Medications

If you take medications do you take them in the bottles or do you use the weekly pill cases? we used to use the pill cases but read somewhere that if you do not have proof of what the drugs are etc. and they are medically necessary for you it can cause problems. I hate the thought of taking 6 bottles for the two of us when one little case would do. I would also have one that I would have Tylenol in, tums etc. How do you have your pill stash?

Thanks,

If you take medications do you take them in the bottles or do you use the weekly pill cases? we used to use the pill cases but read somewhere that if you do not have proof of what the drugs are etc. and they are medically necessary for you it can cause problems. I hate the thought of taking 6 bottles for the two of us when one little case would do. I would also have one that I would have Tylenol in, tums etc. How do you have your pill stash?

 

Thanks,

Varies depending on your travel plans.

If flying internationally it's best to always have the medications in the actual bottle with the RX label Also some countries prohibit the entry of specific medications even if you have a RX particularly if any are a controlled substance.

If flying domestically within the USA ( even if planning to board a cruise ship r/t from a USA port ) than a weekly pill box is generally OK provided none of the medications are controlled substances . All medications that are controlled substances must be in the actual container with the RX label.

If using a weekly pill box you can contact your pharmacy and request a print of out of all your current medications along with the prescribing information that can be carried along with your other important travel documents.

We took ours in original bottles just to be on the safe side. We didn't fly. I bought a small case which became our "drug store".

I use Walgreens and each prescription comes with a paper print-out with all the pertinent information on it. (Name, drs. name, drug and dosage, etc.) I put that paper in a ziplock sandwich bag with the pills. The several ziplock bags don't take up much room at all.

I've always taken the pill cases. I've never had a problem in 25+ years.

Flew to Copenhagen Sept. 2013 w/20 days of pills in cases. I won't risk my entire supply for the labels. Getting a print-out from the pharmacy or the doctor would probably be a good idea.

The airlines and ships do NOT care about your meds....you may bring them in whatever container you like.

Some countries (far east, usually) don't allow certain medications at all....but that's not true in Europe, Med. or Caribbean.

We have had this conversation a number of times on this forum.

It boils down to this:

Some of us have either witnessed or been the 'target' of a TSA inspector in U.S. airport confiscating pills from daily pill holders and dumping them. Whether they should or should not really doesn't matter if you are the person standing at the security checkpoint arguing your position that you 'can' carry your meds that way. You will lose. I don't want to be that person who encounters this circumstance as DH and I would have to return home. We cannot be without our Rx's. We need to take them compliantly with the instructions given by our doctors.

If you carry them in pharmacy labeled bottles, you are almost guaranteed you will have no difficulty.

How big a risk taker are you?

Do you want to take the chance?

You can print out the TSA web page and show it and spend your time arguing or you can save your self the risk.

I meant to add that when going to the ship, carry your pills any way you wish. They don't check and don't care. It is the airlines and Customs that could take an interest.

We always carry all medications in their original bottles. Over the years we have had a couple of incidents where our medical was opened and the bottles examined.

There is no way that I would want our medications thrown away.

You should have the bottles , In case you need more ..

I put mine in the pill cases. I can get a reprint from my pharmacy or on line from my patient portal. All of my docs are connected in the portal called "My Chart" and all of my current meds are listed with all of the information needed.

We always take our meds in the weekly pill cases. I carry print outs from CVS Caremark showing our prescriptions.

We have never had a problem even in Europe.

We always take our bottles from the pharmacy but only put enough of each med in the bottles to get us through the trip, plus a couple extra days incase of delays. This way we have original bottles with all pertinent info but don't risk losing all our medication for any reason.

I carry all of our prescriptions in a ziploc bag. Works for us. And they always go in our carry on. I am not a risk taker.

You should have the bottles ' date=' In case you need more ..[/quote']

 

Where would you get more on a cruise?

Every country has pharmacies. In an emergency, if you have the generic name of your medication, it is likely you will be able to get enough to hold you over upon advice from the local pharmacy as to where and how to get a supply.

Every country has pharmacies. In an emergency, if you have the generic name of your medication, it is likely you will be able to get enough to hold you over upon advice from the local pharmacy as to where and how to get a supply.

 

well I guess it depends on what country you are going to. A pharmacy in the US will not dispense medication to someone from another country without a script. You would need to goto a walk in clinic or hospital to get a prescription before being able to get medicine. I would assume it would be the same in some foreign countries..not all but some...

bring more than enough medication with you just in case...

My mom uses one of those multi day pill cases. She also brings at least a few extra days worth in case of delays or lost pills.

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You should have the bottles ' date=' In case you need more ..[/quote']

 

Where would you get more on a cruise?

 

I believe that what we're sailing away meant was that you should take the original bottle of pills rather than a pill case with only enough pills for the predicted length of the trip. That way, if a pill is lost, or the return home is delayed, there would still be sufficient medication.

We tend to take long trips so we do bring the prescription bottles. We also carry pill boxes along to make it easier though the weeks/months. We each carry our own in Ziplock bags in our backpacks.

I believe that what we're sailing away meant was that you should take the original bottle of pills rather than a pill case with only enough pills for the predicted length of the trip. That way, if a pill is lost, or the return home is delayed, there would still be sufficient medication.

lol read it the wrong way. :)

If you take medications do you take them in the bottles or do you use the weekly pill cases? we used to use the pill cases but read somewhere that if you do not have proof of what the drugs are etc. and they are medically necessary for you it can cause problems. I hate the thought of taking 6 bottles for the two of us when one little case would do. I would also have one that I would have Tylenol in, tums etc. How do you have your pill stash?

 

Thanks,

My husband takes a total of 18 pills a day. Some are large. He gets all his pills from the V.A. in big 90 day bottles, too large to carry all 18 with us. No way to have the V.A. Pharmacy do smaller bottles. We take cruises longer than two weeks so I package daily morning, mid-day, evening, night doses in small 2" ziplock bags from SciPlus.com which I put into a larger ziplock bag with copies of the bottle labels as well as a printout list from the pharmacy of his meds. In all our flights and cruises, even when chosen by customs to have our bags checked, we've never been questioned.

I also carry a copy of the TSA page that says meds do not have to be in original containers. I have never had to show that either.

I always include several extra days' worth in case of delays or loss.

I take doubles. I use the daily pill case in my purse and the original bottles in my carryon.

I also have a letter from my doctor showing what medications I am required to take.

Every country has pharmacies. In an emergency, if you have the generic name of your medication, it is likely you will be able to get enough to hold you over upon advice from the local pharmacy as to where and how to get a supply.

 

My DH ran short of his Epilim (anti-convulsant) on a Med. cruise, and the ship's pharmacy called a pharmacy at our next port, to have them ready for him.

well I guess it depends on what country you are going to. A pharmacy in the US will not dispense medication to someone from another country without a script. You would need to goto a walk in clinic or hospital to get a prescription before being able to get medicine. I would assume it would be the same in some foreign countries..not all but some...

 

bring more than enough medication with you just in case...

You are right and that is why I advised consulting with the pharmacy how to get your medication. They will usually direct you to a clinic/doctor or source to get an emergency Rx. AND don't forget about the ship's doctor.

My DH ran short of his Epilim (anti-convulsant) on a Med. cruise, and the ship's pharmacy called a pharmacy at our next port, to have them ready for him.

Exactly.

Happy you got the ship's doctor's help. :)

What you experienced is not unusual. They do that almost every cruise.