Flying with Prescription Pills

[Donray]

And I have seen those 7 day planner containers emptied into the trash at the airport. Do you really want to risk losing your medications? Even flying from Anchorage to LAX, they confiscated & trashed my husbands psoriasis salve because it was in an 8 oz jar. He forgot to pack it in his checked bag. They can and do discard things all the time. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

I have never seen this, and I traveled by air every week until I retired. I have never seen this since I retired either. What airport have you seen this happen???? I don't it……………….

Tell me how anyone knows if the pills in a prescription bottle are what should be in the bottle. If I were looking for illegal drugs, I would investigate every person that had all these bottles of prescription medicine. Good way to smuggle drugs.

The TSA can only confiscate what is illegal according to their web site. The TSA does not care about aspirin unless they are gel aspirin.

Yes. they will take 8 oz. of salve even with a prescription. Has nothing to do with it being needed, it has to do with the rule against over three oz.. Don't unstand why you would even use this salve thing as an example, you broke the rule and so they took it.

Don't understand all the false information some people pass along.

I am not saying if you are the type of person that worries and thinks the TSA is out to get you and your blood pressure meds you should carry all the prescription bottles you feel are needed.

Likewise, if your meds are so important I would carry a prescription in case they get lost.

[6rugrats]

I have never seen this, and I traveled by air every week until I retired. I have never seen this since I retired either. What airport have you seen this happen???? I don't it……………….

 

 

Tell me how anyone knows if the pills in a prescription bottle are what should be in the bottle. If I were looking for illegal drugs, I would investigate every person that had all these bottles of prescription medicine. Good way to smuggle drugs.

 

The TSA can only confiscate what is illegal according to their web site. The TSA does not care about aspirin unless they are gel aspirin.

 

Yes. they will take 8 oz. of salve even with a prescription. Has nothing to do with it being needed, it has to do with the rule against over three oz.. Don't unstand why you would even use this salve thing as an example, you broke the rule and so they took it.

 

Don't understand all the false information some people pass along.

 

I am not saying if you are the type of person that worries and thinks the TSA is out to get you and your blood pressure meds you should carry all the prescription bottles you feel are needed.

 

Likewise, if your meds are so important I would carry a prescription in case they get lost.

 

I also have never seen someone have medication taken away from them. To the person whose husband had the salve taken away; if it was a prescription item in its original container with the prescription label, this should not have happened. These items do not fall under the 3 oz rule and are clearly allowed.

 

From the TSA webpage:

Declare larger liquids. Medications, baby formula and food, and breast milk are allowed in reasonable quantities exceeding three ounces and are not required to be in the zip-top bag. Declare these items for inspection at the checkpoint.

[UtterCaro]

Yes. they will take 8 oz. of salve even with a prescription. Has nothing to do with it being needed, it has to do with the rule against over three oz.. Don't unstand why you would even use this salve thing as an example, you broke the rule and so they took it.

 

Prescription meds are exempt from the 3-3-1 rule. They do, however, need to be declared before being scanned. Failure to declare beforehand is probably why the 8 oz. salve was confiscated.

 

Caro

[griffy]

Taking no chances, my Mom has 14 prescription drugs. Unfortunately, she will have to wait until on the ship to separate them into the 7-day containers. We saw her Dr. yesterday and joked that the DEA may ask him to stop by the airport when they screen our family through. He's the family's doctor and in addition to my Mom, my daughter, grandson and nephew, son-in-law all carry inhalers, prescriptions from him. They may ask to get a look at him.

[sail7seas]

I have never seen this, and I traveled by air every week until I retired. I have never seen this since I retired either. What airport have you seen this happen???? I don't it……………….

 

 

Tell me how anyone knows if the pills in a prescription bottle are what should be in the bottle. If I were looking for illegal drugs, I would investigate every person that had all these bottles of prescription medicine. Good way to smuggle drugs.

 

The TSA can only confiscate what is illegal according to their web site. The TSA does not care about aspirin unless they are gel aspirin.

