How to effectively pack prescription meds?

[Seesul]

If you live in a place where the veterinarian Rx bottles are still the same color as human (California-no, Texas-yes), you can see if a vet will sell you the smaller bottles that I have only seen used for pet meds. Smaller pills can go into those.


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[Seesul]

(Con't)... what I do is slowly and carefully peel off the labels from the original bottle, carefully cover both sides with clear packing tape and affix those to the smaller bottle. As mentioned before, you can also request extra labels from the pharmacist.

I label the top of each bottle with what it is (I use a label printer so it is very clear). I get a one month back up of nearly all tablets meds this way. Larger meds, I save the square bottles that come with other meds (manufacturer pack). I clear of the original label and wash those and the. Do the same thing with a protected label.

Then I count out daily doses as need in the baggies made for meds, label them and color code them to time of day for each pack. I have some I reuse each time and I mark them on tape so they can be changed easily. It is a bit tedious, but prevents errors when I am traveling, so worth it.

The suggestion about the pharmacist promoting a sheet of all meds was excellent and I am going to do that.

There are two of us here that need critical meds. I was able to fit all of our 30 day back ups in their own color coded compact kit from TB



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[Seesul]

Part 3:

I have both the blue and the red:
https://www.tombihn.com/products/fir...nt=16487697991

I carry others in a double sided clear packing cube and put that part through screening and just mention they are meds. I have only been questioned once by a very nice and professional security agent when leaving Heathrow. My carry on was pulled aside for another check. He asked what was in the TB bag as he unzipped it. I gave the reason for so many meds and he said "oh tablets?" and said it would make his job easier if everyone packed like that. It was my TB A45, totally organized, each cube labeled with a tag.

I label because it is easier to pack and unpack when cruising. For that I use clear name badge holders hanging off the handle.

This is also an interesting concept if you have a lot of meds:


https://www.thegrommet.com/pillsuite

Having meds with a back up supply ready to go is also advised for emergency evacuation. Just make sure to rotate it out periodically to keep the meds fresh. Our insurance plan offers a once a year, one month supply of vacation meds, so we use that for our backup cases.

I was asked why are you doing that until we got stuck and couldn't get home due to a freak ice storm back home. When we arrived back at the port, it was not safe to make it home, so the hotel went out of their way to make it both affordable and comfortable to stay longer. I am no longer asked why I bring the back up.

Hope this helps, I understand totally where you are coming from.


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[Ken]

I also have an autoimmune disease that requires that I travel with a small pharmacy. My pharmacy, however, has an automated refill system, so most of my regular medicines come in reasonably small bottles that are labelled. Specialty drugs usually are less in number and come in the small plastic bottle. I usually place all of the bottle in quart sized plastic bags and pack them in my carry-on. I will sometimes combine non-prescription medicines and vitamins in the same bottle to save space, but one medicine I almost always leave in its original bottle is any type of pain medication. It is much easier to explain if there are TSA questions if you have the original bottle and it is current. I truly envy folks who can easily travel with one bag and room to spare, as my "pill collection" can take up more room than I would care to allocate to it.

Good luck,

--Ken

[kirbysgirl]

I have a question. It has always been my understanding that you HAVE to travel with prescription medications in the bottles from the pharmacy. . . is this not true?

[BWeaves]

No. I travel with one of those Pill-a-Day thingies with all my meds laid out per day.

Per the TSA website:

TSA does not require passengers to have medications in prescription bottles, but states have individual laws regarding the labeling of prescription medication with which passengers need to comply.

My sister has an app where you scan a photo of a pill and it tells you what medicine it is. TSA should be able to tell what your meds are, even if you don't have a xerox of the med form that came with the pills.

That app came in handy when my mom would spill her pill box and we had to figure out what was what.

[ceb]

Sorry to bump an older thread but today's travel and medication laws, it is very important to get your documentation right.

As others have said, get your pharmacist to print out an extra copy of the labels and put them on a piece of paper - but - place a pill (marking side up if the tablet is marked) next to the label and take a photo of the whole page. Print out that photo and you can co mingle your pills to your heart's delight. Make sure that all liquids are properly labeled (with labels that don't look like they've been removed) and - if going through security - make sure that they are in a bag separate from your 3-1-1 liquids. I'd label that bag as "prescription medications".

