Should my prescription pills be kept in the original bottles for travel?

March 27, 2018 12:33 PM

I will be traveling to Italy and Greece in a few days. I take five different prescription medications, all in pill form. At home, I put them in one of those pill holders with little compartments, one for each day. Can I do that when traveling, or do I need to bring the pills in the original prescription bottles?

I ask because I know one person who brought her entirely-legal meds in one of those daily pill holders, without the presciption bottles, and she got in BIG trouble trying to get through Customs in Bermuda.

Was this a fluke, or something that happens in Bermuda but not Europe? Or should I play it safe and bring my meds in their prescription bottles?

P.S. I know TSA, at least, does not require that meds be in the prescription bottles. At least, that's the word on this TSA Travel Tips page. I am focusing on other countries' rules.

posted by merejane to Travel & Transportation around Nyack, NY (18 answers total)

I would err on the side of keeping them in their original bottles, because it's Greek & Italian customs who'll be interested in the seemingly random, unlabeled pills you're carrying, not the TSA. If any could be illegal in other countries (opiates, amphetamines) this is especially important--and you should be sure that you follow that country's rules around bringing in controlled substances, which may include getting a doctor's note or submitting an official form in advance--so do your research and be prepared.

That said, I've traveled all over Asia in the past few years (although mostly by air, very few overland border crossings), and have never had my luggage more than cursorily searched. In all honesty, I think you'll be fine keeping them in their unlabeled pill box. But. But! If they were confiscated at the border, would it cause you a health crisis? If so, you should follow the letter of the law. If not, if you could feasibly go off your meds for the duration of your trip, don't stress about it and do whatever you'd like.
posted by tapir-whorf at 12:45 PM on March 27, 2018 [6 favorites]

I empty out everything but the number of pills (plus a few days extra for emergencies) I need from the bottle and take that. I've always done it that way and never had any trouble. Anything else seems like, to me, asking for trouble, especially if anything you're on is scheduled in either the US or abroad.
posted by griphus at 12:46 PM on March 27, 2018 [10 favorites]

The State Department recommends bringing all prescriptions in their original bottles and bringing a copy of your prescription. That’s usually overkill, but it’s definitely the safest way to take them if you’re concerned. I’ve taken various prescriptions to EU countries in daily pill cases without issues - and you’d most likely be fine doing that - but it is alway possible that customs will decide they’re concerned about unmarked pills and want you to prove what they are / that you are authorized to have them.

If you have any prescriptions that are scheduled drugs (for example adderall, klonopin, etc) I would definitely bring them in the original bottles with your name on the bottle, and only bring enough for the trip plus 1-2 extra days. I would be less concerned with something unscheduled like blood pressure medication or an SSRI.
posted by insectosaurus at 12:47 PM on March 27, 2018 [12 favorites]

I absolutely would bring original bottles and keep your pills in them. It's a pain, but I know too many people who were given trouble over this issue.
posted by I'm Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today! at 1:46 PM on March 27, 2018

You can always ask your pharmacy to provide you with smaller bottles with labels, so you can take just what you need in an original bottle. Many pharmacies will do this for you, especially as you renew them.
posted by Northbysomewhatcrazy at 1:55 PM on March 27, 2018 [11 favorites]

Yes I would keep them in the bottles. My pharmacist will make me little bottles for travel with the labels on them -- I find that very helpful as I take several drugs daily -- and some are quite large pills. Maybe yours will do this, too?
posted by Lescha at 1:57 PM on March 27, 2018 [3 favorites]

It's a risk/reward thing; it's not 100% you'd be caught, and it's not 100% they'd be confiscated. If the pills are something that might be trafficked, like Vicodin, the risk of getting in trouble is much higher. If the pills are something you need for daily life, like my transplant drugs, the risk of not having them is much higher than if they were, say, acne pills.

I've done daily pill holders and never had trouble, but going over a few days I always bring the bottles.

