Nerfball6 Posted July 17, 2014 #1 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Hi All, I take a number of prescription and over the counter meds, and to travel with them in their original plastic bottle takes up a lot of space in my luggage. has anyone run into problems having them in small ziplock pill bags and marked with a sharpie? I don't want to take a whole bottle for 11 days worth of meds. Somewhere I read they should be in their original bottles and packaging for air travel. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stratheden Posted July 17, 2014 #2 Share Posted July 17, 2014 If you are travelling by air I would definitely have them in their original bottles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illyria Posted July 17, 2014 #3 Share Posted July 17, 2014 TSA doesn't actually care if they are in the original bottles but if you're traveling internationally (as in, hitting a customs check at any point), you should at least have copies of your prescriptions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bull Posted July 17, 2014 #4 Share Posted July 17, 2014 (edited) Sorry, can't help. But I am truly surprised that the USA, so far ahead in other respects, still doesn't seem to have caught on to blister-packs. Each pack is labelled & each tab is separately sealed, so you just take as many blister packs as you'll need. Most blister packs are a week's supply, which also helps forgetful folk to figure whether they're keeping to schedule. And even though the traveller takes original jars, who's to say that they haven't switched the contents to narcotics? (or do they have a one-way lid?) Are blister packs, for medications or any other products, available anywhere in the US? Just curious. :rolleyes: JB :) Edited July 17, 2014 by John Bull Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terri-eddie Posted July 17, 2014 #5 Share Posted July 17, 2014 You can ask your pharmacist for smaller bottles for each med, or some other type of packaging such as blister packs. That way, you can take just enough for the duration of your trip, and not have the large bottles with extra meds, and everything will be labelled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted July 17, 2014 #6 Share Posted July 17, 2014 JB, Some small pharmacies will make blister packs, but its pretty rare to find that anywhere in the USA. Many of us with drug insurance get drugs through large mail order pharmacies and they can do strange things with packaging. I get some of my pills sent to me where there might be 90 pills in a bottle large enough to hold 500. But we still carry our drugs in the original bottles since they have all the prescription information in case TSA or Customs has any interest (they never seem to care). Hank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spookwife Posted July 17, 2014 #7 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Hi All, I take a number of prescription and over the counter meds, and to travel with them in their original plastic bottle takes up a lot of space in my luggage. has anyone run into problems having them in small ziplock pill bags and marked with a sharpie? I don't want to take a whole bottle for 11 days worth of meds. Somewhere I read they should be in their original bottles and packaging for air travel. Thanks! if they are going on your C/o for air travel, original bottles. if checked bring a copy of the Rx if you swap them out just in case. OTC and vitamins are fine in whatever container works best for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunflower&Scientist Posted July 17, 2014 #8 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I go the baggie route all the time within the US and never had a problem. If you are concerned I would slip the label off the bottle or even just photo copy it and stick it in with the pills. I think it would be rare that you would have an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spookwife Posted July 17, 2014 #9 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Sorry, can't help. But I am truly surprised that the USA, so far ahead in other respects, still doesn't seem to have caught on to blister-packs. Each pack is labelled & each tab is separately sealed, so you just take as many blister packs as you'll need. Most blister packs are a week's supply, which also helps forgetful folk to figure whether they're keeping to schedule. And even though the traveller takes original jars, who's to say that they haven't switched the contents to narcotics? (or do they have a one-way lid?) Are blister packs, for medications or any other products, available anywhere in the US? Just curious. :rolleyes: JB :) Blister packs for some OTC things like allergy meds. they also limit the number of boxes you can buy since they are used to make illegal drugs. they are also wasteful as far as packaging goes and we have enough crap in our landfills as it is..and for some of us it is damned imnpossibel to get them open. but we do have special lids( reversible to child proof) for easy open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annicruise2014 Posted July 17, 2014 #10 Share Posted July 17, 2014 (edited) I have one bottle and put all meds in that bottle and keep in my purse. This is a daily thing. I dont' have but maybe 4-5 