To senior cruisers About carrying med and med docs

As a senior cruiser I have reached the age where I travel with pills, supplements and such. For most of the pills I carry those plastic pill boxes taking a day to day supply and then some to last the cruise and any unforeseen delays. My biggest problem is the documentation I take to support the meds. I spend ages making copies of prescriptions to take in my carry on with my meds. I would love to hear how others handle this thanks

I just take a copy of the label from the pharmacy as well as the original bottle & weekly pill box

near the end of the cruise I get rid of the bottle & use the weekly pill box

Vitamins I put the daily dose in small bags you can get in the craft section in the Dollar store (half the time I forget to take them) then put the lot in a bigger ziplock bag

so far it has worked for us

We have been traveling anywhere from 3-7 months each year for the past six years. Europe, Asia, South and Central America, US, Australia, NZ. With DW's meds in our carry on. Most time DW just bungs all the prescription pills in one bottle which may or may not have a label.

We have been through security checks so many times that we could never count.

Never, not once have the meds been questioned or commented on. They are not narcotics though.

Bottom line is that a paper prescription etc. is meaningless. Anyone with limited computer skills can print one up at home on an inexpensive printer.

As a senior cruiser I have reached the age where I travel with pills, supplements and such. For most of the pills I carry those plastic pill boxes taking a day to day supply and then some to last the cruise and any unforeseen delays. My biggest problem is the documentation I take to support the meds. I spend ages making copies of prescriptions to take in my carry on with my meds. I would love to hear how others handle this thanks

I could see that you would want to have the prescriptions with you if your medications were lost and had to be replaced. Also, if you have a medical emergency, you would need the information. I would scan the copies of the prescriptions and then e-mail them as an attachment to myself. You could also take pictures of them with your phone.

DH and I are both on several medications. We use zip-loc bags to carry all of the original bottles and pack them in our carry-on. Never had a problem.

I always make sure I have renewed the prescriptions before sailing so that we are assured enough for the cruise.

As a senior cruiser I have reached the age where I travel with pills, supplements and such. For most of the pills I carry those plastic pill boxes taking a day to day supply and then some to last the cruise and any unforeseen delays. My biggest problem is the documentation I take to support the meds. I spend ages making copies of prescriptions to take in my carry on with my meds. I would love to hear how others handle this thanks

Since we tend toward the longer cruises, I just take the actual prescription bottle, and fill my weekly pill minder once a week, just like at home.

Same with the vitamins/supplements.

It doesn't seem practical to me to have extra paperwork that I need to organize for such things.

DH takes 17 different medications (some he takes 3 times a day) and I take 3. I keep all medications in their original bottles and our doctor got a small medical bag for us which I keep in my carry on. I also take the original documents that comes with the prescriptions.

Yes -- over the years we have had TSA open the medical bag and look at some of the bottles.

We travel 6 to 7 months every year and both take medications. Prior to departure we load up for the length of trip on prescription meds, OTC meds & extensive first aid kit (DW is retired trauma RN). I have a weekly pill box and take the remainder in the original containers from the Pharmacy. Prescription meds all taken in carry-on luggage. OTC & first aid kit distributed through checked cases.

Do not take copies of prescriptions or Pharmacy supplied notes. Medications have different names in many countries, especially the generic brands. Never had any issues whether bags were scanned or subjected to a manual search. Vaguely remember once being asked what the meds were for.

I have traveled to 142 foreign countries. I take my meds in a daily pill organizer. No copies of prescriptions, nothing.

NO PROBLEMS.

If you are taking any narcotics or seriously controlled drugs, THEN, I would carry a reasonable supply (no more than 1.5 -2 times the planned duration), and in the original prescription bottle (CURRENT bottle, not an old one), and have a letter from my physician about my need for these and that I was taking them under a doctor's order.

The pharmacy I use has a mobile phone app. If needed, I could open that app to prove that any meds I am carrying were prescribed to me.

Oh, and EEK, did I just respond to a post with a title "to senior cruisers"? :eek::eek: In my head I'm still a kid but those pill bottles probably contradict the perception.

We bring no "documentation"...unless you're going to some of the Arab countries, you don't need that...or are carrying copious amounts of narcotics.

Your blood pressure meds, sugar meds, vitamins, etc...are fine in your daily planner box.

The need to carry daily medications when travelling applies to people of all ages last I checked.

The bigger issue is not boarding with proof of prescription, it is actually getting from home to the embarkation port city. In Florida especially if they find any loose pills in your bags either at the airport or while in transit from airport to seaport you could find yourself in a heck of a situation if there are any narcotics (or the "little blue pill") either not in the original bottles or you are not carrying a copy of the scrip.

