Excuse me miss, what are these pills?

July 12, 2006 4:39 AM

I'm flying to America tomorrow (from the UK). I will have various loose pills in a... receptacle. Could I get into trouble because customs might suspect they're drugs?

Basically I want to travel as light as possible, so thought it a good idea to chuck my various painkillers, indigestion pills, vitamins etc into one little jar.

Some are quite obviously over-the-counter pills (like gel capsules), but some (like my herbal remedy) could arouse suspicion. Is there a risk they are going to detain me at my layover while they determine that these are not illegal substances? Or am I being overly paranoid as usual?

If there is even the slightest risk I'll just carry them in their original packaging, it wouldn't make that much of a difference. I just thought I was being clever.

posted by ClarissaWAM to Travel & Transportation (16 answers total)

Best answer: It's a bad idea in general to be clever when dealing with TSA officials. I'd keep them in their packaging. If they notice the pills, yes, they're going to wonder what they are, and yes it's quite possibly going to be a tremendous hassle if they get suspicious about unfamiliar pills.

Here's the two relevant guidelines pages:

-TSA Medications
- Travelers with Disabilities and Medical Conditions

Note the passages (bolded emphasis mine):

(First Page ) -- Medications should be labeled so they are identifiable.

(Second Page) -- Pack your medications in a separate pouch/bag to simplify the inspection process. Don’t fill medication containers too densely, and make sure that all your medication is clearly identified. If you have any medication that you do not want exposed to x-rays, don’t pack it in your checked baggage. Instead, send larger quantities of medications to your destination by mail (or any other way you prefer.)
posted by empyrean at 4:47 AM on July 12, 2006

I would strongly recommend keeping them in their original containers. I don't know which airport you're coming in to, but O'hare (Chicago) has signs warning against carrying loose pills. Why take the chance?
posted by richardhay at 4:52 AM on July 12, 2006

I did exactly this when entering Norway, as soon as I was pulled to side by Norwegian customs I realized I'd been quite daft; some of my pills were prescription medication sans documentation. They questioned me about it fairly sternly but let me in. They said that the next time I travel anywhere I really should carry any pills with original packaging and any prescription documentation. I understand the US is quite strict about things like that so I doubt it's worth the extra space for the potential detainment and/or deportation.
posted by ed\26h at 4:56 AM on July 12, 2006

Here is what US Customs says about medication.
posted by blue mustard at 4:57 AM on July 12, 2006

You shouldn't do this. Probably nothing will happen, but if it does, you'll be in trouble or at least in for a big hassle.
posted by keijo at 5:13 AM on July 12, 2006

Yes. Carrying them in the original package is annoying, but much less so than problems at customs. This is esp. important on things that aren't very restricted at home, but are restricted overseas.

If they're perscription, carry them in the issued bottle, or have your doctor write up a spare script and carry that.
posted by eriko at 5:28 AM on July 12, 2006

I got my little pillbox of vitamins (all perfectly legal and over the counter) pulled out before my flight to San Francisco from New York last week - They didn't ask me any detailed questions about them, but it did delay the boarding process.

so a big agreement with everyone -- keep them in their bottles.
posted by Julnyes at 6:29 AM on July 12, 2006

Response by poster: Ok I'll take them in their original packaging as much as possible.

I guess it will mean leaving some of them behind (the herbal stuff comes in a huge jar that I am definitely not taking along), but you're right it's not worth the potential hassle.

Thanks everyone!
posted by ClarissaWAM at 6:55 AM on July 12, 2006

I've done this a zillion times and never had any trouble, but if you want to be cautious, keep them in their original bottles.
posted by amber_dale at 6:57 AM on July 12, 2006

I'm sure keeping them in their original bottles is probably best bet for advoiding delays. But I like to travel light, and with a whole galaxy of uppers, downers, screamers antihistamines, analgesics, dramamine, etc, the pill bottles could occupy a quarter of my luggage, especially since I buy things like aspirin in bulk. What I do is take one pill bottle with all the pills in it and a piece of paper to which I've taped the labels/scripts from the original bottles. An even better idea would be to get pictures of the pills so I and customs agents can tell which was which.
posted by justkevin at 7:24 AM on July 12, 2006

If you're talking prescription medication (and that includes meds that might be OTC in one jurisdiction but Rx-only in another), be extra careful or you too could end up on CNN.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 9:05 AM on July 12, 2006

They say you should, but I don't. I travel with a couple asthma inhalers and a... receptacle full of loose tablets: aspiran, Advil, Tylenol, a cold pill or two, maybe a couple Canadian aspiran+codeine tablets and some vitamin pills, and they've never hassled me. My receptacle is an old plastic travel-size Dristan container with the label removed.
posted by Rash at 9:16 AM on July 12, 2006

Buy your herbals and vitamins and painkillers and OTC stuff at your destination if you don't want to go without for the duration of your trip.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 11:10 AM on July 12, 2006

Response by poster: Yes I will do that for the herbals. With the painkillers, I have an odd thing about... thinking only certain brands work on for certain types of my headaches.

Oh yikes @ the Limbaugh story. I don't have a prescription handy for my anti-anxiety pills. *sigh*
posted by ClarissaWAM at 12:01 PM on July 12, 2006

Call your pharmacist and see if they will print up a copy of your prescription for you. Here in the US many pharmacies will even give you an extra, labeled small bottle for your prescription in cases like this so you don't have to take the whole bottle, or, for example, when you need to send an prescription to school with your kid. Just ask, they might do it.
posted by redheadeb at 12:14 PM on July 12, 2006

Limbaughs' prescription was not in his name, it was in the name of his doctor. His doctor wrote the script to himself, filled it, and gave the bottle of pills to Rush. So, it appeared that the drugs belonged to someone else. Big difference between that and not having a spare paper script laying around for your Xanax.
posted by jeversol at 10:29 AM on July 13, 2006