BootsnAll Travel Community

I picked up a something from the doctor to help me survive my flight. It's only for 6 tablets. Do I need to take a copy of the original perscription? Or will the bottle in my carryon be enough?

Also, what about the over the counter meds. Do I need new packages, unopened and in the box? Should they be in my carry on or checked luggage?

I've got many of the same questions, so someone please help us!

I'm planning on taking Sudafed, Gravol, and Immodium with me. To fit them into my first-aid kit I'm just taking the tablets(still in the foil package), with the instructions ripped off the box as well. Is this going to cause problems with customs officials? On the back of the foil it has the brand name on it, so I thought it would be ok. Unfortunately I've already ripped the boxes apart so I can't put everything back together.

I'm taking the same stuff. Just replace the Sudafed with Advil Cold and Sinus.

Oh..and I bought the generic brands from Wal-Mart because they are 1/4 of the price.

Libby, don't forget that women's baggage is checked much less often than men's, and in case you're white it will help because members of other ethnic groups get checked more often. (Racism is just as much a sad fact of life in Europe as in North America, well, hopefully not Canada)

That being said, I always prefer to have a copy of the prescription with me just in case. On the other hand, the only person I ever heard of getting in trouble for something like this was a woman on my mother-in-law's group trip to Uzbekistan who had taken syringes with her. In her eyes this was part of a first aid kit (makes sense if you know something about the state of hospitals in Uzbekistan) but for customs this made her a suspected drug user (makes sense if you know something about the amount of durg trafficking in the area).

I think either way, customs is usually most interested in stuff that is either illegal or could be sold for tons of money. Neither of which seems to apply to your medication. And over the counter stuff is usually available here too and you can bring it for personal use. If you have it with the rest of your toiletries, etc., it should not raise any suspicion. That's normal, after all.

My advise (given to me by a US customs inspector in Calgary), is to make sure any prescription meds are in their original container with your name on it. Regarding "over the counter" meds, you have to be careful there too. I was detained for hours by my inspector friend because I had 6 tylenol/codine tablets in a film canister in my pocket. He was kind enough to have them analyzed in the lab right there in Calgary airport. These are "over the counter" in Canada, but are in the same catagory as Vicodin in the US. Anyways, missed my flight of course, plus was threatened with all sorts of possible punishments.

I take a dayly medication and "just in case" traveled with it in my hand bag, with the original package and a medical prescription (in case I lost them so I could buy new ones) but fortunately had no problems with it, nobody asked about my pills and I didn't lost them


Gabriela

Can you be more specific as to what the 'something' is? Is it a narcotic?

Your best bet is to keep all medications in their original containers and do not combine drugs for the sake of saving space...especially with narcotics. As long as the medication you have corresponds with the body it's traveling with, you'll be fine.

Legitimate prescriptions have prescription numbers that can be verified by calling the pharmacy. That's your proof once you surrender the prescription to the pharmacist.

Anytime you carry medication out of it's original container, the burden of proving what it is is yours, not customs. Depending on who you get, you may have to discard it all. It's worth saving original packaging.

And whatever you do, don't take Aunt Betsey's Percocet aboard unless you have Aunt Betsey in tow...