I have no clue why the OP doesn't simply take the path of least resistance and bring all their meds in the original bottles if they find copying and/or obtaining travel copies of the scrips that burdensome.

I use the AM/PM type of pill case from the dollar store. On the back I tape a list of what medications are in the case. This is for my info as well as anyone who questions me (which has never happened). I also carry (in my purse) a medical history, including all medications (OTC & prescription), name & phone number of my doctor, emergency contact and a complete medical history. I have learned as I get older I tend to forget things and when stressed that forgetfulness is exacerbated. Once I went to the ER and my mind went blank. Good to have that info available in case it is needed.

I wouldn't know where to begin to find paper copies of my prescriptions. Even in foreign countries, I just bring my pills in the original container. The labels gives my name, doctor's name, drug name, and dosage. What else would you need?

Roz

I keep a card in my money belt that lists:

My full name and DOB

Emergency contact (at home)

Travel companions (name and phone numbers)

Primary doctor name/number

List of meds (name and dosage) and what it's for (diabetes, blood pressure, etc.)

Allergies

If I were injured and couldn't speak for myself, I hope that responders could use that to reunite us, make sure that I get appropriate medication, etc.

My pills go in a sorter, but I'm also wearing an insulin pump and a glucose sensor, and carrying a blood sugar monitor, vial of insulin and all sorts of gear for my insulin pump. Never been questioned on any of it, at any international or domestic airport or port of call.

As a senior cruiser I have reached the age where I travel with pills, supplements and such. For most of the pills I carry those plastic pill boxes taking a day to day supply and then some to last the cruise and any unforeseen delays. My biggest problem is the documentation I take to support the meds. I spend ages making copies of prescriptions to take in my carry on with my meds. I would love to hear how others handle this thanks

For a cruise sailing out of the US, unless my meds are narcotics, they just go in the weekly pill bottle. I don't take any paper work. All my medical records including prescription can be accessed electronically. I cannot ever recall anyone on CC saying that they have had any issue with non narcotic meds in weekly pill containers with or without paper work.

Traveled most of the world with the 7 day containers and have never been asked about the meds. I also carry 3 injectable meds. Spent 8 years in and out of Saudi Arabia 3x per year with no questions. Anything can be put into any pill container, so original container proves nothing.

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I just bring pill box , miss the old days when none were needed

I keep a picture of each of my prescription bottles where the label is readable on my tablet then carry my pills in this https://goo.gl/images/qgJc6Y.

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As a senior cruiser I have reached the age where I travel with pills, supplements and such. For most of the pills I carry those plastic pill boxes taking a day to day supply and then some to last the cruise and any unforeseen delays. My biggest problem is the documentation I take to support the meds. I spend ages making copies of prescriptions to take in my carry on with my meds. I would love to hear how others handle this thanks

I am a senior who is not on any meds but I take 10 different vitamins in plastic pill boxes .I have yet to be questioned regarding the pills.

We get our pharmacist to print out the list of medications we take; we've never had to produce any proof of the medications we carry.

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

We are both seniors and carry enough meds to start our own pharmacy. Although we travel about 7 months a year (all over the world) we have never been concerned about the drug issue....because we do not have any narcotics, anti-anxiety drugs, or other meds that tend to be abused. Nobody has ever asked us any questions about our drugs. But we do carry most in their own bottles which have the prescription info on the label. The one country where one must be very careful is Japan where they have very strict regulations on prescription drugs and require special permission for just about any script for which you carry more then a 30 day supply. You might need to get an Yakkan Shomei which is essentially an import permit. Narcotics require their own special permission. All of this is possible but one must plan weeks in advance.

Hank

We always let our pharmacist know ahead of time of our travels plans so he can have everything ready for the number of weeks we will be cruising. Hubby and I sort out our meds like we always do into those daily/weekly containers for the number of weeks we will be cruising and put them into a mesh travel bag. We each do carry a typed list of meds we are prescribed, just in case of an accident or something. We have a copy of each others meds. My hubby does have a pain pump inserted under the skin that he does notify security about as he cannot go thru the scanner with it. After a pat down, security wipes the pain pump area with some kind of special paper, check it, and then we are off. I guess we have been lucky, so far as, no one has ever given us a hard time regarding our meds:).

If you use a mail order pharmacy, you can have electronic access to your prescription history. You can also takes photos of the original bottle labels (and your long term parking receipt) with your phone. Any controlled substances should be in their original container. Otherwise a pill sorter, ziploc, or mixed in one bottle works, whatever you are comfortable with.

This article is geared to air travel and TSA but has good information and international travel info.

https://traveltips.usatoday.com/regulations-flying-prescription-drugs-63014.html