Medications in original container

[kellymonster23]

I have been reading through our cruise documents. It says that all medications must be in their original container. I understand that but does anyone know about vitamins? I take several vitamins a day and use a daily pill organizer. Can I still use that or will every vitamin have to be in its original container?

 

[TXDCLfan]

I have been reading through our cruise documents. It says that all medications must be in their original container. I understand that but does anyone know about vitamins? I take several vitamins a day and use a daily pill organizer. Can I still use that or will every vitamin have to be in its original container?

I have never had a problem with putting 7 days of vitamins in a zip lock baggie.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I have been reading through our cruise documents. It says that all medications must be in their original container. I understand that but does anyone know about vitamins? I take several vitamins a day and use a daily pill organizer. Can I still use that or will every vitamin have to be in its original container?

I don't know that vitamins are considered "medication". I believe it applies to prescription medications.

I always take the bottles, but only because we take longer trips/cruises (upwards of 14 days) and putting all that in one baggie seemed not worth the effort to sort it all out later.

 

[eskimoinparadise]

Our prescriptions go in their original container. Vitamins and supplements go in a weekly pill holder. Never had any issues.

 

[eskimoinparadise]

Our prescriptions go in their original container. Vitamins and supplements go in a weekly pill holder. Never had any issues.

 

[Partyof4LA]

DH brought vitamins in his weekly pill box. I kept prescription meds in original containers just bc it was easier to throw them in that way and not get mixed up. OTC meds were in my little travel first aid kit (some not in original containers). They were all in a carry on and honestly, they didn't even check any of it.

 

[stitchlovestink]

DH brought vitamins in his weekly pill box. I kept prescription meds in original containers just bc it was easier to throw them in that way and not get mixed up. OTC meds were in my little travel first aid kit (some not in original containers). They were all in a carry on and honestly, they didn't even check any of it.

Just because they didn't check yours doesn't mean other people won't be checked. True, not everyone will be checked but *you* don't know if you will be one of the lucky ones that they do decide to look at. Not worth the risk!!

 

[Partyof4LA]

Just because they didn't check yours doesn't mean other people won't be checked. True, not everyone will be checked but *you* don't know if you will be one of the lucky ones that they do decide to look at. Not worth the risk!!

I know they can and will check some bags more closely. It isn't a risk to me at all so I am comfortable with the way we do it. It wouldn't bother me if they decide to throw out a few vitamins or Benadryl and Tylenol melts. The only stuff that really matters is the prescription meds and I do keep those in original bottles as I said above. DH can survive without a week of vitamin supplements and I can replace anything else on board if I need. If you're not ok with the possibility of losing it, pack the big bottles. I was just giving an example of what we (and it looks like several others) do.

 

[MunFam]

I've never had an issue on a ship, but TSA always seems to have an issue with it...so I bring the whole bottles.

 

[stitchlovestink]

I've never had an issue on a ship, but TSA always seems to have an issue with it...so I bring the whole bottles.

TSA (this is for flying) doesn't really have any say over medications. If they feel there is an issue, they really have to contact local authorities as they really don't have the authority to confiscate medications. Just the authority to inspect them.
Now Customs and Border Patrol (which is what you go through to get on/off the ship) well that is a TOTALLY DIFFERENT ballgame. They absolutely do have the right to confiscate medication and they actually have the right to make your life miserable if they think anything questionable is going on.

 

[bumbershoot]

Since 2009 DH has traveled the world for work (and to the Bahamas/Caribbean for leisure), and apart from ONE medication in ONE country he has never had an issue not having it in the original bottles. Since he gets 90 day supplies, those are big bottles, and he doesn't waste luggage space for them.

(the one medication was something men don't usually take, and the country had that drug as illegal unless you have an Rx for it is Australia...HCG is generally used by women, and often used by men as a bodybuilding drug, but it's used for men sometimes, too) (I should mention that b/c of how that drug is packaged, he always had it in the original container anyway, no other way to do it, so it wasn't an issue)

This isn't something DH has ever worried about. But he doesn't worry about being questioned about something. He answers the questions, tells them what the pills are, and he moves along. None of what he takes is a narcotic or scheduled drug, and THAT is what they are worried about.

 

[Thomas Gingerich]

They were all in a carry on and honestly, they didn't even check any of it.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Think about it for a minute--your "original container" could say anything on the bottle and if you wanted you could have any medication inside.

And what does that have to do with Cruising??

We never keep the meds in the original bottle when we travel--always in pill containers of various sizes. If TSA or DCL want to pretend to be DEA--well that's up to them.

DCL and TSA wouldn't have any way of knowing a Vitamin from a blood pressure pill--no matter where it was packed.

 

[stitchlovestink]

Think about it for a minute--your "original container" could say anything on the bottle and if you wanted you could have any medication inside.

And what does that have to do with Cruising??

We never keep the meds in the original bottle when we travel--always in pill containers of various sizes. If TSA or DCL want to pretend to be DEA--well that's up to them.