If you are required to take OTC (over the counter - i.e. non-prescription meds) and they are liquid, paste or cream, then ask your doctor to write you a prescription for them - then keep a copy of that with them. Don't forget to take a copy of all your prescriptions with you should you need a refill.

Take extra precautions when traveling overseas. Some meds (even OTC) that are fine in your home country could get you into some serious hot water in another country. Japan is a prime example where they take some common drugs pretty seriously and even a prescription may not help you . When in doubt, check with the embassy or consulate well before you go.

[kirbysgirl]

Sorry to bump an older thread but today's travel and medication laws, it is very important to get your documentation right.

As others have said, get your pharmacist to print out an extra copy of the labels and put them on a piece of paper - but - place a pill (marking side up if the tablet is marked) next to the label and take a photo of the whole page. Print out that photo and you can co mingle your pills to your heart's delight. Make sure that all liquids are properly labeled (with labels that don't look like they've been removed) and - if going through security - make sure that they are in a bag separate from your 3-1-1 liquids. I'd label that bag as "prescription medications".

If you are required to take OTC (over the counter - i.e. non-prescription meds) and they are liquid, paste or cream, then ask your doctor to write you a prescription for them - then keep a copy of that with them. Don't forget to take a copy of all your prescriptions with you should you need a refill.

Take extra precautions when traveling overseas. Some meds (even OTC) that are fine in your home country could get you into some serious hot water in another country. Japan is a prime example where they take some common drugs pretty seriously and even a prescription may not help you . When in doubt, check with the embassy or consulate well before you go.

Thanks, I hadn't thought of that method. That makes things a lot easier.

[capncat]

how should non-prescription supplements be handled? i normally portion what meds i can* into daily supplies and leave the (relatively massive) bottle for the one supplement i use daily at home to counteract a side effect of one necessary rx med. i can't go without the supplement for more than a day or two without ending up in considerable discomfort.

i normally just portion it out for each day as several others mentioned doing, but with some possible international travel coming up for yours truly, some guidance would be helpful! best to just take the labeled bottle along?

*curse my asthma meds for being in gigantic, awkwardly shaped plastic contraptions :S

[skoobdo]

I use 1 1/2" baggies. The only country I have ever taken the actual bottle to is Indonesia - I have never been questioned. I usually keep them as close to me as possible - in my Side Effect. If I were to lose my meds, though, (or have them confiscated) it wouldn't be life threatening for me (thyroid) so make your own choices. I can cram these tiny baggies just about anywhere - one for Immodium, one for Advil, one for Allegra... they take up no room.

Some countries (like Nepal and India, probably others) sell Abbot Laboratories levothyroxine (the maker of Synthroid) over the counter, without a prescription. I buy several bottles for backup in addition to a 6 month supply I take with me via doctor prescription on my extended trips.

[ceb]

how should non-prescription supplements be handled? i normally portion what meds i can* into daily supplies and leave the (relatively massive) bottle for the one supplement i use daily at home to counteract a side effect of one necessary rx med. i can't go without the supplement for more than a day or two without ending up in considerable discomfort.

i normally just portion it out for each day as several others mentioned doing, but with some possible international travel coming up for yours truly, some guidance would be helpful! best to just take the labeled bottle along?

*curse my asthma meds for being in gigantic, awkwardly shaped plastic contraptions :S

It depends on the supplement. Are they allowed where you are going or might there be issues?

If they are OK then have your doctor "prescribe" them. Place one tablet on the prescription and take a photo that you can print out and take with you. That will identify your co mingled supplements.

[capncat]

it’s just a form of magnesium, so I wouldn’t generally think it’d be sketchy most places? good call on seeing if it’s prescribable, though.

[skoobdo]

it’s just a form of magnesium, so I wouldn’t generally think it’d be sketchy most places? good call on seeing if it’s prescribable, though.

I've found that most popular countries carry the same branded vitamins you would normally find in the USA and Europe.

[G42]

NY Times just ran an article about this

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/19/t...=headline&te=1