Has anyone experienced an issue with bringing their ADHD medication (Vyvanse) into Italy? The prescription is legit, just want to make sure I follow their rules and don’t do anything to break any laws. Thanks!
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
799 posts
Hello achapa83,
The short answer is nobody cares about prescription drugs in Europe. To be super proper you can carry it in a prescription bottle and have a back-up copy of your prescription in case you need to get it filled when you are there. This is the standard advice you will get from the CDC etc.
Vyvanse is prescribed in a limited way in Italy so it is allowed but I would not count on being able to get it exactly as you get it in the states so don't lose your pills. ADHD meds - Ritalin, Adderall, and Concerta - are much more allowed in Italy than they have been in the past they are still handled differently than in the states.
Honestly, I don't know where it would ever come up as an issue. Aside from pulling your liquids out at the airport no one has ever looked in my toiletry case let alone rifled through my drugs and vitamins or even asked what I might be carrying. Immigration is all about visas and passports and has nothing to do with your luggage or personal items and for customs you just walk through "nothing to declare" on your way out.
It's natural to overthink these things, but I wouldn't worry about it except to be sure to carry all necessary drugs in your carry-on so you aren't separated by lost luggage.
=Tod
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15176 posts
Nobody ever checked my meds. Just take a paper copy of your prescription (not just the orange bottle, which is not a method used in Italy where meds are dispensed by giving you the original manufacturer's package in the prescribed size without transferring to a prescription plastic bottle).