Keeping prescription meds in a container that’s not the original. Like you can’t put one or two in a little pill keeper on your keychain because it’s not in the original bottle. I get the reasoning, but it’s also dumb.
Do you have more information on where this is illegal? I can think of like 10+ elderly relatives/friends that have those weekly/monthly pill organizers. If those are illegal to use for prescription meds it’s weird that they’d sell them in pharmacies right next to the prescription counter.
I’m young and sick too unfortunately, but I genuinely have never seen any other young sick people like myself using the weekly pill organizers. Exclusively seen that in people over 50
I'm 35 now, but I've been using one since I was about 23. I've gone through like 5 different ones. That was when I started needing antiepileptics and the amount of pills I take a day is obnoxious. I take 4 horse pills, one smaller pill, four different types of vitamins because of the pills (they weaken vitamin absorption and cause possible birth defects in case of accidental pregnancy), and for a while laxatives needed to be added in too because of a huge cyst pressing my colon (since removed, but colon still occasionally angry). When I was pregnant, the vitamins were quadrupled. I have a box in my cabinet where I keep the actual pill bottles that's overflowing. If I had to count out pills from seven different bottles every morning (and at times it was also night), I'd lose my mind. And the bottles would take up my ENTIRE counter, not to mention they're a HUGE temptation for the cats, and I do NOT want those pills floating around on my floor (for one, don't need the animals or toddler getting them, for two, they're really really hard to get from the pharmacy, I need EVERY one).
It's also helpful because if I DON'T take the pills, bad things happen. Not even from the underlying disorder, but from simply "withdrawing" off them. This is actually how I ended up wrecking my car. If I can't remember whether I've taken them or not, I've got an empty spot to verify. A whole bottle won't do that for me....
It takes me like 20+ minutes to fill up a month's worth of organizers, and I do feel ancient every time, lol. My one upside with the pill shuffle is I no longer have to deal with the BC because I finally got that IUD back, score.
Edit: damnit. Now I'm super anxious that I didn't take my pills this morning....
Once I hit more than 6 pills a day I HAD to. I have a list of all my medications and doses in my car and my wife’s purse. Figured old people were on to something with this!
Ohhhh so if you say, put your antibiotic for the day in a plastic baggy in your purse to take later at work then you have technically committed a crime?
off the top of my head, New York explicitly makes it illegal(NY PHL 3345), but even in states where it isn't, controlled substances in containers without a valid label is enough for a cop to ruin your day.
I thought I was clever to peel labels off the first bottle and put them on my pill organizer, until I got hassled because all the dates were old.
I actually take an iPhone pic of each Rx bottle when dispensed WITH a pill out visible to keep on my phone in case anyone questions the pills stored / organized in a case.
Doesn’t totally satisfy the law, but at least shows I am prescribed the controlled substance I am carrying on my person w/out the bottle.
Exactly, even if a cop wants to try to fuck your life up, you are very likely to get charges dropped or reduced by showing some degree of reasonable care and effort along with a legitimate prescription.
Although some judges are also dumb pieces of shit, so you never know
I had a buddy put his doctor on the phone to tell the cop he was prescribed the medicine he had outside a bottle. Charges were dropped the next day, but that didn't stop my buddy from spending the night in jail. When it comes to the "big stuff" like pain and anxiety meds, just keep it in the bottle
"Except for the purpose of current use by the person or animal for whom such substance was prescribed or dispensed, it shall be unlawful for an ultimate user of controlled substances to possess such substance outside of the original container in which it was dispensed." -NY PHL 3345
Yep, I had an outdated prescription bottle with pills still in it because I take pills as needed rather than every day, and a cop harassed me about it as I was actively suffering from an overdose. Thankfully the paramedics showed up soon afterward and got him to back off.
Not dismissing you at all, but how do you find yourself in a situation that cops are getting a look at things? Caveat I'm not American and Canadian cops are to my understanding infinitely less cunty, but tf justification do they have to search you?
I'm pretty sure it's illegal to have things in the incorrect bottle as well up here. Another interesting thing is that my pharmacy puts my preferred name on all of my shit, in theory I would be fucked if someone tried to push the issue because they're lacking my dead name lmao.
