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Original bottles for prescriptions

I'm traveling to Spain in September. Is it important (or required) to have prescription meds in their original labeled bottles? At home I organize my meds and store them in a generic pill case for convenience. Will TSA have a problem? Overseas security?

Posted by
23273 posts

Conventional wisdom says keep them in the prescriptions bottles so that you can prove what they are. In practice I never do. TSA doesn't care and overseas immigrations doesn't look twice at pills. However, when returning US immigration might get sticky if they saw a lot of unmarked pills. But for me, my pill supply on return is down to a couple of days and just a few so it never an issue. However, to be absolutely safe, you should keep them in the bottles.

Posted by
15037 posts

I agree with Frank. I use a pillbox with a section for each day of the week. However, while going and coming, the pills stay in their prescription bottles and then I transfer them for easy daily use. Chances are I'm not going to be bothered...but that one time I don't do it...you know what will happen.

Posted by
3428 posts

On another thread "we" came up with what to me was seemed a perfect (and heretofore un-thought of) solution. Ask your pharamacist to print extra lables for all of your prescription meds (ask him to be sure to include the generic and/or chemical name as well as brand name - even if you take generics). Then put a label on a small ziploc for each med; put all the small ziplocs in a large ziploc. You could take a pill case to put in your day bag and load it each morning.