Missing medication

[cynbar]

If the pain meds were narcotics, and given that narcotics are controlled substances in most jurisdictions, I would notify the Hotel Manager of the incident. There is no need to accuse anyone or to lay blame, just to describe the incident of discovering your meds missing.

 

I do think that a report is an accusation against the stateroom attendants. If you are comfortable with that, go ahead and report.

[20pluscruises]

Sorry to hear this...:(

 

If you husband does end up needing the meds, you can have your Doctor fax a script from the states to an island pharmacy...we had to do this in the Caribbean. Once we docked we found the first pharmacy asked for their fax number and called our Doctor's office. It didn't take much time to have it filled.

 

...and thanks for the heads up. I never put my meds in the safe when traveling.. but will going forward.

[blindrid]

We are half way through a two week Caribbean cruise. My husband is to have shoulder surgery five days after our return. Our doctor gave us a prescription for pain Meds to bring with us just in case he had problems. I had the pain meds in with our daily vitamins and honestly I forgot about them. Tonight as I was reorganizing our vitamins I realized that they had not been put in the safe... I looked at the bottle and after counting realized 18 of the 30 are missing! I am so upset about this but hate to accuse anyone. I know I should have put them in the safe but the thought of someone going through my things to find them has me very upset. What would you do?

 

I'm not buying it. I've personally lost track. Ignore it.

[CABINET]

This is very concerning.

 

My OH takes medication for his Crohns Disease as well as some medication for acid reflux (as do I).

 

I also have an asthma inhaler.

 

It would NEVER have occurred to me that these medications might be at risk of theft. We just put them into our bedside tables/cabinets to be taken each morning and evening.

 

Obviously now we will keep them in the safe but even then our stateroom attendant can access that too can't he/she?

[fleckle]

This is very concerning.

 

My OH takes medication for his Crohns Disease as well as some medication for acid reflux (as do I).

 

I also have an asthma inhaler.

 

It would NEVER have occurred to me that these medications might be at risk of theft. We just put them into our bedside tables/cabinets to be taken each morning and evening.

 

Obviously now we will keep them in the safe but even then our stateroom attendant can access that too can't he/she?

Not unless you leave the safe unlocked, or give the stateroom attendant your combination.

 

But I really don't think there is much likelihood of medications being stolen out of your bedside table by your stateroom attendant.

 

Many people who cruise take strong prescription medications for a variety of medical conditions and never lock them up on cruises and have never had a problem.

 

In fact, this is the first such incident that I can recall hearing about in all the years we have been cruising, across multiple ships and cruise lines.

 

Not claiming it can't happen, but I think it would be extremely unlikely.

So for me the convenience of leaving the meds out where they are handy would outweigh the nuisance of continually needing to unlock the safe, retrieve them, and re-lock the safe.

 

it is kind of the way we locked the computer in the safe the first time we ever took one on a cruise years ago, but found it to be too much of a hassle.

So we never locked it, or any other electronic device, up on a cruise again and have never had a problem.

 

[phoenix_dream]

I think there is a difference between how you want to handle narcotic type drugs versus regular prescriptions. As has been said, there is a market for the former, and therefore an incentive to steal. Also, if a crew member were to have an addiction of some sort (not saying this is common, but a certain percentage of all people will), he/she would not be expecting the ship's doctor to support it! For this reason any time we have had to bring a prescription painkiller (or for that matter something like Xanax), we always would put that in the safe. For other meds, we have felt comfortable leaving them in the cabin.

 

That said, if you have medication which is life supporting (ie, without it you are at serious risk of very bad things happening) then it is wise I think to keep a trip's supply in your safe. You can put day-to-day dosages in your bedside table for convenience, but for these I would keep a back up supply.

 

I believe the incident should be reported. You can absolutely do so while saying that perhaps you misplaced it, but just in case you want to mention it. As has also been said, if no one reports these things and they are real thefts, then how can managers ever find out. Next time they could be stealing a life supportive medication not available on the ship and cause someone real harm. You may not want to get anyone in trouble, but would you want THAT on your conscience instead?? I think not.

