Traveling to Paris - Regarding Medication in Original Container

My husband also has a lot of medications and he too has bottles that are not all small. He has a large size backpack they all go in, in the original containers. It's never been a problem and the backpack fits under the seat. He puts them all in one place so it's easier to take out in case TSA asks though that hasn't happened yet. It also works for him to get to when he has to take meds on the long flights. Backpack has seemed to be more convenient than the suitcase during the flight itself. (We also only take 1 carry one.) Before everything goes in it doesn't seem possible but somehow it all does fit. I've watched YouTube videos that show how to roll clothes and use packing cubes. This process has worked for our scuba trips to the Caribbean as well as Europe. Good luck! 🤗

A couple options:

1) Ask your pharmacy for a smaller bottle and an extra label. Bring what you need for the trip plus extras.

2) Transfer the meds to a ziplock bag (or smaller) and attach an extra label from the pharmacy.

My husband and I use regular pill organizers and have never been questioned.

I also have pills that come in large containers. I transfer what I need into ziploc bags. I also have a copy of the pharmacy label for each med.

If any of the meds you are taking are controlled substances or narcotic, keep them in their original container.

"Original containers" differ from country to country.

What they want to know if you're stopped, and that's unlikely, is the name of the drug, dosage, the name of the prescribing physician, and to make sure that the passenger's name and the name on the prescription are the same.

I've been to Paris 5 or 6 times, most recently last fall, and I've never carried my meds in the original containers. I use little zip lock bags, one per day, for morning prescription meds and supplements and a pill sorter for evening meds. It's never been an issue.

The chances of you having a problem using a Zip-Loc or some similar container are very low, in my opinion. I suppose if one of your drugs is a narcotic that's susceptible to abuse, that could be an issue and perhaps that should be prioritized for the "original container" treatment.

When I lived in the states and had an extended visit to Europe, I just dumped them all loose in a Zip-Loc bag and carried a photocopy of my prescription. Despite having a bag with several dozen random pills in it, no questions were asked.

I think part of the original container stuff may originate with how prescription pills are dispensed in France. Pretty much without exception, they're not in a bottle but in a box that contains several bubble packs, one pill per bubble, perhaps 20 or so bubbles per pack. The back side of the bubble pack is printed with the name and dosage per pill of the drug each bubble contains. In the (highly unlikely) event someone wanted to check the drug and dosage against a prescription, the information on the bubble pack likely would suffice. As a practical matter, some physicians in France still hand-write prescriptions and no one but the local pharmacist, who has learned how to decode the hieroglyphs this particular physician uses, can read it. A random person at an airport check station wouldn't stand a chance. Maybe that's why they don't bother.

Hey y'all,

We returned home late Wednesday evening and are presently working on getting back into the groove of things here in Texas.

I decided to pack my meds in tiny med pouches. Carried them in a larger pouch that included photocopies of prescriptions / labels. For what it's worth, fortunately, I was never questioned about them. Glad I took the precautions just in case.

Thanks for your helpful tips! Much appreciated.

WL