Packing Medication on Long Trips

[curious_st]

How does everyone pack medication on long trips?  I won’t have any of the “good stuff” like narcotics. The bulk of mine are vitamins and other OTC, with a few prescriptions in the mix. 

[1965]

Our longest cruise has been 28 days. I get 4 ziplock sandwich bags. I label them PJ's nite meds, PJ's morning meds, SE's nite meds, SE's morning meds. Then I put all the specific meds in their bags. Because none of the meds look alike I can reach in & retrieve our meds each nite & each morning. We both have several prescription pills as well as some otc. I've never ever had a problem clearing airport security. I also take Tramadol for pain from a broken neck several yrs ago. I keep it in its prescription bottle because it's a narcotic. Never had a problem with it clearing security. Hope this helps. 

[Torfamm]

25 minutes ago, curious_st said:

How does everyone pack medication on long trips?  I won’t have any of the “good stuff” like narcotics. The bulk of mine are vitamins and other OTC, with a few prescriptions in the mix. 

I get OTC items in travel sized bottles or blister packs when possible. (I've refilled my little Tylenol bottle many times). I have a small pouch that comes on every trip with Mucinex, Sudafed, antihistamines, Tylenol, Immodium, triple antibiotic ointment, and Band-Aids.

 

For vitamins etc, I hang onto the bottles from prescriptions and remove the labels, then tape my own label on the bottle and fill it with that item.  I am lucky that I have no prescription meds, but if I did, I would probably keep them in their original packaging.  

[Rick&Jeannie]

I divvy everything up into morning and evening meds and put each complete "dose" into these:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CMD6VJ2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Once separated out into individual morning or evening packs I put all of morning and all of evening into a quart-sized zip-lock bag.  Then, all I have to do is grab an individual pill pack before going to breakfast or dinner.

[Guindalf]

Just be sure to pack your meds in your carry-on. Never rely on checked bags for medications. 

[memoak]

We have small clear boxes that we can put in enough for the cruise time plus 6 days. Once got stick in covid isolation in Canada and we’re glad we had extra

[Katnisslove]

We have the am/pm weekly pill containers that we use anyway so I use them.  For our 10 night cruise I am using 2 for each of us.  All our usual meds fit in there (no narcotics).  For the vitamin gummies we use I take old prescription bottles, take the label off, and put one of each type in there with a label.  Have never had issue in the airport or cruise port with them that way.  We also never put them in the checked bag, always carryon.  

[cr8tiv1]

I "used to" travel with multiple week pill containers.  No more (took up too much room).  I carry one and the rest of the pills are in zip lock bags.

 

You will need to check with the country you are travel to.  They will have very specific directions for prescription medications.  Some require labeling.  Some require "pre-approval".

[Eglesbrech]

I carry a copy of an original GP prescription along with the medication just in case there are issues or questions. I keep in the original containers for the same reason.

[MustangGT]

2 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I divvy everything up into morning and evening meds and put each complete "dose" into these:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CMD6VJ2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Once separated out into individual morning or evening packs I put all of morning and all of evening into a quart-sized zip-lock bag.  Then, all I have to do is grab an individual pill pack before going to breakfast or dinner.

Thanks for the suggestion!  We have the plastic cases with daily sleeves that work great at home for my husband.  But when packing for over 30 days, the bulk adds up! Just ordered these and it will be great to not have to pack those empty bulky ones coming home!

[DCThunder]

3 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I divvy everything up into morning and evening meds and put each complete "dose" into these:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CMD6VJ2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Once separated out into individual morning or evening packs I put all of morning and all of evening into a quart-sized zip-lock bag.  Then, all I have to do is grab an individual pill pack before going to breakfast or dinner.

Doing this seems like a lot of unnecessary work, especially if you were going to be gone for a 30 day trip, but to each their own.

[Rick&Jeannie]

8 minutes ago, DCThunder said:

Doing this seems like a lot of unnecessary work, especially if you were going to be gone for a 30 day trip, but to each their own.

I have a fairly large number of pills/vitamins that I take daily. I trade the up-front inconvenience for the ease of just grabbing a single "customized" packet twice a day. Just sharing what I do...

[mtnesterz]

Whatever the packing container, remember you will (likely) be in more humidity than at home. Be sure you have dehumidification packs in your bags/bottles that come with many meds and don't store them in the bathroom. High humidity is the enemy of pills and capsules.

[DavidsNana]

@Rick&JeannieI love those pill bags that you posted the link to.  I have been using small jewelry bags that I get at the craft store but I like yours better.  I'm going to order some before my next trip. I stopped carrying the weekly pill containers years ago as they took up too much space in the carry-on.  By-the-way, the plug adapter that you posted the link to and the advice about the CPAP and how to hook it up, worked great for my granddaughter-in-law on our 4-1-23 cruise on the Caribbean Princess.  Thank you so much.

[Rick&Jeannie]

16 minutes ago, DavidsNana said:

@Rick&JeannieI love those pill bags that you posted the link to.  I have been using small jewelry bags that I get at the craft store but I like yours better.  I'm going to order some before my next trip. I stopped carrying the weekly pill containers years ago as they took up too much space in the carry-on.  By-the-way, the plug adapter that you posted the link to and the advice about the CPAP and how to hook it up, worked great for my granddaughter-in-law on our 4-1-23 cruise on the Caribbean Princess.  Thank you so much.

