How to pack my medications?
November 2, 2015 5:40 PM Subscribe
I am flying on an airplane and I need to pack all my medications - roughly 18 bottles, two inhalers, and two small quantities of liquid. What is the best kind of container to use, considering the needs and desires of both the TSA and the airline staff?
I realize I am probably overthinking this, but I'm having a lot of trouble controlling my anxiety about this flight and it seems to me that knowing that I'm doing this particular thing "well" or "correctly" will be a major source of confidence for me in a setting where I have very little power.
I'm flying on Southwest; my understanding is that if my medications are in a separate container then they won't count against my carry-on limit. I've already read the TSA's information about medications.
Nothing in the collection needs to be refrigerated, and none of it is especially fragile. There's just an awful lot of stuff. I've considered a wide variety of items, including:
I realize I am probably overthinking this, but I'm having a lot of trouble controlling my anxiety about this flight and it seems to me that knowing that I'm doing this particular thing "well" or "correctly" will be a major source of confidence for me in a setting where I have very little power.
I'm flying on Southwest; my understanding is that if my medications are in a separate container then they won't count against my carry-on limit. I've already read the TSA's information about medications.
Nothing in the collection needs to be refrigerated, and none of it is especially fragile. There's just an awful lot of stuff. I've considered a wide variety of items, including:
- The plastic drawer I use to keep them organized in daily life (the plan would be to tape it closed after the screening)
- A specially designed soft sided bag (I'd need a larger one than this, of course)
- Soft-sided coolers
- Hard-sided coolers
- Styrofoam coolers
- Something like those things you use to hang shoes off your door (I'd probably have to make this by hand)
Best answer: Just put them in a soft-sided cooler; it's the best format for carrying them, even though you don't need the cooling aspect.
(I would never, ever ship or check essential meds, even with a supply in your carry-on. Your meds need to be with you, because shipments and checked luggage are routinely lost and delayed. Lost meds are very difficult to replace and there is no good reason to subject yourself to that potential anxiety.)
posted by DarlingBri at 5:45 PM on November 2, 2015 [17 favorites]
(I would never, ever ship or check essential meds, even with a supply in your carry-on. Your meds need to be with you, because shipments and checked luggage are routinely lost and delayed. Lost meds are very difficult to replace and there is no good reason to subject yourself to that potential anxiety.)
posted by DarlingBri at 5:45 PM on November 2, 2015 [17 favorites]
You'll want to be able to pull the liquids out and put them through the X-ray for carry-on luggage, so make sure they're easy to find. Pills and inhalers shouldn't be a problem; organize them in whatever way seems convenient.
posted by yarntheory at 5:51 PM on November 2, 2015
posted by yarntheory at 5:51 PM on November 2, 2015
I would possibly put the two liquids in a small clear ziploc bag and then put those in a soft sided bag-- with nothing else in that pocket.
Or even just a in a large mesh zippered pouch or pouches that are easily reached in your carry on.
posted by calgirl at 5:57 PM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Or even just a in a large mesh zippered pouch or pouches that are easily reached in your carry on.
posted by calgirl at 5:57 PM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I think it is safe to go with whatever will be the most convenient for you in terms of travel. So my vote would be the soft-sided cooler - large enough, strong fabric (no rips or tears) convenient handle/strap and no extra weight or bulk from unneeded insulation.
We always put liquids in their own plastic bag just in case something breaks and spills - that limits the mess. You also want them to be easy to pull out since TSA may want to screen them separately. I'm not sure about inhalers although I saw that yantheory said (above) they aren't a problem.
Just as reassurance - I have had several family members travel (within the US) with pills already loaded into those bulky pill containers with a four compartments per day to cover up to a month of travel and they had no problem even though the pills were not in the original labelled containers. Not recommending that - just saying TSA is looking for weapons, they aren't too worried about prescription drugs.
posted by metahawk at 6:01 PM on November 2, 2015
We always put liquids in their own plastic bag just in case something breaks and spills - that limits the mess. You also want them to be easy to pull out since TSA may want to screen them separately. I'm not sure about inhalers although I saw that yantheory said (above) they aren't a problem.
