Flight/TSA question - prescription meds

[kamik86]

I have flown a few times now but have never run into this question... however my mom is coming with me on her first flight and asked me this today. I was hoping someone here could help.

My mom takes like 4 prescription pills plus vitamins every day. Normally she has those in one of those little daily pill boxes. For the flight can she just bring that for the days she is going with us or does she need all the pills in their original containers??

Also she asked if she needs anything from her doctor saying she has a knee replacement or is it ok to just tell them she does? If it makes a difference the airport we are leaving from does not have the new scanners.

 

[wbk]

It is recommended that all prescription meds be in their original containers. Get a letter from your physician regarding your medical appliance (knee joint). It will save you from being scanned over and over.

 

[Carriemel]

The PP is not quite correct. The doctor's letter doesn't mean a hill of beans. A sneaky person could quite easily forge a letter like that, so it's really not worth the paper it's written on...
As far as the prescription meds, while it's not necessary to have them in their original containers, it might be helpful to you. Here's why: If you happen to have an emergency situation, you would want to know what medications you are taking, and in what quantities. However, this is not at all necessary for plane travel. It's just a smart idea.

 

[aubriee]

We fly with our meds in the weekly pill boxes all the time and have never had a problem. I use a Victoza pen for my diabetes and it's not even labeled. I do pull it and it's needles and put it in a bin by itself, but the pill boxes I never show. They stay in my carry on. My mom is also a diabetic and flies with not only her meds in pill boxes, but also has bottles of insulin and syringes. The only thing she puts in the bin is her insulin, syringes, and her little blue ice frozen thingys. She has never had a problem either. What good would having them in a labeled pill bottle matter anyway: Anyone could put whatever pill they wanted in say a Lasix bottle. Do you think a TSA agent is going to know what a Lasix or a BP pill looks like? Drug control is not a concern of TSA, security is.

From the TSA website:

Medications

All medications in any form or type (for instance, pills, injectables, or homeopathic) and associated supplies (syringes, Sharps disposal container, pre-loaded syringes, jet injectors, pens, infusers, etc.) are allowed through the security checkpoint once they have been screened. Atropens, an auto-injection system that can help treat many emergency conditions (low heart rate, breathing problems, and excess saliva related to insecticide, nerve gas or mushroom poisoning) are also allowed.

We do not required that your medication be labeled.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) migraine inhalers and CO2 refills.

Medications in daily dosage containers are allowed through the checkpoint once they have been screened.

 

[disfan07]

I always take my medications in the original bottles. I travel with about 20 different medications and I always have them in the bottles.

I keep all the meds in the original bottle in one big ziplock bag. My doctors advise against travelling with medications that are NOT in the original containers in case of an emergency. If something happens and you need to know medications and dosages it is a good idea to have those medications with you. We carry a typed list of all my meds. and dosages with us at all times but sometimes we forget that or can't find it and it is easier just to grab a bag of meds sometimes.

However, if you take the meds in the weekly pill containers, PLEASE take extra medication with you. NEVER take just the exact amount for the time you will be gone.

That's why I always take the bottles with me. That way I will always know what I am taking, how much I am taking and I know I will always have extras and the pharmacies phone number if necessary

 

[maxiesmom]

I have never been given any grief over medication that is out of the original bottle. I have some tiny little containers that I put my pills in for use in my park/travel bag. No problems.

 

[kamik86]

Ok I'll let Mom choose if she wants to do the weekly pill container or the bottles but will make her let me type a list of them and their dosages before I leave because I have no idea what she takes at this point. (And my dad is the only other one with a clue but he isn't coming).

If she takes the pill boxes I'll tell her that just in case she should take at least a full weeks worth even though she is only going to be gone 4 days.

 

[aubriee]

Ok I'll let Mom choose if she wants to do the weekly pill container or the bottles but will make her let me type a list of them and their dosages before I leave because I have no idea what she takes at this point. (And my dad is the only other one with a clue but he isn't coming).

If she takes the pill boxes I'll tell her that just in case she should take at least a full weeks worth even though she is only going to be gone 4 days.

I have a couple of the Vera Bradley pill boxes that I use. They have eight slots, instead of seven (Sun-Sat plus an xtra). They also have a slot in the lid that holds a doctor's business card so his phone number and fax number are always easy to find. I just write a list of my meds on the back of that card, so everything is in one place. Here's one on ebay, but I didn't pay half that much for mine. I think I paid like $15.00 for one and $18.00 for the other on ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SOLD-OUT-Ve...174?pt=US_CSA_WH_Handbags&hash=item519936c41e

 

[PatsMom]

I have a list of all my medications that my doctor's office prints for me whenever it is updated. My group practice has electronic medical records so the prescriptions made by the endo, the gastro, my primary care, my oncologist and my urologist all show up. I use seven day pill boxes. The diabetes drug I take right before eating and my two narcotic prescriptions stay in their original bottles just because that is how I carry them around in my bag. I take the narcotics on an "as needed" basis.

I also have Victoza and pen needles, along with all the diabetes testing equipment. If I have an extra pen on ice, I send that cooler through separately. Otherwise, I put all that stuff in a Ziploc and send it through separately. TSA sees a lot of diabetic supplies!

I've never been questioned about my medications and I have a lot of them. I also have plates and pins in my ankle from a bad break Sometimes the alarms go off and I have to be hand scanned. You cannot give them a letter from the doctor in advance as far as I am aware. I wait for the alarm, they wand me, and I offer to show them my scars! Never had a problem. I allow ten or fifteen extra minutes just in case I do though.

 

[DebbieB]

If you are flying domestic, the pill boxes are fine, TSA is not concerned about pills (just liquids). If you are flying international, you could run into an issue with customs so you should have the original labels.

 

[puffkin]

We fly at least 3x per year. DH is a type one Diabetic on an Insulin Pump (Omni Pod). He takes all his meds (about 6-7 different pills a day) in a pill box type thing. He does not remove any of his medications, syringes, bottles of insulin, etc for security. They just go through the scanner in the pocket of his laptop bag. Never once has he had a problem.

He does have all his medications and dosages written on a card in his wallet. That is for emergencies anytime, not just when travelling. He also takes 2-3 days extra of his meds with just in case.