 

Yes. they will take 8 oz. of salve even with a prescription. Has nothing to do with it being needed, it has to do with the rule against over three oz.. Don't unstand why you would even use this salve thing as an example, you broke the rule and so they took it.

 

Don't understand all the false information some people pass along.

 

I am not saying if you are the type of person that worries and thinks the TSA is out to get you and your blood pressure meds you should carry all the prescription bottles you feel are needed.

 

Likewise, if your meds are so important I would carry a prescription in case they get lost.

 

 

My pharmacy includes a sheet with each prescription that gives a verbal description of what the capsule or tablet looks like. It's size, color and markings. I carry that along with the pharmacy bottles of our Rx medications.

 

Just because a poster here says they have not seen something happen does NOT mean it doesn't happen. Ask those who have been inspected and lost their medications.

[agabbymama]

I have never seen this, and I traveled by air every week until I retired. I have never seen this since I retired either. What airport have you seen this happen???? I don't it……………….

 

 

Tell me how anyone knows if the pills in a prescription bottle are what should be in the bottle. If I were looking for illegal drugs, I would investigate every person that had all these bottles of prescription medicine. Good way to smuggle drugs.

 

The TSA can only confiscate what is illegal according to their web site. The TSA does not care about aspirin unless they are gel aspirin.

 

Yes. they will take 8 oz. of salve even with a prescription. Has nothing to do with it being needed, it has to do with the rule against over three oz.. Don't unstand why you would even use this salve thing as an example, you broke the rule and so they took it.

 

Don't understand all the false information some people pass along.

 

I am not saying if you are the type of person that worries and thinks the TSA is out to get you and your blood pressure meds you should carry all the prescription bottles you feel are needed.

 

Likewise, if your meds are so important I would carry a prescription in case they get lost.

 

I don't really care if you believe it or not, it's what I saw. I believe it was in Budapest or Vienna. It isn't only in the U.S. that these things get scrutinized.

[agabbymama]

Prescription meds are exempt from the 3-3-1 rule. They do, however, need to be declared before being scanned. Failure to declare beforehand is probably why the 8 oz. salve was confiscated.

 

Caro

 

Thanks, Good info to know for future. I had packed it in the checked luggage going, and didn't realize he had put it in the carry-on by mistake for the rturn home. But I also didn't know we could have declared it beforehand.

[read52]

I have been looking at this site because as I said before we fly 4 or 5 times a year. All of our meds come in large bottles because our insurance forces us to use the 3 month mail in (which can be a pain). My husband's meds take up a shelf in our cabinet so it would be alot to carry. We bought a machine that is like a seal a meal. We make packets for morning and night. We have traveled for several years without any problems. Since ours are sealed would that make a difference? What papers would we have to care if we did not use the original bottles? Three of my husband's meds are controlled because they are for seizures.

[donaldsc]

I take pills in the morning and in the evening. I dump all my AM pills in 1 bottle and all of the PM pills in a 2nd.

 

I have never even had the TSA goons look at them.

 

One additional point - if you travel with anything unusual such as needles, make sure that you have something to cover. My wife and I just came back from Australia where she was given medicine that had to be injected. She made sure that she had a cover letter from her doctor and showed the letter when we went through the security check.

 

DON

[California Native]

The below is a copy and paste from a thread back in March.

 

I just returned from a land vacation to Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria.

 

I flew out of SFO, I carry ALL meds in prescription bottles.

I'm in the pain clinic for stage 4 endometriosis. I carry narcotics and OTC meds.

 

In SFO because of my meds IN PRESCRIPTION BOTTLES no less I was pulled aside, taken to another room and thoroughly searched and patted down spread eagle. Eveything is taken out of my carry on and systematically searched. I have a letter from my doctor explaining my diagnosis and treatment. THAT is the only thing that is my ticket to be dismissed. This has happened countless times domestically and internationally. ONLY in the USA is a woman provided for this search.

 

That was domestically...going through the Frankfurt airport I was detained on the outbound and return..

taken to another room with 2 men and the door closed behind me.