If you have regular prescriptions and some time before the trip to plan, one option is to keep a bottle from each prescription, put the meds you need for the duration of travel (plus a couple spares) in each, then fill a daily pill thingie once you get there and toss the bottles -- bonus room for souvenirs! If they come in gigantic bottles, ask your pharmacist; perhaps she can fill part of the prescription into something less unwieldy.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 2:00 PM on March 27, 2018

My doc made me a couple two-week scrips so I just took the small amount and bottles with me. Customs gave me no issues.
posted by tilde at 2:01 PM on March 27, 2018

At least some US states have ludicrously restrictive (rarely enforced) laws on the books that make carrying legitimately prescribed controlled drugs in anything but their labelled prescription bottle illegal -- no need to cross even a state border. I wouldn't take any risks with a national border.
posted by Zed at 4:59 PM on March 27, 2018 [3 favorites]

I think you'll be much less likely to have a problem if you keep them in their original bottles. "Mysterious unlabeled pills" is not something I would want to have to explain to a customs officer, especially if I depended on them for my health.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 5:06 PM on March 27, 2018

Another vote for, "It's a hassle but do it." mainly because you could miss a flight having to explain the pills are legit. Especially if you are not fluent in the language.
posted by ITravelMontana at 5:14 PM on March 27, 2018

YMMV, IANYTSAAgent: I have been to Dubai, Europe, and Asia without anyone batting an eye at my five prescription meds in those daily pill holders. I bring them in my carry-on.

Compromise: is it possible to peel the labels off those bottles and bring those so that you have at least something indicating what they are?
posted by ahundredjarsofsky at 7:21 PM on March 27, 2018

I always peel the rx label off the bottle, fold it, and line the bottom of the last compartment of my pill case with it. That way I'll always have it (and I've never been asked for it in three continents of travel).

My rx is totally innocuous with no street value – as others have said, definitely bring original bottles if yours has any street value / recreational usage.
posted by kalapierson at 8:01 PM on March 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

I travel with hormones and syringes, I carry the folded down boxes with the lables on them in the little travel bag containing my estrogen vials and syringes. And no I don’t check them ever.
posted by Annika Cicada at 10:50 PM on March 27, 2018

Here in Europe one usually has a "family doctor" or "primary care" doctor who sort of coordinates all the scrips you get from specialist visits, handles repeat scrips once the specialist has started the course of treatment, etc. So I get my family doctor to list the (complicated) stuff I take every day on headed notepaper with stamp and signature and then get it sealed in plastic at a stationery store and keep it with my passport. Travelling in Central Asia it proved very useful on two occasions. But I don't know whether that works for the US health system.
posted by aqsakal at 10:51 PM on March 27, 2018

This is good to know. When we went to Canada and Ireland 3 years ago I had my pills in one of those daily pill boxes in my purse and had no problems. My husband had forgot some pills and went to my cousin's local doctor in Ireland and got them prescribed again.
posted by mermayd at 4:54 AM on March 28, 2018

I do kind of do a combo: I bring my pill container with my measured pills and then I throw the official prescription bottles into my bag as well. My pill container is both prescription meds as well as vitamins and I don't bother to bring bottles for the vitamins - if they get taken away I don't care and also, if I end up having to stay longer than planned I will have extras for the important meds.
posted by machine at 8:53 AM on March 28, 2018

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone, for your replies!

I am going to go with the consensus, which is why risk it? It may not turn out to be necessary to have the pills in the bottles, but these are meds that I would not want to be without for the ten-day trip, so I will play it safe. (Ir's really just blood pressure and cholesterol meds, plus an ssri, but still -- ten days would be a long time to go without those.)

Thanks for the tips, like asking my pharmacist for small bottles -- not something I would have thought of.

And thank you, ahundredjarsofsky, for the IANYTSAAgent acronym! That made me smile.
posted by merejane at 8:09 AM on March 29, 2018