Packing vitamins and other OTC medications??

[jenhelgren]

This seems like a silly packing question but we usually drive to Disney for our vacations and never have to go through security or customs with our luggage. Our whole family takes a multi-vitamin every day along with other pills like fiber pills, calcium, etc. I had planned on bringing them in separate ziplock bags like I always do because the actual container takes up so much room in packing space. Will I be allowed to do that boarding through customs or do all pills need to be in a sealed, marked container? I do have prescriptions which I always leave in their respective bottles but baggies is so much easier for vitamins and if they have to be sealed I would need to bring whole containers for each! Thanks for any help!!!

 

[sarah_carter]

all medicine needs to be in the original bottle, I think even vitamins also need to be in the original bottle

 

[PrincessShmoo]

This seems like a silly packing question but we usually drive to Disney for our vacations and never have to go through security or customs with our luggage. Our whole family takes a multi-vitamin every day along with other pills like fiber pills, calcium, etc. I had planned on bringing them in separate ziplock bags like I always do because the actual container takes up so much room in packing space. Will I be allowed to do that boarding through customs or do all pills need to be in a sealed, marked container? I do have prescriptions which I always leave in their respective bottles but baggies is so much easier for vitamins and if they have to be sealed I would need to bring whole containers for each! Thanks for any help!!!

While they don't need to be sealed, prescription meds need to be in original bottles, or you must have the prescription. Typically we bring all our pills (OTC, prescription) in their bottles, and portion them out after we are onboard. I have smaller bottles for the OTC stuff that I've saved to bring a smaller amount along on trips. We are usually on longer trips (longer than 7 nights at a time), so this works for us.

You'll find many people who just use their daily pill minder (without the actual bottles) and have no problems.

 

[mhconley]

You'll find many people who just use their daily pill minder (without the actual bottles) and have no problems.

Good to know.... I have a pretty crazy vitamin regimen and I'd hate to pack all the bottles.

Martin

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[tajz90]

9 cruises and we throw all our medicine in one bottle. No issue so far Of course, we don't carry that many.

 

[sayhello]

What I do for OTC meds is put them in individual baggies along with the front of the box showing what they are, the strength, etc. (Or, if I can get the label on the bottle off in one piece, I'll use that). I pretty much do the same for prescription meds, putting them in little baggies with the extra label that is printed out on the paperwork that comes with my prescriptions. If your pharmacy doesn't give you an extra label, you can always ask for them to print them out for you. "The original bottle" is not magic; it's the pharmacy's label (or the manufacturer's info for OTC) that they want.

Sayhello

 

[noahdove]

Well, in the past and I will continue to do so, I put all meds in my daily keeper..I carry them in my carry on bag...so far, no problem...

 

[nanaoften]

Just got off the Dream last week...first ever cruise so I wanted to be sure I followed the "rules"! I had three large zip-lock bags in our carry-on. One had my husband's meds, one held mine and the other was for the OTC stuff. (We've just turned 70 so we do have a few meds we take!! LOL) To my knowledge and as far as I could see, the carry-on wasn't ever opened to check. Of course, with my luck, if I had not followed the "rules"...they would've opened the bag and questioned everything!!
Regardless...have a magical time...we did!!

 

[jenhelgren]

Are there "rules" posted somewhere for DCL? I don't want to break any rules-but dumping into one bottle would be so much easier and smaller! I also take an oral contraceptive that is delivered to me quarterly. Do I need to print out something that says its mine?? They are obviously individually sealed into the foil.

 

[Princess Michelle]

I never even gave any thought to Vitamins needing to be in original containers so I'm glad to see others reporting they haven't had issues with putting them in a daily keeper, that's what I planned to do as well, so I hope I don't have any issues either. I take 10 supplements a day and some of the bottles are huge, there's no way I want to lug all of them on board with me.

I have one prescription that I will just carry in it's regular bottle.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Are there "rules" posted somewhere for DCL? I don't want to break any rules-but dumping into one bottle would be so much easier and smaller! I also take an oral contraceptive that is delivered to me quarterly. Do I need to print out something that says its mine?? They are obviously individually sealed into the foil.

