liquid meds on plane?

[laughterkt]

I know there are restrictions on liquids on the planes. We are using American Airlines. My question is if I want to take Children's Tylenol and Benadryl on the plane (and possibly her cough syrup) ...all liquid form....do I have to put it in a 3 ounce travel size or can I keep it in the original bottle?

 

[herb102211]

Yes you do. We were behind someone in line at the airport who had those meds in the standard bottles they came in, and TSA took them from them. You can take the full sized bottles if you put them in your checked luggage, though.

 

[tjmw2727]

No you don't - liquid medications are exempt from the 3-1-1 rule, per the TSA website - always the best place to check for this type of information:

"[I]To ensure the health and welfare of certain air travelers, in the absence of suspicious activity or items, greater than 3.4 ounce (100ml) of the following liquids, gels and aerosols are permitted through the security checkpoint in reasonable quantities for the duration of your itinerary (all exceptions must be presented to the security officer in front of the checkpoint:

Baby formula, breast milk, and juice if a baby or small child is traveling;
All prescription and over-the-counter medications (liquids, gels, and aerosols) including petroleum jelly, eye drops, and saline solution for medical purposes"

Bold is mine - link follows -
http://www.tsa.gov/311/311-carry-ons.shtm

 

[PoohNFriends]

I know the OP asked about over-the-counter liquids so just as an FYI you can have liquid prescription bottles that are larger than 3 oz as long as everything is properly labeled. Unfortunately, the smallest bottle most liquid OTC's come in is 4 oz. Depending on her dose maybe you could bring the same medications in chewable tablet or dissolving strip form (your pharmacist should be happy to help you with this )

 

[NotUrsula]

TJMW is absolutely correct: at TSA checkpoints it is perfectly all right to bring ANY liquid medication in a carry on so long as it is factory-labeled, regardless of size, and as long as you tell the agent that you are carrying it. I carry contact lens solution and several liquid meds every time I fly, and I fly quite often.

For ease of getting through security, I recommend that you put your meds in a separate ziploc (this one can be large, no size limit applies), marked with your name and the word "MEDICATIONS". Put it in the bin right beside your 3-1-1 baggie and you will sail on through.

Note that liquid sunscreen normally does NOT count as a medication, but you can get sunscreen prescribed in some cases, such as having had a melanoma removed. If your sunscreen container has a valid pharmacy label taped on, it CAN go through; otherwise it has to be in checked baggage.

Also FYI: there is NO limit or rule about the packaging of pills. TSA does not need to know what they are and if they are prescribed; they are not DEA agents, and drug enforcement is not their charge. The only way that pills are going to be a problem is if you are carrying so many of them that you might appear to be a dealer (think BIG ziploc baggies full of hundreds of loose pills); in which case a TSO might call a LEO to come and talk to you about them.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Just agreeing with tjmw and notursula. There is no size limitation on medications whether Rx or OTC. Like they suggested, I always put medications in a separate ziploc bag (I use a gallon sized one) and pull that out of my carry on to put separately in the pins so they can see it all easily. The ziploc isn't necessary but I like that it makes the liquid meds easy to pull out of my carryon all together and it's clear so the TSA agents can easily see what's inside; it's just easy. The medications do need to be in their original containers with their original labels. I also put our epi pens in the same ziploc bag. Pills I leave in my carryon. Also, TSA can check the liquid medication with some strip that tests for explosives. I once had to break the seal on a new bottle of Zyrtec so they could test it. She did change her gloves and she had me open and close the bottle so it was all safe, but I did want you to be aware that this can happen. It's happened to me only once. I've travelled maybe a dozen times with medication.

 

[crashbb]

Yes you do. We were behind someone in line at the airport who had those meds in the standard bottles they came in, and TSA took them from them. You can take the full sized bottles if you put them in your checked luggage, though.

Sorry, but this is absolutely incorrect.

The other PP have it correct.

You do have to "declare it" (i.e. show it to the agent), but is does not have to be 3.4oz (or less) and it does not go in the baggie. Anything in the baggie, but follow the 3.4oz rule, so make sure that the meds are separate.

 

[kylieh]

Even our liquid meds from Australia didn't raise an eyebrow on our last trip. Well, they read the labels, but nothing off-putting. Most were over 100mL (3.4oz) I did keep mine in a separate zip lock back, not for security but for convenience, keeping them self contained should one of them leaked and keeping them all together in my carry-on.