 

Before this past trip I wrote about my experiences on a personal travel journal

http://ourpassportstamps.com/carrymedswhenyoutravel.html

 

 

 

In the last 5 years it has become worse. I advise my friends, family and anyone who will listen not to and/or STOP taking chances when traveling with meds.

 

Any underpaid TSA agent does not have the time or inclination to determine in a speedy manner if you have a bottle of unmarked vicodin or vitamins.

 

PLEASE read the copied thread below from an earlier post

I did on this board under Ask a cruise question,

PLEASE click on the CruiseCritic links I have provided.

 

K.

 

*************************************************

 

 

We have had some very extensive threads on this very subject over the years

 

What happens is fantastic information is given

but people that participated in those threads dont have the time to

re write EVERYTHING again..

 

and the information that was provide will help answer your questions

 

I will provide these links to you

 

and I IMPLORE YOU to read them and read the entire thread as very important discussions

take place toward the end.

 

I carry extensive meds throughout my travels on land and sea..

 

I have been pulled aside domestically and internationally and thoroughly searched spread eagle. I have been asked for documentation

by a licensed doctor for my medicine.

 

There are MANY MANY MANY reasons not to carry your meds in just a pill box

What if you need a prescription filled...formulations for your meds is not necessarily available on a cruise ship or foreign lands?

What if theres an emergency ...you and your travel partner might not be able to communicate what you take and the dosage?

 

 

We covered all of those in the links below and SO MUCH MORE

 

If you have any further questions after you read them, let me know

and I would be happy to answer them.

 

This is not a topic that anyone should be dismissive on.

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=897177&highlight=

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=917721&highlight=

[Kroosin]

DH is insulin dependent.Until just now my biggest concern was keeping the medicine cold while we traveled Transatlantic. Now I'm worried about the syringes and getting them through security. Besides the original box and a copy of the perscription is there anything else we should have?

[Sparky2]

I take a few RX meds & inhalers. I also take about 10 different vitamins & minerals & herbals.

 

I put everything in the 7-day med containers. However, I also take small original bottles of my RX meds with the # of pills needed + a few more.

 

Therefore, if my 7-day container gets dumped, I'll only be without my vits & min. which I can live without for 7 days.

 

I attach a list of what's in the 7-day container + have the "insert" copies of the RX.

[Donray]

Any underpaid TSA agent does not have the time or inclination to determine in a speedy manner if you have a bottle of unmarked vicodin or vitamins.

What is the difference if they are in original prescription bottles? How does the underpaid TSA agent (that don't care about drugs in the first place and is not their job) know if what are in the bottles are really what it says on the label? You might have heroin in all the capsules. TSA is not a drug enforcement agency.

You did not get searched by the TSA because of some pills. You seem to be the only ones that get searched by the TSA because of pills.

There are MANY MANY MANY reasons not to carry your meds in just a pill box

What if you need a prescription filled...formulations for your meds is not necessarily available on a cruise ship or foreign lands?

What if theres an emergency ...you and your travel partner might not be able to communicate what you take and the dosage?

I agree that there are reasons to carry a copy a prescriptions. Carrying the original prescription bottles does not help one bit in getting a refill if your pills are lost. If they are lost you don't have the original bottle ant longer.

I always carry a list of all the meds that I take. This is common sense. So, I take it where2next always carries all the original prescription bottles whenever they get off the ship? Never know when you might have an emergency.

Again, in a foreign port such as Asia where they take a very dim view of drug smuggling I would never carry ant vitamins and would have prescriptions of my drugs in case.

I have never had a problem with carrying my or wife's meds in the seven day boxes and have never seen anyone have a problem in a foreign port. If I was carrying opieites or had hundreds of pills I would be concerned. And make sure I had a lot of documentation on why and such a large quantity. But, again have them in a original bottle would not be sufficient since how does customs in a forign country know it is not fake?

I sure would like to hear from anyone else that was searched by TSA for having pills in a seven day box. So far no one else has……

[read52]

I have also heard of people buying large quantities of antibodics in Mexico because it is cheaper. Has anyone ever heard of these people having those taken away.

