Travel to Italy with prescription meds

We’ve been traveling to Europe for 10 years now, sometimes twice a year and I have never been questioned about my prescription meds and use a pill organizer.

Thank you much!

The only medications you probably should keep in the original containers would be controlled substances.

jacque_smithiii

My two cents. What I like to consider is why they (customs, the police the paramedics, the hospital) would want to know what it is you have in your bag or are taking. If they stop you, the customs folks dont really need to care about what you're bringing in. They just want to see that you're not bringing in a quantity of some pills to sell (just personal use), or, if its a controlled substance, that you have a reason to be carrying. No one can really identify all those meds on sight to see what they might be. A baggie of little white pills could be anything.

If you're hit by a bus, in a coma, or have a stroke, knowing what meds you're on and why, is helpful to the first responders.

But really, I've never seen anyone questioned unless they had another reason to be stopped, like caught smuggling fruit.

One helpful thing you should do is print out a list of your prescriptions with their real, not brand, names. That was extremely helpful when I became ill in rural France. The doctor understood the names and was able to take care of me.

As long as they are not controlled substances, you should be ok to just have them in a pill organizer. That said, however, we strongly recommend that you take the original (or at least a copy) of the data sheets that come with the Rxs. They will show what they are and that they are in fact for you. We also make sure our meds are in our personal bag and not our carry on luggage. From time to time bags do get gate chedked -- would not want meds in a bag that might or might not show up. It is also wise to take about a week or so extra in case your flight are delayed coming back. If you are traveling with someone, it's also a good idea to split up the meds between the two of you.

As others have said I have never had prescription drugs questioned at any point in travelling Europe. If you have anything you literally cannot be without for the rest of your trip then make sure you have prescription information to make sure you can get it replaced if you were to lose it.

The only really big exception to these is ADHD meds prescribed in America like Adderall and Ritalin were illegal in Italy but have recently started to be prescribed so do not count on being able to replace those easily with exactly equivalent dosages. Also do not try to get these drugs shipped into Italy or ever share them with anyone as this could be charged as dealing illegal drugs.

Also CBD based medicines are something of a gray area. Technically is it says "THC free" on the label it is technically okay - Italy allows <.6% THC - but that's not a discussion I would want to have with anyone of authority in a foreign country. Italy seems to be vacillating on THC's legality so I would steer clear of the topic if possible. Also countries you connect through may have different laws - I think France only allows <.3% THC - so keep that in mind as well.

It's good to think about and plan for but it is generally a non-issue in reality.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

We arrived in Italy over a week ago and brought all the hubbys meds, absolutely no issue, since you simply ,go through Nothing to Declare when you arrive. This time since we are here for a month, we brought all his pills in original containers