We will be travelling for 6 weeks and are only carrying on luggage. While we have prescription medications that we are bringing in their original, marked bottles, we also want to bring things like vitamins and Tylenol that we bought at Costco. Of course we don't want to bring those entire bottles - will we be OK just putting those in unmarked bottles, or will that be a problem? Thanks.
Posted by
USA
104 posts
How much of the Tylenol would you be using ?
I got (seen at Walmart, Target, Drugstores) the travel tube and I have a variety of them, Tylenol, Reg. aspirin etc. I just keep them filled from larger bottles at home and put these in a ziploc.
Unmarked bottles might get you stopped if the search your luggage randomly.
My husband carrys his in a weekly stick pill box never been questioned but he doesn't take presc. meds
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16257 posts
Why do vitamins and non-prescription pills like Tylenol have to be in "original package/label"? What official information site says that? Who is going to look or care? I don't know where this idea got started, but it is not necessary. Put what you need for the trip in a small bottle, marked so you don't get them mixed up. If you are carry a prescription drug like Vicodin or something, that is a different matter. But for vitamins and aspirin, etc., even IF you got stopped and questioned (which is extremely unlikely), there is no reason it would cause any trouble to have them repackaged in sensibly-sized containers, or even ziploc baggies.
Posted by
Bend, OR
576 posts
I wonder how many people screening luggage have the expertise to judge if the pills in bottles are the same as the label says? I don't know many pharmacists working these jobs at the airports!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16257 posts
TSA screeners are looking for weapons and things that can be turned into weapons (such as liquids and gels). They are not looking for drugs and do not have any authority to question you about pills or take them away from you. That is the province of customs authorities (who are extremely unlikely to search you or your luggage, although they have the right and authority to do so when you enter a country). The idea that TSA luggage screnners are going to take away unlabelled pills is a fallacy.
Posted by
Niagara Wine Country, Canada
808 posts
Perhaps there is another arguement for keeping prescription medications in their originally labeled containers.
As a Medical First Responder I know the importance of keeping your medications in their original labeled containers. Often we encounter a situation where someone goes unconscious, or even semi-unconscious and they can't tell me what medications they are taking. This could even cost you your life!
It tells Medical help NOTHING when we are handed a zip-lock bag of unmarked pills! Labels revel your "5 Rights". Right Person, Right Medication, Right Dose, Right Method, Right Time" We must follow this protocall by law.
Here's a senario...A 67 y.o F, history of Heart Attack...Unconscious...No medic alert I.D., her nitro tablets are in an unlabelled bag in your carry-on...This costs you time. (We have this onboard for emergencies, but not the point here)
Also why not keep non-prescription in original smaller containers, too. ASA could help someone having a Heart attack.
Posted by
Portland, OR
18 posts
well, my reason would be that I want to take a handful of vitamin c, a handful of vitamin B, a handful of ibprofen, and a handful of immodium or somesuch, and some benedryl. i know what they look like, i'm not going to get the confused, but i'm not going to spend a fortune on travel sizes for all of those and carry around a bloody medicine chest when i could fit them all in 1 ziploc bag, or 1 pillbottle. that would be why i'd like to carry them in an unmarked bag or bottle. who would want to carry 10 pill bottles just because they want to have a couple pills that they might never need?