It's not DCL that would have the restrictions. It's customs. This is from their website. It mostly addresses prescription medicines, but not being in an identifying bottle how would the customs people know what those pills are? Personally, I err on the side of caution and have the bottles.

Medication
Rule of thumb: When you go abroad, take the medicines you will need, no more, no less. Narcotics and certain other drugs with a high potential for abuse - Rohypnol, GHB and Fen-Phen, to name a few - may not be brought into the United States, and there are severe penalties for trying to do so. If you need medicines that contain potentially addictive drugs or narcotics (e.g., some cough medicines, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, antidepressants or stimulants), do the following:


"Declare all drugs, medicinals, and similar products to the appropriate CBP official;
"Carry such substances in their original containers;
"Carry only the quantity of such substances that a person with that condition (e.g., chronic pain) would normally carry for his/her personal use; and
"Carry a prescription or written statement from your physician that the substances are being used under a doctor's supervision and that they are necessary for your physical well being while traveling.

U.S. residents entering the United States at international land borders who are carrying a validly obtained controlled substance (other than narcotics such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, or LSD), are subject to certain additional requirements. If a U.S. resident wants to bring in a controlled substance (other than narcotics such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, or LSD) but does not have a prescription for the substance issued by a U.S.-licensed practitioner (e.g., physician, dentist, etc.) who is registered with, and authorized by, the Drug Enforcement Administration to prescribe the medication, the individual may not import more than 50 dosage units of the medication into the United States. If the U.S. resident has a prescription for the controlled substance issued by a DEA registrant, more than 50 dosage units may be imported by that person, provided all other legal requirements are met.


Please note that only medications that can be legally prescribed in the United States may be imported for personal use. Be aware that possession of certain substances may also violate state laws. As a general rule, the FDA does not allow the importation of prescription drugs that were purchased outside the United States. Please see their Web site for information about the enforcement policy for personal use quantities.


Warning: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration prohibits the importation, by mail or in person, of fraudulent prescription and nonprescription drugs and medical devices. These include unorthodox cures for such medical conditions as cancer, AIDS, arthritis or multiple sclerosis. Although such drugs or devices may be legal elsewhere, if the FDA has not approved them for use in the United States, they may not legally enter the country and will be confiscated, even if they were obtained under a foreign physicians prescription.


Additional information about traveling with and importing medication can be found at the FDA's Drugs page. ( Drugs )


The FDA is responsible for pharmaceutical admissibility determinations. If you have any questions as to whether a specific pharmaceutical may be imported into the United States, please contact the FDA, Division of Import Operations and Policy, at (301) 796-0356.


If you have any questions regarding the importation of a controlled substance into the United States, please contact the Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of Diversion Control, International Drug Unit, at (202) 305-8800.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/kbyg/prohibited_restricted.xml#Medication

 

[Candy Apple]

If you can't get a pharmacy label, just take a picture of the label with your phone. You can do this with OTC meds, too. Put all of these pictures in one folder on your phone. This will come in handy if you are ever away from home and need access to your medication history. To help you keep track of which pill is which, take a picture of the pill next to the label. Take a picture of both sides of the pill (most prescription pills have numbers imprinted on them--Customs and pharmacies can use these to verify the identity of the pills). That will eliminate the "Which pill is this little white one?" if the contents of the bags spill.

 

[amyh13]

I won't be cruising DCL until April but have cruised most of the other cruiselines. And we drive to the port.

I have small kids so I pack ALOT of OTC medication. Just put it into Ziploc bags in my checked luggage. Not even in the original containers. I probably carried on my toiletries that had my prescription and OTC medication. Never had an issue.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you need medicines that contain potentially addictive drugs or narcotics (e.g., some cough medicines, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, antidepressants or stimulants)...

That's how all of that starts.

If a person is concerned that their vitamin C might look like a demerol, then keep it in its original container. That isn't something I concern myself with. And I'm not bringing anything INTO the US that I got from outside, and controlled substances being brought in from the outside is what the Homeland Security site is discussing.