Just as reassurance - I have had several family members travel (within the US) with pills already loaded into those bulky pill containers with a four compartments per day to cover up to a month of travel and they had no problem even though the pills were not in the original labelled containers. Not recommending that - just saying TSA is looking for weapons, they aren't too worried about prescription drugs.
posted by metahawk at 6:01 PM on November 2, 2015
I've taken seven or eight bottles of meds on the plane with me in just a couple of Ziploc bags and never had any issues. I don't think the TSA will look at your stuff and think you have so many little bottles that it will count against you as carry-on.
If you can get the really big bags -- freezer bags will work -- I'm sure you will be fine. And double-bag any liquids or lotions just in case something gets squished when you're on board.
posted by vickyverky at 6:02 PM on November 2, 2015
If you can get the really big bags -- freezer bags will work -- I'm sure you will be fine. And double-bag any liquids or lotions just in case something gets squished when you're on board.
posted by vickyverky at 6:02 PM on November 2, 2015
my understanding is that if my medications are in a separate container then they won't count against my carry-on limit.
I hadn't heard this before and I didn't see it in the TSA or Southwest pages that I looked at. If your medication container won't fit inside of your carryon AND you already have a different item as your "personal item", I would either confirm this or be prepared for Southwest to insist on gate-checking the carryon. (Obviously you would hold on to the medication bag)
Also, if this mean that you do have a third carryon item, you want to make sure you board early enough that there is room in overhead compartment for your bags. This is probably not a problem if you have the kind of disability where you would be boarding early anyway, otherwise consider paying for Southwest's advance check-in.
posted by metahawk at 6:15 PM on November 2, 2015
I hadn't heard this before and I didn't see it in the TSA or Southwest pages that I looked at. If your medication container won't fit inside of your carryon AND you already have a different item as your "personal item", I would either confirm this or be prepared for Southwest to insist on gate-checking the carryon. (Obviously you would hold on to the medication bag)
Also, if this mean that you do have a third carryon item, you want to make sure you board early enough that there is room in overhead compartment for your bags. This is probably not a problem if you have the kind of disability where you would be boarding early anyway, otherwise consider paying for Southwest's advance check-in.
posted by metahawk at 6:15 PM on November 2, 2015
I just two weeks ago flew with 10 prescription bottles. I placed them in a large ziplock bag in my very large carry-with-me tote bag so labels could be easily read, and everything pulled out to be scanned or examined. No one even looked at them, they just x-rayed my bag and sent me on my way.
Can you pack your carry on so that all meds are with you, and if needed, check a bag with items not as horrible if lost on the way?
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 6:19 PM on November 2, 2015
Can you pack your carry on so that all meds are with you, and if needed, check a bag with items not as horrible if lost on the way?
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 6:19 PM on November 2, 2015
Response by poster: From the Southwest website:
posted by Fee Phi Faux Phumb I Smell t'Socks o' a Puppetman! at 6:33 PM on November 2, 2015
MedicationI emailed them and they said that the medication would fall under the same rule. I plan on bringing the printout of the email with me.
We recommend that Customers carry on all medication and assistive devices that can be stowed in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations. If an assistive device is carried in a bag with no other personal items, the bag is not subject to our carryon limitations. If a Customer opts to check an assistive device or medication, it is important that he/she notify our Employees at the time the bag is checked that an assistive device/medication is within it.
posted by Fee Phi Faux Phumb I Smell t'Socks o' a Puppetman! at 6:33 PM on November 2, 2015
Best answer: Mr tipsyBumblebee routinely travels with his insulin meds (both pills and ice pack and needles and meters) and his other 5+big bottles of pills to Europe for three weeks away at a time. The soft sided cooler he uses is NEVER counted as a carry on by the airlines. Security in both the US and Europe have never blinked an eye in regards to legal medications. So you will be fine. Security will just xray your bag. I travelled with my cpap machine (which is larger than my purse!) and no one challenged me as an extra bag.