DCL and TSA wouldn't have any way of knowing a Vitamin from a blood pressure pill--no matter where it was packed.

You are right... TSA has absolutely nothing to do with cruising. TSA has to do with air travel.
CUSTOMS & BORDER PATROL have to do with cruising and don't think for a moment that they don't have members trained to deal with drugs and know what is what in that area. Customs and Border patrol deal with drug smuggling. Is it done predominantly through cruise travel? Absolutely not. But they deal with everything going IN and OUT of the country. So they have people that are Trained Accordingly.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Just by looking they are unable to tell what a pill contains----has to be seized and tested. And my Verapamil will test like the Blood Pressure medication it is.

And I should hope Customs have bigger things to do than rifle through peoples medicine bottles, pill boxes, etc. in an effort to pounce on a handful of pills... from people coming off a Cruise.

 

[shelleyr25]

Brought everything in a ziploc bag last month, no problems at all.

 

[MUN]

I have been reading through our cruise documents. It says that all medications must be in their original container. I understand that but does anyone know about vitamins? I take several vitamins a day and use a daily pill organizer. Can I still use that or will every vitamin have to be in its original container?

It's better to be safe than sorry. Rules are rules. I like to be a rule follower. I always keep my meds in the original prescription bottles. When I leave the cruise, I like to have them packed right next to Cuban rum I bring back to the USA.

MUN

 

[perditax]

Just by looking they are unable to tell what a pill contains----has to be seized and tested. And my Verapamil will test like the Blood Pressure medication it is.

And I should hope Customs have bigger things to do than rifle through peoples medicine bottles, pill boxes, etc. in an effort to pounce on a handful of pills... from people coming off a Cruise.

They do. Most of the rest of this is silly fear mongering.

 

[Otimon]

In all the Disney cruises we've taken, have never once carried prescription medications in their original containers. I put them in one of those daily holders from the drugstore with each day marked on top. All others such as vitamins and whatever else, I just put in a little snack plastic bag altogether and take them out as needed.

 

[Starwind]

I travel within North America and occasionally abroad, for work and pleasure. I take a large number of medications (Rx, OTC, prescribed supplements, unprescribed supplements) and medical supplies -- enough that they have their own carry-on bag [which in North America does not count towards the carry-on allowance if it ONLY contains medical items].

My solution:

- Rx meds are in their original pharmacy containers with pharmacy labels
>> note, some of my meds come in large containers (e.g. 100 day supply); one time when refilling my meds I asked the pharmacy if, for travel purposes, they could also please give me an empty small container (8 dram is the smallest they have) with the proper label for each of my meds that are pills/tablets/capsules; this was not a problem and they did it for free; I therefore have a small pharmacy-labeled container for each Rx med that I use for traveling

- OTC meds are in their original containers
>> I buy a smaller size container of each of my OTC meds (e.g. a Tylenol container holding 24; Benadryl in foilpack sheets instead of the normal bottle holding 125) and use that to carry the respective meds; it costs a bit more since the smaller size is less cost-effective, but that is a one-time cost and I just refill the containers when I travel (well, except for the Benadryl, that is a new purchase)

- supplements go in individual baggies that are labeled + carry printed info about each of them
>> most of my supplements come in glass bottles and it is neither feasible nor safe to travel with the original containers; NONE of my supplements are controlled or otherwise of concern (we're talking vitamin D, vitamin C, magnesium, and others, not "body-building" and similar supplements that may contain substances banned in a country).
>> for each supplement, I put the capsule/tablets into a small pill pouch, and then that in turn goes into a snack-size Ziploc. The Ziploc I have printed a label for which lists the manufacturer, supplement name and dosage of each capsule/tablet.
>> separately I created 4x6 "cards" that I printed on photo paper for each med, which I carry in the organizer that holds all the supplements; the cards were made from cutting and pasting info (into MS Word) about each supplement from the manufacturer's website: photo of the front of the bottle & ingredient info & name of supplement & manufacturer's logo
>> I actually wrote to Canada Customs and to US Customs and explained the dilema I had with the original glass bottles; their advice back to me helped me come up with the above; they did also note that there is always a chance a supplement not in its original packaging could be confiscated, and I am willing to accept that risk for the supplements

- injectable meds (mine currently are pre-filled syringes, but in the past I have traveled with vials and syringes) stay in their original containers with original pharmacy label and are well-protected from damage; I also have a letter from my doctor stating the necessity for me to have one of the medications and its syringes
>> NOTE that some countries have very specific rules about importing injectible medications (e.g. Japan) and may have special hoops you have to go through to be allowed to import injectible meds (if allowed at all) as a visitor, such as getting advance permission from the country's government; for some countries this is for ALL injectible meds, even something as innocuous and clearly labeled as an Epipen. If you use ANY injectible medications and are traveling outside Canada and the USA, CHECK AND VERIFY the rules that apply for the country(s) you are intending to visit well in advance of your intended trip. For some countries short notice trips would be impossible because of these rules.


To date I have not had any issues using the above. YMMV.

SW