Traveling with medications or is TSA for real?

I know the hand search was a bit of a hassle but in the end they let you go and you were able to keep your medication. Travel enough and everybody gets a hand search like this eventually. When it comes to airports hassles like this you have to roll with the punches. Because of the world situation right now airport security is on high-alert which may not have been the case when you left for the US.
A few days ago I attended the US Open Tennis tournament, security to get into the grounds was very strict. Everybody was thoroughly searched (both their person and t bags), police with automatic weapons, and bomb sniffing dogs were nearby. Something I haven't seen in pervious tournaments. There are a lot of crazy thing going on in the world right now, you just have to grin and bear it:(

My husband DH uses a salve that comes in large jar. We experienced a similar problem with Customs in New Jersey.

Toni suggested putting meds like you & DH use into its own plastic bag.

On our trip next year I hope DH will pull the plastic bag w/jar of salve out w/his 3-1-1 to declare it whenever we need to go through security. (DH tends to not do things when it is my idea.)

Hello, I have also have prescription medication which is very expensive and comes in a tube larger than 3 oz. I have traveled on many occasions to Asia and Europe and have not encountered any problems at the airports. I do not put this medication in the same plastic bag with other liquids or gels, but in a separate quart size one along with my other oral medications. I do include the prescription page that you are usually given when you pick up the medication since includes my name, the doctor's name, and a description of what the medication is for. I also include the box the medication came if the same information is not on the tube itself. Hopefully you will be okay on your subsequent travels. I guess it just depends on the TSA and the airport.

Another option in the future if you're concerned about it, is to buy some squeezable 3 oz travel tubes (Gotubes) and transfer your medication to one, or more, of them. Then you can just put them in your 3-1-1 bag. Be sure to bring a copy of the prescription and directions for use with you.

Just had this problem this summer, My husband has a skin condition and his cleanser comes in 5oz (smallest) bottles. We carried on so I was concerned. We left them in their original bottles (7 in all) and had a note from the doctor, on a prescription pad paper with my husband's name, the medication, and the dosage, signed by the dr. we put it in a separate plastic bag, which was in addition to the 2 we were allowed. We were traveling through Heathrow and they checked it out. they checked the bottles and the prescription against his passport, making sure names were the same. I don't know what else they did, but they eventually let us pass. My sister had some ordinary creams in a 3oz jars and tubes she purchased and they checked every single one, including her entire suitcase. We almost missed our connecting flight. I suggest keeping things in their original package when you can, especially any medication over 3oz. Since we were going through Heathrow on our return, we checked the meds that we had leftover. I agree, they are too expensive to just throw away.

I want to add to my original post that I did put the medications in a separate plastic bag, in their original boxes with the Rx labels still attached and had a note from my doctor saying he prescribed them for me. None of that worked. As I said they never even opened the bag or looked at the tubes or even asked me any questions about them. I'm putting it down to bad luck in who the original supervisor was that day and good luck that we had a two hour layover at Dulles. I'm aware of the need for tight security and supportive I just think this was a waste of my time and their manpower that could have been put to better use. I may be missing something but I don't think they made any one safer in this situation. If I had been up to no good nothing they did would have prevented it. I'll check with my pharmacy and see if transferring some of the ointment to a plastic tube from a metal tube would be okay. I suspect it is in a metal tube for a reason but may be wrong.

Qualify for PreCheck and see that makes your life a little easier. Couldn't hurt. I hear all these stories and I believe them but while I have a lot of the same circumstances for prescriptions, etc., I have never had an issue and I fly quite a bit.

If I had been up to no good nothing they did would have prevented it.

You said they swabbed your bag. When they do this they are checking for trace amounts of explosive material which would be detectable throughout your entire bag not just the medication. The swab came up negative and they let you go. Had it come up positive they would have given you even more scrutiny. I've been singled out at some airports in Europe told to remove my shoes and had my feet searched?!?!? Randomness at security checks is a part of the game, if they treated everyone the same exact way/every time it would be to the advantage of the bad guy.

Do you need more than 3 oz.? I now transfer a prescription skin cream to a gotoob (mentioned by Nancy) and keep it in the ziploc 3-1-1 bag. I do this specifically so that I don't have to ask for special treatment at security. You can still carry a copy of the Rx with it if you are concerned you might need that info for medical reasons.

Regardless of size, you are doing all the proper procedures to avoid TSA/security delays. I think you just experienced random. You may happen to also go through a TSA that got tagged by Homeland for low performance and they're stepping it up themselves. I am now on precheck status and domestically breezing through TSA with my meds and knee replacement. Internationally I feel there is also improvement on my wait time. But at any time we're all subject to "random".

Judy,

you can do all the right things and still get screwed.

its not fair. Its life.

Happy trails.

it does sometimes come down to who is working that day. to add to our experience above, we all have TSA pre-check in the US, but at Heathrow they did not care. Also the fact that we were changing planes and were in the same terminal for arrival and departure, therefore never leaving a secure area, did not matter to Security at Heathrow. You just have to go with your experience, therefore my husband will avoid Heathrow and BA at all costs in the future. For our trip next summer we are looking at KLM and Aer Lingus.

Hello Judy, Yup, you did everything right. Sorry you had so much trouble. I don't think you could have done anything else to avoid the routine the TSA subjected you to. Hope you will have a smoother time on your next travels!

@Bets- I've worn and carried powder on 10-12+ round trip flights for many years. Never been a problem. The swabs are there to check for EXPLOSIVE residue. They do not check for anthrax (or talcum) or other poisons or disease elements. That would take multiple swabs.

As for the prescription creams/gels- the advice to put them in 3 oz tubes/jars is good- but still put them in their own baggie- they DO NOT count toward your 1 bag limit if they are meds. And I would take either a copy of the prescription, a letter from the doctor or the print out the pharmacy gives you. Better than having to argue with a self-important agent.

My husband had to toss a 4 oz bottle of an otc analgesic spray he has to use (had prostate cancer surgery and now has to self-catheterize daily). The TSA agent on the way out allowed it as a medication, the one on the way home (domestic trip) made him toss it. So now he puts some in a 3 oz. bottle to be safe.

And if you can get the Global Pass (includes TSA pre-check), I'd encourage you to do so. It saves us major time and some hassle.

Here is the TSA website for over sized jars/tubes/aerosols of medication & how the TSA suggests a traveler handle/pack them.

https://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/medically-necessary-liquids-gels-and-aerosols

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and encouragement. The majority seems to feel that it was a random thing. I can handle that as a necessary evil. I just wish they hadn't said it was due to the medications thus planting that worry in my mind for future trips. For others with the same problem of traveling with medications I've just talked with my doctor and he has said he will give me trial samples when I travel in the future. They will fit in the 3-1-1 bag and at least for short trips perhaps solve the problem.