 

When my husband did have to use a needle for a med, he did tell them before they scanned it.

[California Native]

 

You did not get searched by the TSA because of some pills. You seem to be the only ones that get searched by the TSA because of pills.

 

 

 

 

I agree that there are reasons to carry a copy a prescriptions. Carrying the original prescription bottles does not help one bit in getting a refill if your pills are lost. If they are lost you don't have the original bottle ant longer.

I always carry a list of all the meds that I take. This is common sense. So, I take it where2next always carries all the original prescription bottles whenever they get off the ship? Never know when you might have an emergency.

 

Again, in a foreign port such as Asia where they take a very dim view of drug smuggling I would never carry ant vitamins and would have prescriptions of my drugs in case.

 

…

 

Donray...

I believe you and I have debated this issue before....

and if it's you, you've always expressed doubt of my experiences

So to answer a few questions...

I carry specifically with me at least a 30 day supply of narcotic pills.

This raises alarms domestically and internationally.

The pharmacy formulates pill bottles that have large quantities and then 1 pill bottle that is small with about 40 pills. The small pill bottle stays on my body while in port. The others are locked in the safe or my suitecase in a system that would be very difficult to remove.

I also carry my diagnosis and doctor information in port.

At anytime I can have ovarian cysts burst, depending on the severity and how quick it takes to get treatment the worst case scenario is life threatening.

Regarding Singapore and Dubai specifically...if you have narcotic meds IN YOUR SYSTEM you can be arrested. There are true stories out there.

I will never be able to travel to those or any other country that doesnt allow narcotics in your system. Remember Tylenol with codiene, cough syrup with codiene is a narcotic.

On side note about having your prescription bottle.

We just returned from Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria and I was ill from food poisioning I got in Turkey from our 9 day stay there.

I brought Cipro in our first aid kit..that our doctor prescribes as a just in case. I had been taking it for 6 days and was still sick, By this time we were in Bulgaria and we went to a pharmacy. They spoke no English and all writing was in Cyrillc...I handed the pharmacist my empty cipro bottle..and she was able to look it up in a computer for translation and with the pill bottle see that a doctor had prescribed it

I purchased the meds, which I can take a picture of and PROVE this story.

However, after sending my doctor an email, she said do not take them because of blackmarket issues they've had in this region.

While this would be a non issue if you were onboard a ship..that's just one of my many stories of having to deal with prescription medicines while abroad.

When it comes right down to it, it doesn't make a difference in my life if you pay attention to what I say or even believe it...

If you read through the other links I posted, there have been others that have had similiar experiences.

I would never be so cruel to say I hope this happens to you, but if it ever does..I hope you think of this thread.

[California Native]

 

 

I have never had a problem with carrying my or wife's meds in the seven day boxes and have never seen anyone have a problem in a foreign port. If I was carrying opieites or had hundreds of pills I would be concerned. And make sure I had a lot of documentation on why and such a large quantity. But, again have them in a original bottle would not be sufficient since how does customs in a forign country know it is not fake?

 

……

 

Would you like to go through security together??

How about the 1st leg of the trip I'll carry my bag and you observe...

The 2nd leg of the trip YOU carry my bag....

I'll video tape your experience and post it on our website!

You know...just for the fun of it!

[househunter]

I have never even had the TSA goons look at them.

 

DON

 

Nice.:rolleyes:

[seacrcsvz]

BluesCruise, Pay your pharmacist a little extra and have your pills dispensed for a 14 day period into a blister packet for you - they come with up to 8 different dosage times per day, I believe. You will have all your pills easily at hand, very organized, save the bulk of carrying the original containers, and with everything sealed in it's own blister paks with a pharmacists stamp and seal you will have no problem whatseoever. Otherwise, you just might find yourself lugging those 12 little bottles with you!

[Donray]

I don't really care if you believe it or not, it's what I saw. I believe it was in Budapest or Vienna. It isn't only in the U.S. that these things get scrutinized.