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 7:14 PM on November 2, 2015
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 7:14 PM on November 2, 2015
How long are you going? Do you have large size bottles (90 day supplies) or smaller (30 day supplies).
My wife uses a relatively small soft train case style makeup bag to hold her pill bottles. I think the size she uses might actually fit 15-20 of the smaller size bottles (no chance for the larger size unless you got a fairly big one). We then just shove it in the corner of the duffle bag that we use for carry-ons (they're compressible so we don't worry quite as much about being forced to gate check them - and if that does happen, just pull out the pill case and use that as your carry-on). Her inhalers and anything that she might need for acute issues on the plane are usually carried separately in her purse so that they're not stuck in an overhead bin during the flight.
The smaller of the two bags in this set is about the size she uses.
If you're going for a shorter period of time you might be able to get printed labels from your pharmacy for small size bottles and only take what you need plus a few days extra.
posted by NormieP at 7:23 PM on November 2, 2015
My wife uses a relatively small soft train case style makeup bag to hold her pill bottles. I think the size she uses might actually fit 15-20 of the smaller size bottles (no chance for the larger size unless you got a fairly big one). We then just shove it in the corner of the duffle bag that we use for carry-ons (they're compressible so we don't worry quite as much about being forced to gate check them - and if that does happen, just pull out the pill case and use that as your carry-on). Her inhalers and anything that she might need for acute issues on the plane are usually carried separately in her purse so that they're not stuck in an overhead bin during the flight.
The smaller of the two bags in this set is about the size she uses.
If you're going for a shorter period of time you might be able to get printed labels from your pharmacy for small size bottles and only take what you need plus a few days extra.
posted by NormieP at 7:23 PM on November 2, 2015
Best answer: We used one soft-sided insulated lunch bag (from my breast pump kit) to travel with liquids that needed to be refrigerated, and then a separate soft-sided lunch bag for the liquid meds in glass bottles that stayed at room temperature. I was so anxious about it (the meds are not available on regular pharmacies, so I would not be able to get replacements if anything happened to them), but it was a non-issue -- I didn't even have to open the bag on the way home.
Keep everything in the original pharmacy bottles with your name and prescription on them. We didn't transfer any doses into oral syringes until we made it through security. We also got a travel letter from our son's clinic on official clinic letterhead explaining what the medications were and why he needed them available at all times, and nobody even looked at it. But maybe you'd feel better if your medical team wrote a similar travel letter?
posted by Maarika at 8:01 PM on November 2, 2015
Keep everything in the original pharmacy bottles with your name and prescription on them. We didn't transfer any doses into oral syringes until we made it through security. We also got a travel letter from our son's clinic on official clinic letterhead explaining what the medications were and why he needed them available at all times, and nobody even looked at it. But maybe you'd feel better if your medical team wrote a similar travel letter?
posted by Maarika at 8:01 PM on November 2, 2015
If nothing actually needs to be refrigerated or anything, I'd just go with something like that medication bag. I like how organized it is!
I'd pack it in your regular carry-on, but at the top so you can pull it out when you go through security and put it in a plastic tray. That way you
a) Have it out and easy for them to take a peek at and make it clear you're not trying to sneak liquids through
b) Can easily stash it back in your carry-on after security and not worry about arguing whether or not it deserves to be an extra carry-on.
I agree that you absolutely should keep your meds with you when traveling.
posted by radioamy at 8:52 PM on November 2, 2015
I'd pack it in your regular carry-on, but at the top so you can pull it out when you go through security and put it in a plastic tray. That way you
a) Have it out and easy for them to take a peek at and make it clear you're not trying to sneak liquids through
b) Can easily stash it back in your carry-on after security and not worry about arguing whether or not it deserves to be an extra carry-on.
