medications

My original pill bottles are huge and have the labels/prescription stuck on them. I asked my chemist if they have travel friendly bottles, and they said no. So I managed to carefully peel the prescriptions from the bottles and stick those on ziploc bags. I then pour the medicines in the ziploc bags. It is important to have those labels/prescriptions. However, I must admit that nobody has ever asked to see them. But I don't want to take the risk.

What country and what medicine? Each country has their own rules when it comes to bringing medicine into the country. And the rules often vary if you are bringing in a controlled substance.

As an example, here is what is required to bring meds into the UK:

https://www.gov.uk/take-medicine-in-or-out-uk

This question is asked a lot. Face it; as we get older we need drugs, prescription and over the counter. With the exception of antibiotics which stay in their original container, I use little drug ziplock bags. Each are labeled and hold enough medicine for the trip plus five days. I carry a master list of drugs and allergies in my paperwork file and on my phone. The paperwork copy has the prescription labels; ask your pharmacist for duplicate labels. I’ve had no problems going through immigration or security; never been asked. Sorry this Amazon link is so long:
https://www.amazon.com/Disposable-Pouches-Count-Vitamin-Storage/dp/B001TIOLN4/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=1NG407OH7DF84&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ChN7LExH0-kOSgOaLIapN5IdNp98GxfEO9Ag8xGZ51l1HATcwwxv-n_Z1ZEkNysYu1upuCFLlOKpWot0mD3Uj2Nc-5o0ywJ_sXf4Oc-UYRAQr-GJSjCO1s-tXzSPGAHdYrFjY7YDfU74zAejsKqZUk219JM9Mf_gwD_ADFuoEI1VjxHu12Zc_xtMn_kNNFRdk-whUVdYfFO0R6NkgoA-1g.w2fT4XrkDIJjCLlfShsn_aFRKskq8m0a5A8wLu-_eRo&dib_tag=se&keywords=pill+baggies+for+travel&qid=1754763354&sprefix=pill+bagg%2Caps%2C189&sr=8-4

We have been in Europe over a dozen times and NEVER been questioned about anything we are carrying and that includes pills. Immigration/passport control is ONLY concerned about you having a valid passport -- nothing else. Customs is a walk through the Green Door -- Nothing to Declare. Nobody looks at your luggage or what you are packing. I take a couple of plastic bags with all my pills and a weekly pill planner. Non of my medication is a control substance. Just standard heart and blood pressure pills. You really have nothing to worry about.

Nobody looks at your luggage or what you are packing.

This is not true. Your luggage can be searched when entering a country. When I arrived in London last year, I walked through the “nothing to declare” door and they had a luggage scanner there and tables where several individuals were having their suitcases searched. So, it can happen and it’s always best to be incompliance with the rules in case it does happen.

Take your meds in your planner, but have copies of your prescriptions and an example of the original packaging for everything.
But check that your meds are not banned/restricted in the countries you are traveiling to.

This sort of thing is just fear mongering.
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2024/03/05/traveling-with-medicine-prescriptions/72685069007/

The laws of various countries were never intended to cause inconvenience for upstanding American travelers, and therefore, American travelers are exempt. Do whatever feels good, and if there ever is an issue, refer the governmental official to this thread, and he will let you pass without issue.

I take half a dozen pills and supplements in the morning, and another 7 in the evening, so that's a lot of pills. I tried using the little plastic bags, but that added a lot of weight and waste. So now, I carry a list of my prescriptions (none are controlled substances), but just dump the AM pills into one large bottle and the PM pills into another. Yes, i's a bit of a pain fishing out the right combination twice a day, but it works for me. I suppose it's always possible that I'd have to explain myself, but I'm willing to take that risk if it means less weight and bulk in my carry-on.

The USA Today article is poorly written and doesn't clarify much of the information.

TSA does not have the legal authority to confiscate pills. They can confiscate liquid medication over 100ml if you don't have the proper documentation.

The article says that the most confiscated meds are anxiety meds, sleep aids and OTC meds. Anxiety meds and many prescription sleep aids are considered controlled substances and should not only be kept in their original containers but you need to prove that they have been prescribed to you. Some are also illegal to posess in a few European countries.