 

 

You do know that the TSA does not operate in Budapest or Vienna??????

 

You implied it happen at a US airport with the TSA....

 

Been to both Vienna and Budapest and have not seen anyone stopped because of a few seven day bill boxes.

[Donray]

Would you like to go through security together??

 

How about the 1st leg of the trip I'll carry my bag and you observe...

 

The 2nd leg of the trip YOU carry my bag....

 

I'll video tape your experience and post it on our website!

 

You know...just for the fun of it!

 

OK, just as long as it complies with the TSA regulation as posted on there WEB site.

We start from LAX and go to where?

Heading to San Juan in December. Next week taking two granddaughters to Hawaii.

[California Native]

Oh, I promise you will comply with TSA

but I will throw in complete doctors documentation just as a bonus..

Before we go...

I should have my DH share with you what happen to HIM when we carried my carry on through security by accident in Riga Latvia...

Being Screamed at by security in Latvian/Russian is a little daunting until they switched to broken English.

Anyway....

San Juan and Hawaii is not big enough for you...

you have too many doubts...

we will go SFO to Chicago to Paris to Istanbul

then we will travel Istanbul to Athens

then Athens to Frankfurt to JFK to SFO

crappy routings BUT this will give you a nice sampling of domestic and international..

oh, you will have to buy your own ticket...I'm not rich enough for this level of I told you so! :D

[Donray]

Oh, I promise you will comply with TSA

but I will throw in complete doctors documentation just as a bonus..

Before we go...

I should have my DH share with you what happen to HIM when we carried my carry on through security by accident in Riga Latvia...

 

Being Screamed at by security in Latvian/Russian is a little daunting until they switched to broken English.

 

Anyway....

 

San Juan and Hawaii is not big enough for you...

 

you have too many doubts...

 

we will go SFO to Chicago to Paris to Istanbul

 

then we will travel Istanbul to Athens

 

then Athens to Frankfurt to JFK to SFO

 

crappy routings BUT this will give you a nice sampling of domestic and international..

 

oh, you will have to buy your own ticket...I'm not rich enough for this level of I told you so! :D

 

 

 

 

You do know that the TSA is only in the USA??????

Don't know what Paris and Istanbul has to do with the TSA....

I think you are confusing TSA with customs or some drug enforcement agency. TSA could care less about your drugs even if they are illegal; unless they are gel or liquid and over 3 oz.

Since you challenged me, you need to meet my flights. All US flights are fine since you think the TSA gives a damn about drugs.

[California Native]

Ok...

I'll do San Juan and Hawaii...but NO nonstops you need to fly to SFO to go to Hawaii and then for San Juan you need to go through ORD ...they are tougher than Dallas....and I don't want to make this easy for you! :D

you are confusing part of my posts...

I know exactly who what where when TSA functions.

I've been discussing my experiences as a whole

Domestic and International

No they aren't drug agents, but they are the front line. and if they think something looks suspicious and they want to assert power

they will. Sure after they pull you aside and detain you with additional searches you can claim all that...you are in the USA and you are an American citizen you have rights and you can sue their bums off.

but the fact of the matter is THE DELAY..that's what I keep saying

how much time does everyone have built in their schedule for a DELAY if that should occur.

Paris and Istanbul is where it really gets FUN for you...

you are in foreign country carrying a large amount of narcotics....you have no rights and you probably don't know what they are saying to each other.

Don't you want MY full experience???

Come on it will be fun....:D

[agabbymama]

You do know that the TSA does not operate in Budapest or Vienna??????

 

You implied it happen at a US airport with the TSA....

 

Been to both Vienna and Budapest and have not seen anyone stopped because of a few seven day bill boxes.

 

Yes, I am aware that TSA does not operate in Budapest or Vienna. I don't believe OP specified that it was in the US. I did not imply it was in the US, I simply stated I had seen the pill containers dumped. I usually do more International travel than Domestic, and always keep everything in it's original container.

 

I was just trying to forwarn OP that it was better to be safe than sorry.