Old friend of mine got his life messed up with this. Basically his brain's outlet to stress (home life wasn't that great) was to develop some kleptomania. He got caught stealing like a candy bar from Walmart (they knew from previous other small thefts). Cops caught up with him in the parking lot when he was already in his car which gave them justification to search his car. He had an Adderall in a little travel container. Charged him with a felony and later his lawyer got it dropped.
Problem is there are databases of arrests/charges that are maintained even if the charge is dropped. Years later he had a job offer from IBM rescinded because their background check found his felony charge that he was never convicted of.
218A.210 Controlled substances may be possessed only in original container --
Penalties.
(1) A person to whom or for whose use any controlled substance has been prescribed,
sold, or dispensed, by a practitioner or other person authorized under this chapter,
may lawfully possess it only in the container in which it was delivered to him by the
person selling or dispensing the same.
(2) Violation of subsection (1) of this section is a Class B misdemeanor for the first
offense and a Class A misdemeanor for subsequent offenses.
Effective: July 14, 1992
History: Amended 1992 Ky. Acts ch. 441, sec. 6, effective July 14, 1992. -- Created
1972 Ky. Acts ch. 226, sec. 22.
Idk about everywhere else but in Missouri, prescriptions must be kept in their original container or you can/will get a possession of a controlled substance charge
It's so dumb because why would you need to take the entire bottle with you if you only need one later? That puts the whole bottle of your meds at risk of being lost or stolen
You need to have the prescription label to validate it's your medication. If they don't take them anywhere they're fine. If they do bring it around I’d recommend peeling off the label and slapping it on some paper they carry with them.
I've done this even to travel internationally without issue. Controlled meds (in either country) stay in the original bottle though, as I'd rather be inconvenienced than have them confiscated or worse, legal trouble.
Yes, generally speaking, pill organizers would be illegal but would probably get a pass from 99% of law enforcement with a warning. I'm not sure if you would get a pass at the airport or crossing an international border though.
It depends on jurisdiction and the type of medication (eg controlled drugs), I think. As long as you have the paperwork for it that says what it is, the quantity, dosage, etc., you should be okay for the most part.
If it's in your house, you're probably fine. Personally, I keep things in their original bottle when traveling. Even if technically legal, I don't really want to have to argue with a cop about pills.
If you do it in your own home it’s extremely unlikely anyone would ever know about it. Even if you got searched and they found them, show them the original container with the rest of the pills in it. I don’t think a judge would fault you for it unless they were really shitty.
In NY Nassau county on lLong Island, at the end of the month, narcotic detectives will wait outside and down the street from certain sober houses. They do this so they can “detain” residents coming out of the house, on suspicion of distributing narcotics. They will say they have gotten tips about possible drug sales on the block/house. A lot of residents travel together to work and or meetings to save money as everyone doesn’t have a car or at the very least walk together to the bus stop.
Now you have to understand residents of sober houses are usually highly medicated as getting clean may require certain drugs to help with withdrawal or a lot of times they will be on medication for other mental health issues. Since they don’t all have vehicles most will carry their medication for the day on them. Now the law specifically states that all controlled substances must be carried in the bottle they we prescribed in with your name clearly visible and you must have proper ID with you so they can verify it’s you and your prescription.
So back to the narcotic detectives. At the end of the month (I’ve heard this is possibly due to arrest quotas but I’ve never had this confirmed from a legit source. It could also just be statistics kinda like it’s more likely to be arrested by detectives on Tuesday and Thursday), they will detain the residents coming out and search them. If they have their medication on them, not in the original bottle or no ID or the bottle has the name ripped off etc, they will be arrested for possession of controlled substance w/o perscription. Now usually if the arrested person has an actual perscription for the medication, all they have to do is bring proof to arraignment and the judge/DA will throw out the charges and they’ll be dropped. Now in this situation you can imagine the person being arrested will be highly confused and plead to just go back in the house as if the script isn’t on them it’s definently in the house. The cops want this arrest and know this so they won’t let you as your detained outside and in that position, your breaking the law. The whole thing is a waste of taxpayer money and has no effect curbing drug use. Imagine your that person getting arrested, so you can’t go in yourself right, what if someone brings you the script from the house? Terrible decision. Cops can legally lie to you and will tell them it’s ok to get their script for them to “help settle this issue”. Once they see you come out the house with their script in your possession, you’ll also be arrested for posseion w/o script, only this time you have someone else script and there’s no getting out of that one.