Some OTC meds legal in the US may not be legal in some countries.

It's imperative to do your homework before traveling to make sure what you are bringing is legal in your destinations.

Ask your pharmacist to print out a copy of the labels attached to your prescription bottles. This is the information you will need to prove the prescriptions belong to you. I get my meds at Walgreens. Not only do my prescriptions come with an extra copy of the prescription label but it also includes a description of the pill.

Frank II, like i said, the article was just fear mongering. If you read it closely and pick it apart you can see no American has ever been held to the standards of the laws in other countries when those laws were inconvenient for American tourists.

Take the French for instance; https://franceintheus.org/spip.php?article791. Or the Hungarians: https://haga.mfa.gov.hu/eng/page/FAQ Or any of these non-official travel site advisments: https://gogoitalia.com/en/blog/how-to-bring-medication-to-italy/ We all know these were written for others. Not for us and if there were to be an issue that all the traveler would have to do is contact one of the RS International Legal Scholars and it would be resolved in minutes.

Then there is the issue that I think we are over emphasizing this topic. Its not like your life depends on your heart medicine so there is absolutely no need for a higher level of care, especially when the rules might be in doubt or might be contested or the articles discussing it are poorly written.

Mr. E...when you travel back to the US, do you follow the law exactly to the letter or do you assume since you are a US citizen you are exempt?

Did you know that bringing prescription medication into the US that was bought in another country is technically against the law. So that medicine purchased in Hungary could be taken from you. (It won't be but it could.)

https://www.help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-1444?language=en_US

Do you also declare everything you bought outside the US when visiting the US? Technically, you are supposed to declare everything you purchased to see if you are over the limit and need to pay duty.

What is an original container? There are some prescritptions I get where I am given the manufacturers bottle with a prescription label glued on. Other times, the pharmacist decants those same pills into one of the little orange bottles. It also has the same prescription label. Which is the original container? Have I broken the law by not insisting the pharmacist give me the original manufacturers bottle? The only thing that both of these have that is the same is the prescripion label printed by the pharmacy.

I have actually spent time with CBP agents in a previous job and asked them about prescriptions. They basically said they are looking for illegal drugs and drugs not permitted in the US. They are not looking for your heart medicine unless you are bringing it in to sell without a license. But as long as you can prove its for you, and you don't have an enormous amount, they aren't interested.

I dont find it personally appropriate to provide advice that is contrary to law, especially when it potentially deals with life saving medication. You should look up the rules and you should follow them. If you can not find the rules for your destination I think it would be prudet to bring your meds in the original packaging and your prescriptions at least then you show intent.

Just so we don’t scare Americans returning home with the replacement meds they purchased outside of the US here is my take on it. But I am no lawyer or legal scholar, so …. (I looked this up a few years ago, so had it handy):

According to the FDA Regulatory Procedures Manual, Paragraph 9.2.3 and 9.2.5 it is not illegal to bring the meds you bought outside of the US, for personal use, back to the United States. But neither do you have a right (the manual uses the term license) to do so. You are going to be subject to the discretion of the FDA inspector (not the CBP) who is charged to make determinations based on the guidelines outlined in the procedure manual. Generally, that requires that the medication be for personal use and that it does not present an unreasonable risk to the user.

I think that argument to satisfy those requirements would be best served by bringing no more than I would need short term until I can get my US prescriptions filled (i bring two weeks worth) and I bring my European prescription and the drugs in their original packaging. That would be consistent with the legal requirements placed on foreign nationals visiting the United States with medications so there is some precedence for that logic.

I have two plastic containers, each with 7 compartments, one for each day of the week. I fill both for a 10 day trip. I also take a picture of each of the 90 day supply bottles they came in. I have pills divvied out as I do every day, plus I have a photo of the prescription bottles.

Keeping things as familiar as possible, helps avoid forgetting to take them. Having daily marked containers shows me if I am out of sequence or miss anything. Photos of the script labels is the same as having the large bottles.

This works for me YMMV

I follow the practices described by Frank II on this topic and I find his advice to be commonsense and compelling.

Happy Travels!