I'm glad it worked out well for her!  

[ggprincess2004]

Some of my prescription bottles are small enough so I use them, I might add the necessary quantity of another med to the same bottle, provided they do not look alike. For other, I use empty small prescription bottles and put the needed meds in them. 

Be sure to double check on drug restrictions for any countries you are visiting. Some have a zero tolerance policy on certain meds, not just narcotics, and some require prior authorization to carry certain drugs. 

[Rick&Jeannie]

Another note...I have seen past references to this:

 

If you do not take your meds in their "official" container you should take a picture of each pill/container bottle showing all of the prescription details.  Make sure it can be clearly read should the situation arise.

[Mike45LC]

At home, every Sunday morning, I fill up three "Weekly Pill Containers", one for my wife and one for my morning and evening.  For the upcoming 16 day cruise, I made a trip to CVS so I have three sets of three pill boxes, and this morning I filled up all three sets.  So I have 21 days of medicines to take.  

 

There has never been any questioning of my meds and vitamins at Security.  Given the age of the typical Princess passenger, I think Security is well used to us traveling with lots of meds!

 

[Teechur]

5 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I divvy everything up into morning and evening meds and put each complete "dose" into these:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CMD6VJ2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Once separated out into individual morning or evening packs I put all of morning and all of evening into a quart-sized zip-lock bag.  Then, all I have to do is grab an individual pill pack before going to breakfast or dinner.

You can get similar ziplock pill bags at Walmart in the Pharmacy section next to the weekly pill boxes: 

 

Equate Zipper Seal Pill Pouches, 50 Count - Walmart.com

 

If you buy them in the store, it is less than a dollar for 50.

Edited April 30, 2023 by Teechur
punctuation repair

[portiemom]

I prefer these organizers for our daily meds: https://www.amazon.com/Lewis-N-Clark-Organizer-Supplement/dp/B083YVH8DD/ref=sr_1_5?crid=TXYGEYUV6PNN&keywords=lewis%2Band%2Bclark%2Bpill%2Borganizer%2Bpouches&qid=1682894752&sprefix=lewis%2Ba%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-5&th=1 I use one pouch for each day, instead of a pouch for am and one for pm. For really long trips, I might keep 2 days of meds in one pouch. I have 3 organizers: one for each of us and another that we share half and half, if needed.

Then I use pill pouches similar to Rick&Jeannie for any other meds. And I do keep photos of the original bottles for prescription drugs on my phone.

[suzyed]

All my supplements and vitamins go in a packing cube that fits in the night stand drawer.  My prescriptiion meds (and antacids) go in a ziplock or a clear zippered bag and in my carry-on luggage.  Those go in the drawer with the others.

[GeezerCouple]

There is a lot (a LOT!) of discussion about this on the "Disabled Cruising" section of CC:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/114-disabled-cruise-travel/

 

We've posted in considerable detail there about using very small ziplocs, but NOT "per day/dose", etc., as in the link above.

We put ALL of MedA in one, all of MedB in another, etc.  Unless we already have the little bags from previous trips (likely, except for a new med or if the old ones are a bit tattered), we ask the pharmacist about 2 weeks before our trip to give us new "official" sticky labels.  That turns those bags into "official containers".  How do we know this?  Several years ago, one of the hospital outpatient pharmacies dispensed one of my Rx meds that exact way.  Bingo!

 

That means they pack flat, very little empty space inside or between the round containers, etc.  And that's especially important now that CVS has stopped using the smaller amber plastic containers.  One Rx, even a month or three amount, might take up a tiny fraction of the container space nowadays. 😞 

 

AND... we double check any requirements of EVERY country.  Their rules can be very different, more strict or less so.  In at least one situation, an very frequently used OTC med is *totally* restricted:  NOT allowed, not even with special permission.

 

And we keep copies of the actual Rx scripts, plus a letter from the physician explaining that <name> needs MedX for medical reasons; ditto for any injection supplies.

We keep copies of all of this on our laptops *and* in the cloud.

 

We've gotten advance permissions a few times from other countries.  It's easy and fast with email now.

 

"Better safe than sorry", and especially with some countries...

GC

[PescadoAmarillo]

I’ve cruised for as long as five months as a time. I get vacation waivers for the few prescription meds I take so I get a six month supply at a time. I take a lot of supplements and they take up more space. I don’t take any controlled substances so I take everything out of the prescription bottles and organize them in the stacking pill containers I use at home. Then I pour those into the little pill bags, one for morning and one for night. I can tell by looking at the pills if they’re morning or night pills but I still separate them into a gallon ziplock bag for morning and for night. I use Restatsis containers to hold the pill bags in a nightstand drawer. They fit perfectly. I also use those little pill bags, well labeled, for OTC meds like Sudafed, Dextramathorphan, and ibuprofen. 

[CPT Trips]

27 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

AND... we double check any requirements of EVERY country.  Their rules can be very different, more strict or less so.  In at least one situation, an very frequently used OTC med is *totally* restricted:  NOT allowed, not even with special permission.

Can you share where, and what medication? 
Any tips on where and how to double check?

[Shmoo here]

5 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

Can you share where, and what medication? 
Any tips on where and how to double check?

I know Sudafed is prohibited in Japan