[DinaS]

I do think that a report is an accusation against the stateroom attendants. If you are comfortable with that, go ahead and report.

 

If they report the truth, including the other time their medication was out of their care, it is NOT an accusation.

 

It is just a statement that it MAY have been one of a couple possible scenarios (hotel bellman or cabin steward).

 

It is simply putting the Hotel Director on alert in case this has happened before, or in case it happens again in the future.

 

Simply doing or saying NOTHING is not the way to go.

 

On that note, I would ALSO contact the hotel, and tell them the same thing - that the medication was out of your hands twice - with the bellman and in the cabin.

 

You are not accusing - you are only giving them a piece of information in case it happens again.

[waterbug123]

i would probably set up a little test if i could.

 

if i had another pill that looked similar, i would put 12 of them into the prescription bottle and leave it right where it has been, and then keep an eye on it to see if any other pills disappear. i would also keep track of how i placed the bottle to see if it is moved.

 

Wow. Why go to teh trouble to MAYBE be able to accuse someone of something. Why not just lock up the rest of the pills and enjoy your vacation instead of trying to catch someone stealing? :rolleyes:

 

This is very concerning.

 

My OH takes medication for his Crohns Disease as well as some medication for acid reflux (as do I).

 

I also have an asthma inhaler.

 

It would NEVER have occurred to me that these medications might be at risk of theft.

 

You can relax. In all likelihood, YOUR particular medications are not at risk of theft. Rx pain meds are an entirely different story though, as there is a huge black market for them. You never hear about a pharmacy tech getting arrested for pilfering asthma inhalers and Nexium, it's always Percocet, Vicodin and the like.

[Nachosdelux]

I agree with Cle-Guy. Mention it to the manager in a non-accusatory fashion.

 

ANY medication that has a high abuse potential, or has a street value (narcotics, benzodiazepines, amphetamines, sleep medications, and barbiturates) should absolutely be kept on your person while in transit, and locked in a safe when possible.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Nachosdelux

[Sapphire723]

If they report the truth, including the other time their medication was out of their care, it is NOT an accusation.

 

It is just a statement that it MAY have been one of a couple possible scenarios (hotel bellman or cabin steward).

 

It is simply putting the Hotel Director on alert in case this has happened before, or in case it happens again in the future.

 

Simply doing or saying NOTHING is not the way to go.

 

On that note, I would ALSO contact the hotel, and tell them the same thing - that the medication was out of your hands twice - with the bellman and in the cabin.

 

You are not accusing - you are only giving them a piece of information in case it happens again.

 

I agree with this. I definitely don't think anyone should be accused, but I do think that alerting someone that meds such as these went missing is a good idea, as long as you let them know that it could also be another part of your trip in which they disappeared. It shouldn't cause a problem for the staff unless this isn't the first time this has happened.

 

Personally, I would probably want to tell them even if it was possibly me losing them (like if I forgot that I put them on the counter and when the boat shifted, they flew to a place that I could no longer see). It could be that the pills are now located in an obscure part of the stateroom and if they are not found when the room is cleaned, they could be found by a curious toddler who pops one in his mouth.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I'm with those here who wouldn't report the loss unless I had definitely counted the pills on a daily basis and knew my exact count each and every day. I take an inhaler that has a count on it, so I would know that. Of course, that is a bad example because you can't steal random doses of an inhaler.

 

A better example would be my blood pressure medicine that I count out carefully before a cruise and know I need one pill a day. I'd know for sure if pills went missing. But this case of the OP is just too general. There is too much room for mistakes or even knowing for certain when the pills disappeared. I would hate to place a shadow over a room attendent when there is so much uncertainty.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Gangway Style

[chamima]

Another alternative that hasn't been mentioned is to keep counting the pills on a twice daily basis.

We once had a new cleaning lady right after I had had a baby. For some reason the doctor gave me a prescription narcotic (probably Tylenol 3 or something - this was 30 years ago so I don't remember exactly) .

Anyways, I never took any of them.

The cleaning lady asked me once if I had anything for pain as she had a toothache.