I agree that you absolutely should keep your meds with you when traveling.
posted by radioamy at 8:52 PM on November 2, 2015
Oh also I agree with above to put the liquids in their own plastic bag in case of leakage.
posted by radioamy at 8:52 PM on November 2, 2015
posted by radioamy at 8:52 PM on November 2, 2015
I'm currently on a short trip, and I purchased this latching pill organizer and filled my daily meds in the various slots. In the larger blue slot, I have a bunch of my thyroid meds because I take it at a different time than my other dailies.
If you're on a longer trip, perhaps get N weeks' worth of organizers, or pack a week's worth of meds in a carry-on organizer and ship the rest of the bottles?
posted by bookdragoness at 9:29 PM on November 2, 2015
If you're on a longer trip, perhaps get N weeks' worth of organizers, or pack a week's worth of meds in a carry-on organizer and ship the rest of the bottles?
posted by bookdragoness at 9:29 PM on November 2, 2015
They probably won't care about the pills, but they will most likely look at each of the liquids to verify that they are prescriptions, so make sure that the liquids are separate from the rest when they go through the scanner, and that they have pharmacy labels on them. If any of the liquids have an outer box with the pharmacy label on it, you'll need that box, not just the inner bottle.
posted by okayokayigive at 3:53 AM on November 3, 2015
posted by okayokayigive at 3:53 AM on November 3, 2015
I would use a cheap camera case like this. They're designed to be compact, have a shoulder strap for easy carrying, and have interior dividers to keep everything neat and organized.
Definitely don't ship it. You need your meds with you.
posted by phunniemee at 5:07 AM on November 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Definitely don't ship it. You need your meds with you.
posted by phunniemee at 5:07 AM on November 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I've had to travel with a lot of medications from time to time, including inhalers, liquid vials for a nebulizer, bottles of pills, OTC medications, and epinephrine injectors. I just stow it all in a gallon ziplock bag inside my regular carry-on laptop bag, and it's always been 100% fine no questions asked. Even on international flights! If you're worried about being forced to gate-check, just make sure that bag is small enough to fit under the seat in front of you.
You're already doing the one piece of advice I'd have beyond that: bring the pills in the original bottles with the pharmacy sticker on them and/or your printed prescription sheets, just so you can explain what's what if a question arises. But seriously the TSA has never cared. You'll be OK!
posted by Andrhia at 1:48 PM on November 3, 2015
You're already doing the one piece of advice I'd have beyond that: bring the pills in the original bottles with the pharmacy sticker on them and/or your printed prescription sheets, just so you can explain what's what if a question arises. But seriously the TSA has never cared. You'll be OK!
posted by Andrhia at 1:48 PM on November 3, 2015
Response by poster: For the record: I used a soft-sided 12-can lunchbox. The TSA guys completely didn't care about anything other than my nasal spray. I didn't even have to take the CPAP machine out of it's bag. Airline employees also didn't seem to care, though I think the other passengers were annoyed about my bags. No one wanted to see my list of meds or my prescriptions or anything.
So next time I'm going to make huge tags that say "MEDICAL EQUIPMENT" or something. For the passengers. Because everything else was a complete non-issue!
posted by Fee Phi Faux Phumb I Smell t'Socks o' a Puppetman! at 12:50 PM on March 12, 2016
So next time I'm going to make huge tags that say "MEDICAL EQUIPMENT" or something. For the passengers. Because everything else was a complete non-issue!
posted by Fee Phi Faux Phumb I Smell t'Socks o' a Puppetman! at 12:50 PM on March 12, 2016
Response by poster: Also, TSA specifically said they didn't care about either of my inhalers. I could not believe how easy this was.
posted by Fee Phi Faux Phumb I Smell t'Socks o' a Puppetman! at 12:53 PM on March 12, 2016
posted by Fee Phi Faux Phumb I Smell t'Socks o' a Puppetman! at 12:53 PM on March 12, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
Why? Why can't you bring a couple days' worth on the plane and then ship the rest? (You'd probably need to use FedEx if you're in the U.S. They allow you to ship meds. USPS doesn't.)
posted by listen, lady at 5:42 PM on November 2, 2015 [1 favorite]