DH travels with syringes and a drug that men don't normally use and if they do use it it's normally purchased for weightlifting purposes, and the only place he's ever felt the need to bring his prescription label has been going to Australia as it's actually illegal there without a prescription. (of course, each box has the label on it so it's not a worry, but that was the only place the label was actually checked)

A friend of mine had an liver transplant and takes MANY pills of different types. She puts them into a month-long container and has brought it to and from Mexico and all over Europe, no issues.

 

[Dug720]

Well, in the past and I will continue to do so, I put all meds in my daily keeper..I carry them in my carry on bag...so far, no problem...

This. Ditto my mom and dad. We all have scrips and vitamins, all have our pill minders, all carried on, and had no issues at all. I think my dad did have his original scrip bottle because of the length of our trip overall, but no one ever asked.

In the case of a truly controlled substance, I would definitely have the original bottle AND a typed note from my doctor.

 

[jahber]

We just traveled to Canada and back and had no problems at all. My husband had hydrocodone for a toothache. We just threw it in his carryon in its original bottle. I also had a migraine med in its original box. No one ever said word one about them. So really, it's not a big deal at all if you have the necessary documentation.

The only time anyone ever asked about an OTC med in all my travels was shortly after 9/11 when an overzealous TSA agent asked why my travel-size Tylenol bottle didn't make noise when she shook it. Um, because it's full? I was 7 months pregnant and she had just taken away my solid beeswax hand salve (perfectly legal), so I was also maybe a not in the mood to play spy games. I may also still be a but miffed about that hand salve

 

[kiford]

I always put all of my vitamins and other OTC medications into a pill minder. I've done this for years and never been questioned at any border and we've travelled a lot over the years in North America, overseas, and on cruises. If it is prescription, I do take that in the original bottle not just for customs purposes but also because the label has important information on it that someone else might need in an emergency if I was not able to answer questions.

Worst case for OTC medications if you run into problems at the border is that they confiscate it. Because it's OTC and probably available in other places and generally not life-threatening if you don't have it, I wouldn't worry about taking it out of the bottles. But prescription medication is different. I think you need the labels at least and not just for customs.

 

[Uncleromulus]

One would think--and hope--they have better things to do than to check if your medication, vitamins, etc are in the original container----if not, the war on drugs must be over.

I'm taking my Kidney Stone medication (to use if I have an attack) in a plastic bag. Ditto with my migrane/cluster headache medication. I've had the meds so long I have no idea even where the original containers even are@!!!

Princessshmoo: How would customs REALLY know what was in an "original" container? The container could say anything, but you could put any medications in there if you wanted---just looking would be pretty useless.

And are you "importing" really? Or simply bringing back what you took with you????

 

[postalchick71]

I keep my prescriptions in my carry on and have never had a problem with DCL. Sometimes in the original bottle, sometimes not.

The only time I've had an issue with my prescription bottle was in Heathrow. The woman looked in each bottle, and asked what they were for. I only take a thyroid pill and vitamin D. She kept looking at the pills, the bottles and looking at me. It took about 5 minutes extra. Not sure what she thought I had in there.

 

[kiford]

And are you "importing" really? Or simply bringing back what you took with you????

You can be deemed to be importing if you are bringing a large quantity of any medication (OTC or not) that is considered to be more than you as an individual would be using. We ran into this when my husband's cousin asked him to bring a large quantity (20 bottles) of some OTC medication (can't recall what it was) from Canada to Germany that she couldn't obtain there. This would be considered to be importation and we don't have a license to do so. So we declined. If you were carrying a large quantity of something that you brought back home with you that WAS available in both countries and not in original bottles, customs wouldn't know whether you purchased it abroad or not. Hence, they can claim "importation" even if you think you're not doing so. Given that most people don't want to carry anything more with them than they have to, it normally isn't an issue, but the language that they use is a warning that they can make a judgement based on quantity even though the substance isn't necessarily controlled. The only way to show that you are not importing is to have the original bottle/label to show origin. However, if it is for your own use, I cannot see why you would have an overly large quantity which is why I feel perfectly comfortable about putting my OTC medication into pill boxes without labels as I take just enough for the days I'm away plus a little bit more in case of delays.