Something alerted me and the next day I counted the pills. They were a couple short of the count on the bottle.

I didn't do anything in case the hospital pharmacy had miscounted.

Then I counted them again after the next time she came.

There were more missing.

I fired her.

 

I also agree that the OP needs to report this in a non accusatory way in case it's a pattern and the offender is counting on passengers not noticing.

[d4m]

I would never, ever report it to the hotel manager if there is no certainty of the number of pills that were there when one got on the ship. Could have happened in the hotel or elsewhere. Last cruise I took with a new script for 30 was short 10 pills - they were in my purse and I knew that the mistake was at the pharmacy. Not that rare,. I couldn't live with myself if someone got fired over this. Lesson learned.

[julia]

I'm not buying it. I've personally lost track. Ignore it.

 

Judgemental much? :(

 

 

 

I would never, ever report it to the hotel manager if there is no certainty of the number of pills that were there when one got on the ship. Could have happened in the hotel or elsewhere. Last cruise I took with a new script for 30 was short 10 pills - they were in my purse and I knew that the mistake was at the pharmacy. Not that rare,. I couldn't live with myself if someone got fired over this. Lesson learned.

 

One or two pills is a "mistake"... you were deliberately shorted 10 pills!

[phoenix_dream]

Several posters are afraid to tell for fear of getting someone fired. I don't want to get anyone fired either, but I gave up worrying about 'tattling' when I got out of grade school. Sometimes things are important enough that you need to speak up whether it is uncomfortable for you or not. If prescription pain relievers are missing and they actually were taken by the room steward or someone else on the ship, then not reporting it is negligent in my opinion. No manager in his/her right mind is going to fire someone based on one report of missing medication (particularly if the story is fairly presented that it could possibly have been taken at the hotel). But if someone is doing this routinely and everyone is too afraid to report it, then shame on them. You are then contributing to the problem.

 

The key is how it is presented. In this case, definitely mentioning that it possibly went missing at the hotel. That way if there is a trend, the management is made aware of the problem and no one else gets hurt down the line. I am sure people report missing things all the time and room stewards are not fired because of it, unless the same name/cabin starts to come up regularly.

[Christine Frances]

We still don't know what these meds are. Like are they T3's or something? I must have 3-4 of these filled Rx around somewhere. Everytime I go to the dentist I get a prescription.

[If only]

I have to ask did you count them when you picked them up from the drug store, as they have made mistakes as well.

[hcat]

Management probably would do very little anyhow

Our sil had his camera swiped on a Royal cruise while participating in Quest, He reported it when he realized it was gone shortly after the group dispersed... it could have been staff or pax...

 

well they treated him like a crook, interrogated him, searched his cabin for the camera and made him feel even worse,....

 

It was was his fault for putting camera down, not missing it until after the activity, etc. He lost all his pics from the trip and alot more but having the cruise security staff challenge him just bummed him out more,,,

 

lesson learned....

Don't leave pics on your camera disc as storage

 

Don' t put things like cameras, purses, cell phones etc down in a lounge, restaurant, store, deck table etc...even for a minute..,secure meds and jewelry best you can

 

Don't expect much help from cruise staff in any case where there is not proof like catching the thief red handed with hand in the cookie jar!

Edited January 14, 2015 by hcat

[Redtravel]

Drugs are tempting. Lock them up. I had a cleaning crew at my home steal my drugs. When I suspected the theft, I counted my pills before and after they cleaned. I didn't confront them. I fired them. A week later, the son of one of women in the cleaning crew died from a drug overdose. Unfortunately, there are dishonest people who steal. Most people are honest. To be safe, lock up anything that is valuable. Leave expensive jewelry home.

[DinaS]

Management probably would do very little anyhow

Our sil had his camera swiped on a Royal cruise while participating in Quest, He reported it when he realized it was gone shortly after the group dispersed... it could have been staff or pax...

 

well they treated him like a crook, interrogated him, searched his cabin for the camera and made him feel even worse,....

