a highway patrol person along the way.

[greatam]

U.S. Customs can officially be fussy about the original Rx containers. But I would think we should be OK if we put our pills in a weekly pill case but carry a print out of the Rx if it shows the description of the pill and code number that's engraved in the pill. "Round, white tablet, code 123456", for example. Anyone can Google the code to find out what it is. The Rx shows you're entitled to have it.

 

Bad idea when entering other countries. May be OK coming back to the USA but why open yourself up to further inspections and hassle?? Why not do as everyone suggested, have the pharmacist put some in a small bottle and the rest in the large bottles. OR just get small bottle and transfer them yourself.

 

I just flew into Santiago this morning on LAN and some "health nut" backpacker kid had two or three of those pill containers. Customs had them dumped all over the table. I heard him arguing with them about they were all vitamins and supplements. They didn't know what they were and when I pushed the green button to clear Customs, it appeared they were going to take them all away. VERY good thing they were not life sustaining medicines.

[vjmatty]

I travel a great deal more than most people who post on Cruise Critic as I travel both for pleasure and for my work. I have learned through hard experience not to argue with bureaucrats of any government be they TSA, customs or just a highway patrol person along the way.

 

:) I sincerely doubt that the good sense of not arguing with those standing between you and your destination was something you had to learn....that is simply good judgment. Anger is poison and rarely gets you what you want. I was simply talking about avoiding the scenario which would lead to a potential argument in the first place.

 

The idea of saving old smaller pill bottles is a good one....thanks!

[PennyAgain]

Greatam, it is always good to see a post from you and to know you are OK.

 

I think putting pills in a multi-day pill container and then going through any countries customs is like putting fresh meat in front of a dog. They are going to go for it.

[greatam]

Greatam, it is always good to see a post from you and to know you are OK.

 

 

I'm fine. Thanks for caring. Was supposed to be leaving this evening for the Middle East. Have until March 28 to get to the Middle East for clearance. Couldn't talk any of my employees into a free trip to South America. This end of season trip is the most boring of the 4 yearly trips. Mostly paperwork, matching up containers sent to the US with containers returned to Chile. And running back and forth between Valpo and Santiago with paperwork. But I rearranged my tickets to fly BA to LHR and onto Dubai. Upgrades came through like clockwork, so I am happy.

 

And yes, my pills are in their original containers. NOT going through what my friend and I went through last year in Dubai. I was having visions of living in a Dubai jail for a very long time.