Pillpacks - anyone used them for international travel?

I guess you are concerned about customs being suspicious about your pills. Don't be.

First, most people aren't stopped in customs. It is a random check only, 95% of people just walk through.
Second, customs are not stupid. They come across travellers with medicine all the time. They will just ignore your pills.
I have one of those 7-day dispensers (looks like this (click for photo)). If I am travelling for less than 7 days, I just fill it up, if for longer I just add a few blister packs to replenish it after 7 days.

If your pills come in a big bottle, yes just re-pack enough in a smaller bottle. You could bring the box the big bottle came in (flattened) just on case (very very unlikely) somebody asks what they are.

Haven’t used them, but thanks for bringing it up! My husband always has to take along his many bottles when we go on a long trip (we go for 6 to 8 weeks) and this is a game changer! He is investigating as I type!

Another option to save space it to use those tiny plastic bags you can buy in most pharmacy for your meds. I then peel off the label from my brown medicine bottle and stick it on each bag. I have never had an issue with traveling with medication. Even with some pretty strong stuff when I ended up last year with a Kidney stone issue. Just make sure you have your prescription somewhere with you to be on the safe-side.
Margaret

While perhaps not as convenient as pill packs, this is what we do to save space and weight. Have the pharmacist print out extra labels. Put the pills in a freezer zip lock and put the extra label on it. Take the original data sheet that comes with the RX with you to show that it is for you. We have been to many European countries and have never had a problem. There are some state laws that require prescription meds to be in original containers, but they are rarely enforced and I can only remember reading about one case in the last 20 years.

When traveling to Mexico I have packed my weekly pill box, packed with meds, into a freezer bag with all the labels slapped on the outside of the freezer bag. I've never been stopped either - and I suspect I'm over thinking this. It's the trip to Morocco that has me most concerned. My meds don't include any narcotics, and those seem to be the most worrisome.

I've traveled extensively in Europe in recent years, accompanied by large quantities of bulky supplements as well as a few prescription medications. No one has taken any notice of them.

I'm a bit concerned about carrying pills around for an entire summer, packaged just in Zip-Lock bags or the equivalent. I wonder whether humidity might be an issue over that long a time, so I keep the pills in bottles (not necessarily the original ones, but I have the sticky labels for the Rx meds with me). I keep the current week's supply in a pill-minder box. As the trip goes on and the volume of pills drops, I consolidate the remainder into smaller and fewer pill bottles. If I took shorter trips, I'd definitely use Zip-Lock bags to save bulk and weight.

I have no narcotic medications; I think it would be prudent to keep those in the original packaging.

For some reason this is an over worried subject. Nobody cares about your pills going into Europe. You may need the Rx labels if you needed refills because your pills were lost somewhere. Keep copies of the labels separate from your pills. The label will help the local doctor in writing a new Rx for you. In a nearly a year of travel in Europe over 25+ years we have never been stopped at customs. Often there isn't anyone at the custom station to stop us. Just keep walking.

You want the labels because you dont want to have to explain to doctors and pharmacists what you're taking by hand gestures, and they dont want to guess by looking at your pills. And if your lying on the sidewalk in a coma, the ambulance folks dont want to guess what you've been taking. Thats the real reason for having the labels and/or containers.

You are confusing passport control with customs. Unless you stop to tell the customs agent you're bringing in drugs (not advised) you don't stop at all - just go through the green door.

You can do your own 'pill pack'. The tiny zip top pill bags are available for purchase at many drug stores, groceries, and stores like Walmart or Target. That way you don't have to get your doctor to 'prescribe' your supplements, just pack them your self. You can also bring a few extra of any meds want (in case of delays, dropped pills, etc.) I've found that a permanent fine tip marker or a ball point pen (not a gel pen) write well on the plastic, so you can label them as you wish (morning, bedtime, etc. or Monday AM, Monday Lunch, etc.). You can bring the print outs (full ones or just the name/dose parts) with you or ask your pharmacist to print off extra labels and put all on one sheet of paper or on a large zip top bag that you use to hold the small pill bags. Add a list of your supplements.

I also take a special medication/medical information for that I created. It has a list of all my medications (prescribed and OTC) and the conditions for which they are used, my doctors names and phone numbers, my pharmacy name, location and number and a list of all my medical conditions and surgeries with dates. I also carry this with me all the time at home (mine, hubby's and my mother-in-law's). It has come in handy several times (I have asthma and once had an attack at work so severe I couldn't talk. I just handed the form to the EMTs. It's also great to take to doctor visits).

If you'd like a template copy, just private message me with your email (we can't attach things so I can't send it to you via this site).

I bring my 7 day pill dispenser loaded up when I board the flight over on my person. In my carry-on are the prescribed med plastic containers loaded up with amounts to cover the duration of the trip. The vitamins are in the plastic containers in the checked-in spinner. No one has ever questioned this, TSA or other foreign security in London, Frankfurt, Paris, going or returning, let alone customs.

To answer your question.... No, I've never used them. I normally prefer to take med's in the original container with the pharmacy labels. None of the inspection agents has ever asked about my med's as they're more concerned with liquids and laptops. Fortunately I don't have to take many pills, so it's easy to keep track of the times for each one.