 

It was was his fault for putting camera down, not missing it until after the activity, etc. He lost all his pics from the trip and alot more but having the cruise security staff challenge him just bummed him out more,,,

 

lesson learned....

Don't leave pics on your camera disc as storage

 

Don' t put things like cameras, purses, cell phones etc down in a lounge, restaurant, store, deck table etc...even for a minute..,secure meds and jewelry best you can

 

Don't expect much help from cruise staff in any case where there is not proof like catching the thief red handed with hand in the cookie jar!

 

In other words, use your common sense when traveling with valuables.

[charlie52]

Well, this has been an interesting read...

Our decision has been made, we will say nothing. We could not live with ourselves to accuse someone who could be totally innocent. The prescription was for narcotics and we both feel stupid and overly trusting for not putting them in the safe in the first place. We do not take medication (except vitamins) and only filled this prescription in case of an emergency, it just never entered our minds to treat it differently than our vitamins. (Honestly, we both kind of forgot we even had them) I would never leave my jewelry, money or other valuables in a drawer rather than the safe...lesson learned.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[wwcruisers]

Well, this has been an interesting read...

Our decision has been made, we will say nothing. We could not live with ourselves to accuse someone who could be totally innocent. The prescription was for narcotics and we both feel stupid and overly trusting for not putting them in the safe in the first place. We do not take medication (except vitamins) and only filled this prescription in case of an emergency, it just never entered our minds to treat it differently than our vitamins. (Honestly, we both kind of forgot we even had them) I would never leave my jewelry, money or other valuables in a drawer rather than the safe...lesson learned.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Please don't feel "stupid / overly trusting" -- travel is just one big ongoing learning experience. Thanks for sharing what happened to you. It's a good reminder to all of us to be vigilant about all of our valuables (include Rx drugs) when we travel. :)

[waterbug123]

Well, this has been an interesting read...

Our decision has been made, we will say nothing. We could not live with ourselves to accuse someone who could be totally innocent. The prescription was for narcotics and we both feel stupid and overly trusting for not putting them in the safe in the first place. We do not take medication (except vitamins) and only filled this prescription in case of an emergency, it just never entered our minds to treat it differently than our vitamins. (Honestly, we both kind of forgot we even had them) I would never leave my jewelry, money or other valuables in a drawer rather than the safe...lesson learned.

 

 

I would add that when you checked your bags with the hotel bellman, and for that matter during your entire flight, a Rx like this would be best kept in your purse or other carry on that will stay with you the entire time and never be out of your eye sight. ;)

[phoenix_dream]

Drugs are tempting. Lock them up. I had a cleaning crew at my home steal my drugs. When I suspected the theft, I counted my pills before and after they cleaned. I didn't confront them. I fired them. A week later, the son of one of women in the cleaning crew died from a drug overdose. Unfortunately, there are dishonest people who steal. Most people are honest. To be safe, lock up anything that is valuable. Leave expensive jewelry home.

 

This is a sad, but good example, of what happens when otherwise good people cannot or will not do what needs to be done. It is seriously doubtful this person could have been saved, but think what might have happened had someone reported this months before. Perhaps the woman could have saved her son's life. I'd rather have a room steward be questioned about an incident (and they will NOT be fired for one report) than have the loss of someone's life on my hands. With narcotic drugs, yes, it absolutely can come to that.

Edited January 14, 2015 by phoenix_dream

[Jane2357]

In cabin safes are so small and can quickly fill up with wallets, cameras, etc. We take our Vacation Vault (just google it) and find that it comes in very handy for this sort of thing. I like to lock it around the rod in the closet and just hide it with hanging clothes on each side. It is easy to pack because I stuff it full of small clothes items so it doesn't take up space. Locked to the inside of the luggage at a hotel it would make theft time consuming. When on a snorkel or boat excursion - easy to lock to the bench post with your beach bag handle through it.

 

Sadly theft does occur but I respect your decision to say nothing. I would also hate to think of the consequences for an innocent party wrongly accused. The best we can do is to protect ourselves - so a good lesson here about the drugs - which wouldn't have occurred to me either.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Jane2357