Do these need to be brought in their original packages or can they be carried in a ziploc bag. I will only be bringing a carry-on bag. I want to put several pills in small ziploc bags - one for each day of my trip.
Posted by
St Louis
411 posts
I checked with the airline several years ago and was told that all prescripion meds had to be in the original labeled containers. My pharmacy was kind enough to make me a pill bottle that was labeled for both of my meds to save some space. That said I've never had anyone look at the meds or question me about them.
Posted by
Centennial, CO, USA
1883 posts
Pills are fine. My husband puts all his vitamins (and there are too many to count) in a multi compartment container (like a fly fishing or craft box) Prescription in original containers. Vitamins can be in zip lock bags.
If you have liquids, that's another story, but it sounds like just pills? It's fine.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
The only exception ever discussed, on this forum, to the standard advice we correctly give here: "should be no problem putting prescription meds in a ziploc" is:
IF one of your prescription meds is a controlled substance (such as ambien, the sleep aid, which is in a different legal class than other prescription meds such as lipitor), it might be best to make that the one exception and keep the ambien in the original container, which has your name on it and shows you have the right to possess the controlled substance.
Reasoning is: Since it's the only exception, is easy to do, and one Rx container doesn't take up much room, it might be good to err on the side of playing it safe just on this one subset of prescription meds.
I'm thinking not so much of entering Europe as the avoidance, since it's easy to do, of re-entering the US in possession of a controlled substance in a zip-loc bag. T
Probably will never be a problem. But it's the one exception that has been discussed here.
Posted by
OP
Tulsa, OK, USA
28 posts
Thanks for everyones' comments. Good idea to check with the pharmacy.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Traveling frequently, I combine my meds into a couple of larger med bottles. I realize that a pharmacist won't recommend that but that's what I do. If you have liquid prescriptions, you don't have to put them in the one 1-quart Ziplock bag. I put all of my meds in a separate Zip lock bag. This is for convenience and not a requirement. When going through the airport security, I pull out both Ziplock bags. I've never been challenged on my meds bag. In general, security just doesn't mess with bottles with prescription names on them. Just make sure that the bottles have your name on them although I've never had that checked either.