different meds and they all look different and I know what they are. When it comes to taking daily meds, I keep all the prescription bottles when I am done and make like a weekly or however many days I am on vacation and label the bottles Mon, Tues, Wed, etc for however many days and use the bottles like a weekly meds thingy. Then I throw away the bottles each day. Hope this makes sense. I carry a copy of the prescription written down with me just in case. I have NEVER had any issues and I've been traveling like this for about 10 years, USA and Mexico. And I know you shouldn't mix meds but I'm still fine after 10 years. LOL Edited July 17, 2014 by Annicruise2014 I know not to mix meds please don't give me crap LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxoocruiser Posted July 17, 2014 #11 Share Posted July 17, 2014 If any of the meds are a controlled substance they MUST be carried in it's originally container with the RX information from the pharmacy printed on it. Also how meds are transported depends more on the country that you will be flying to for embarkation of the cruise rather than the TSA as there are meds that even if you have RX you are prohibited from bringing them into the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPacificbound Posted July 17, 2014 #12 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Traveling within the US I carry the boxes with per day meds, my doctor is easily available should there be a question. Traveling internationally I bring the bottles and a copy of the pharmacy paperwork. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bull Posted July 17, 2014 #13 Share Posted July 17, 2014 JB, Some small pharmacies will make blister packs, but its pretty rare to find that anywhere in the USA. Many of us with drug insurance get drugs through large mail order pharmacies and they can do strange things with packaging. I get some of my pills sent to me where there might be 90 pills in a bottle large enough to hold 500. But we still carry our drugs in the original bottles since they have all the prescription information in case TSA or Customs has any interest (they never seem to care). Hank Blister packs for some OTC things like allergy meds. they also limit the number of boxes you can buy since they are used to make illegal drugs. they are also wasteful as far as packaging goes and we have enough crap in our landfills as it is..and for some of us it is damned imnpossibel to get them open. but we do have special lids( reversible to child proof) for easy open. Thanks for the responses. Making up blister packs in small quantities is bound to be expensive but when pretty-well all tabs are packed that way, as in the UK, economies of scale cut in and they're just as cheap. Packaging generally tends to be wasteful, both cost wise & land-fill wise - my pet peeve is excessive packaging to make a product look more appealing rather than packaging which serves a useful purpose such as blister-packs. JB :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksqueak Posted July 17, 2014 #14 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Hi All, I take a number of prescription and over the counter meds, and to travel with them in their original plastic bottle takes up a lot of space in my luggage. has anyone run into problems having them in small ziplock pill bags and marked with a sharpie? I don't want to take a whole bottle for 11 days worth of meds. Somewhere I read they should be in their original bottles and packaging for air travel. Thanks! I get small bottles from my local pharmacy and just take what I need for travel (plus a few extras) then add the label inside from my big bottle. Or my mail order stuff comes in smaller bottles and I save them to use. Never been asked to show them. Maybe I've been lucky. IF you use a local pharmacy you can ask them for small labeled bottles for trips. They should happily do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TC1957 Posted July 17, 2014 #15 Share Posted July 17, 2014 If I am traveling anywhere for more than a long weekend I carry my perscription bottles. They don't take up that much room in the carry-on (I take six perscriptions and three OTC supplements a day). If I am leaving the country I make sure to have twice the amount I should need (at a minimum) and a printout from my pharmacy for the perscriptions in both my carry-on and checked bag. My wife and I also have a list of my perscriptions (with dosage info) in a note on our iPhones. You never know when something will happen and you will be delayed and need more than you anticipated. If it is a short trip I just refill my one week "Old Person Pill Organizer" and stuff it in a bag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie51 Posted July 17, 2014 #16 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I put my pills in one of those small dispensers with the days of the week marked that you can get in any drugstore. I never take the original bottles. I take this with me in my carryon in case my luggage is lost/delayed. I have been doing this for 20 years and have traveled all over the world and have never been stopped or questioned. Of course this doesn't mean it can't happen. Maybe I've just been lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FTLcruisers Posted July 17, 2014 #17 Share Posted July 17, 2014 My husband and I have never had any problems using those small pill bags for domestic, Caribbean and international travel. Last year we were on a 32 day international trip; we each take several meds plus vitamins - so lots of little baggies! Marianne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPT Trips Posted July 17, 2014 #18 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I use small baggies from craft stores set up for each dose (a.m. and p.m.) plus a couple extras, just in case. Never had an issue. I would hope that a suspicious customs agent would check an industry reference before deciding whether to clear medications whether or not they are in a labeled container. