Pill containers

I use these bags instead of a container

https://www.amazon.com/Pill-Pouch-Bags-Disposable-Write/dp/B07C2G4FSG/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=medication%2Bbags%2Bfor%2Btraveling&qid=1692200394&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

I use a simple morning/ evening split one from the drugstore but I found that also setting a reminder on my phone helps in the chaos of traveling. Even if I can’t take the pills exactly when the reminder alerts me, I don’t touch “complete” until I have actually taken my meds.

Hi Doug,

I use two of these tiny ones and fill each day with the quantity for the number of weeks, plus a buffer week.

I use them at home, too, because sometimes I can’t even remember if I took a pill before I started brushing my teeth! ; )

https://www.amazon.com/Weekly-Planner-Vitamin-Organizer-Assorted/dp/B007RZWGUI/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=331UXYT3B3L6N&keywords=daily+pill+box+organizer+small&qid=1692205005&sprefix=daily+pill+box+organizer+small%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-3

I just use a standard seven day container. My pills are all in pairs - one set in the am and one in the pm. Do use the watch for the evening pills because those are the ones I can forget if busy.

When I first researched and learned that it is recommended to travel with your original RX in its original container I was in a 😱. I ordered extra orange plastic containers from Amazon and copied/printed out my RX then taped them onto the containers. I don’t take a ton of pills daily but with the addition of those sometimes pills I ended up with about a dozen containers that only housed about 10 pills 💊 each. What a waste of my time and precious space. In the end I went with tiny baggies AM and PM. They took up little to no space in my suitcase 🧳 and each day when I disposed of the used baggie I felt like I had lightened the load, so to speak. I did however take pictures of all of my scripts and kept them on my phone in “notes” on the off chance I were questioned about the contents. I’m happy to say that when I traveled to Italy last year for 16 days, I was never questioned about it.

I have a collection of them that I've gotten at various Medicare seminars and so on, including one that I bought in Cologne last year. I like that one the best because it is the smallest. You can find them at any pharmacy or drugstore. Just get the smallest size available for how many pills you take.

The small pill pouch bags are pretty good, I tried them for the first time on a recent trip to France. They are a pain to fill for a long trip, assuming you fill them in advance, but they take up far less space than an equivalent number of pill cases, and you are less likely to have an accidental spill that happens with the cases. I use 7 day AM / PM cases at home, fill them once every 4 weeks - I would not want to fool with the small bags at home.

I used to use pill containers but I found them to be more of a hassle as I was always concerned they could open and spill. I use & reuse what look like miniature Ziploc bags, enough to hold my dosage of pills for breakfast, dinner, and bedtime. You can get these little individual pill Ziplocks or pill pouches at any drugstore.

Hello, I use the pill organizer for a week found at any drug store. They are plastic and lightweight. And yes, the tops can pop open. A simple rubber band secures the top .

Zikee makes a pretty nifty am / pm pill organizer available on Amazon. It’s larger for folks that carry a bunch of pills .

My absolute favorite small travel containers are Cadence (keepyourcadence.com). Good for pills, lotions, makeup & soap. They have magnets so they stack and stay together. They are a little pricey but so worth it for frequent travelers.

I use the 7-day containers, one for morning, one for bedtime, for my assortment of Rx pills and vitamin/supplements. Easier to just dump out the day's contents in the morning instead of opening each individual container. Plus, I know whether I took them or not - (not fully caffeinated yet you know).

I also travel with them and put them in a large ziploc bag in case they pop open, but I do have some 7-day containers with a lock mechanism on the side. You have to hold it in to open the individual pockets.

When I have traveled with a "soft" tote bag personal item, I use the ziploc bag of pill boxes as a "hard floor" in the bottom of the bag. Since I've switched to a rolling underseater, I can still spread the pill boxes out flat in the ziploc and fill in the spaces that the telescoping handles make inside the bag.

I also have a 7-day container that screws the individual cups together. I don't use it much, but if you need to carry a dose with you to consume later, you can just screw off one cup to take along.

I like the idea of getting blister packs for travel. I've never requested it and don't know if the Dr. has to order it or if you can just call the pharmacy. For that I would write M,T,W, etc on the backs to keep track or cut them into 1-week strips and bundle together with a rubber band.

if you go to a B&M store like a CVS or Walgreens you'll see almost an entire aisle devoted to the many permutations of these containers. It's almost like America is getting old or something.

I’m assuming that you print a baggie for each day and then put all, say 22 days of small baggies in one larger zip lock? Sounds like some time to do but I’m all for saving whatever space I can.

I’m assuming that you print a baggie for each day and then put all, say 22 days of small baggies in one larger zip lock? Sounds like some time to do but I’m all for saving whatever space I can.

Yes, that is the process. Tedious but worth it for the tremendous reduction of wasted space for pill bottles mostly filled with air.

I use similar bags to the link Mary shared. In addition to the advantages of saving space, I like them because I can write the date and day of the week which is helpful when dealing with jetlag and being busy with a tour.

I take my main pills in the morning but need to do so after I've had breakfast. Before heading down to breakfast, I can pack everything else away except that day's bag and either take it to breakfast or leave it on the bathroom counter with my toothbrush.

I wondered why Europeans never ask about how to carry their medicines when travelling.

Evidently, according to the interweb 85% of medicines in Europe are dispensed in blister packs in contrast to the US where 80% are dispensed in bottles - an interesting cultural difference. Thankfully, I rarely take medicines but on the odd occasion they are always in blister packs - been years since they were loose, rattling around in bottles

In my 20+ trips overseas I've never been questioned about any medications I'm carrying. But, because of reading this forum, I've started taking an electronic copy of my prescriptions.

I use a small 7-day pill container for the first week, and carry additional weeks (number of weeks plus one extra "just in case" week's worth) in small plastic pill pouches with a printed label of the medication and dosage. All of that goes into a sandwich-sized zip baggie. In another sandwich-sized baggie I carry some OTC pain relievers and meds for GI distress. Those two baggies, plus a thermometer, go into a small zippered pouch in my "personal item" bag.

Short story about the "just in case" extra weeks of meds - a few years back I had just started doing this and it sure came in handy! On a trip to Greece their air traffic controllers threatened to strike on the last night of the tour (made for an interesting final group dinner). Airlines cancelled their inbound flights, then the air traffic controllers cancelled their strike. No planes around! Our airline rebooked us on a flight five days later. I wasn't concerned - I had the vacation time and the meds, so I was fine. Boss wanted to know if there wasn't some way for me to come back sooner, but, hey, I was in Greece and in that post tour "glow" so I didn't try too hard. :)

I like to use the tiny plastic zipper bags with a label inside each cut from a file card. Instead of all the same pills in one bag, I put all the pills for the number of nights we are in a particular location, e.g. "Padua 9 nights." For me, this makes it easier to see that I'm taking the pills every night. Counting them out for each bag before a trip always makes me feel slightly silly, but I'm glad I did it when I'm traveling.

I also use the tiny bags. After YEARS of filling the little bags, one medication at a time, I thought to put the daily pills in a muffin pan and only have to dump the pills into the little bags once.
I have never once been asked about my meds, but I don’t carry any controlled meds, tho.