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncleg Posted July 17, 2014 #19 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Take Bottles, once when going through customs in Jacksonville, someone set of some sort of "sniffer alarm" I was part of that group that got stopped. They were asking everyone about prescriptions or recent surgeries. I was pulled out and they ran some sort of scanner over me and and had a drug dog I guess, then they let me go. It was an elderly lady in the group behind me and she did not have her med bottles, I don't know how it ever got straightened out...but it delayed me by about 45 minutes..I was the last one in my group to make it to the car. I always carry my bottles of meds just to be on safe side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooch47 Posted July 17, 2014 #20 Share Posted July 17, 2014 (edited) I put my pills in one of those small dispensers with the days of the week marked that you can get in any drugstore. I never take the original bottles. I take this with me in my carryon in case my luggage is lost/delayed. I have been doing this for 20 years and have traveled all over the world and have never been stopped or questioned.Of course this doesn't mean it can't happen. Maybe I've just been lucky. Same here. The only exception is my Ambien. That I take in the prescription bottle. Edited July 17, 2014 by gooch47 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michmike2 Posted July 17, 2014 #21 Share Posted July 17, 2014 10 cruises now along w/ plenty of trips on vacation in country and I always just bring my 7 day, day of the week containers, filled w/ my meds. Have never had an issue. There are plenty of folks who will swear you need to take all the original bottles and/or copies of your prescriptions, but I've never seen a post that says that someone had their meds confiscated based on the lack of either of those things. Spose your approach depends more on how much of a worrier you are. If you want to be absolutely safe, take the bottles and scripts. As for my Alfred E Newman life, I'm sticking w/ the 7 day pill boxes. (I always take a backup 7 day box as well). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donray Posted July 17, 2014 #22 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Travel all over the world including Chain with the meds in the seven day pill boxes. Never had a problem. Now if you intend to take narcotic pills to some counties I would carry the prescription. Or if your are taking hundreds of narcotic pills with you. I have never seen a TSA agent ask about pills. Not there job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lannp Posted July 17, 2014 #23 Share Posted July 17, 2014 You should also be taking extras with you, e.g. if it is a 7-day cruise, take at least 10 days worth. If you have a delay getting home you will need those meds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runner15km Posted July 17, 2014 #24 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Get a letter from your doctor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMLady Posted July 17, 2014 #25 Share Posted July 17, 2014 (edited) Hi All, I take a number of prescription and over the counter meds, and to travel with them in their original plastic bottle takes up a lot of space in my luggage. has anyone run into problems having them in small ziplock pill bags and marked with a sharpie? I don't want to take a whole bottle for 11 days worth of meds. Somewhere I read they should be in their original bottles and packaging for air travel. Thanks! My husband takes 16 Rx or OTC daily. His pill bottles are large 90 day supply from V.A. Pharmacy so can't get smaller bottles. We take long cruises so the weekly pill minder is not an option. Neither is taking 16 large bottles. What I have done for all our cruises, including those with international flights, is I package each day's pills in a 1 1/2" x 2 inch ziplock from SciPlus.com and then put all those little zip locks into a larger ziplock with a printout of his meds list from PCP, as well as a printout from TSA site that says pills do NOT have to be in original containers. That ziplock is in his carryon backpack, easily seen by X-ray. He has never been questioned about his pills, not even when randomly selected in France and in Jamaica (different years) for Customs to go through his luggage. He's never had to even show his Rx list, not even for TSA. Edited July 17, 2014 by NMLady Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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