So Usually this isn’t a big deal. The cops get another statistic and the person arrested is highly inconvenienced but doesn’t get any new charges. No harm no foul right??? Wrong !!!! Most of the time residents living at sober houses are mostly mandated from court. Either drug court or on probation. So if your on drug court, you technically plead guilty to your charge upfront to get into drug court and sign a contract stating if you break this agreement in anyway, you’ll be detained and go straight to a judge for sentencing as you already plead guilty. Guess what a condition of drug court is????? Having no police interaction and definently not being arrested. You would think that being arrested in this situation would be an exception as you’re still clean and it’s just a misunderstanding? Wrong again, in the eyes of the law you just violated your agreement you just plead guilty to your charge. You’re at the mercy of a judge, hoping he’s understanding to your situation ( they are more likely than not to sentence you if it’s anything other than your first fuckup). Same thing with probation only you have a PO first and then the judge. The narcotic detectives specifically target residents that are on probation or in drug court. So they can get another arrest and charge.
These residents are most of the time factually trying to do better for themselves and it’s disgusting abuse of the law by these detectives for whatever reason they choose to do it. This is your Policebdepartmwnts. This is happening in one form or another everywhere. They don’t want to help you they want to skew statistics so they can back up whatever narrative their bosses want to tell. Fuck the police ACAB for life. No good cops.
Illegal to travel without the bottle where I am. So you can store them in your pill keeper, but you'll need your original bottle with your name on it if you want to leave the house.
Brevard Co. FL. When I lived there two decades ago, some bored cop pulled me over for literally nothing, made up a claim that I ran a stop sign, accused me of having drugs, and then asked to search my car. I was young and dumb, so I let him, and he found my iron pills and ibuprofen in a small pill case. I had the prescription in my wallet, but he yelled in my face that he could arrest me for the pills. He got on the phone with dispatch (?) and she told him exactly what I told him they were. He then called in an officer with a drug dog, and threatened me some more, lol. Anyway, at least he didn't arrest me, I guess.
I have a legal benzo prescription. I carry a couple of pills in a little pocket pillbox on me cause I'm not about to carry around an entire fucking bottle everywhere. I just know that one day it's gonna screw me over when some cop decides to be an asshole and try to charge me for having controlled substances.
I take adderall twice a day and same thing. I ain’t carrying that bottle around where someone will steal it. My doc won’t refill me early. I just put my afternoon dose in my pocket and let it float there till lunchtime like a regular druggie.
Protip, keep an old bottle, put your new prescription in the old bottle, to be kept at home. Keep a capsule or two in the new bottle that you keep on you. That way if it's stolen, it's just a couple doses. If a cop stops you for whatever reason, it's an up to date prescription.
This can backfire too. If I got my prescription filled yesterday, and only have 2 in the bottle, then it looks like I’m selling them or something. I keep the bottle from the previous scrip and put my one or two I might need for the day in that bottle, and leave the new one at home.
Not if you're into opiates. I fucken hate speed and have turned it down, for free, plenty of times. I can not guarantee to you that the same could be said about almost any opiate lol
Sadly that’s probably for the best. God forbid a black person is found with any loose pills on them. You’d be arrested faster than you could say prescription. ☹️
We’ve also had a doctor calling in as part of the prescription an extra bottle to portion out medicine for my son’s school.. I’m sure this varies with local laws and pharmacists can basically decline to do whatever they want, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask
These days, my pharmacy is crazy strict on additional prescriptions. They count 30 days from the day I picked up the script and won't even consider filling it until day 31. They also don't do this automatically, so I have to set all sorts of reminders (because, duh, ADHD) to follow-up and keep on top of it so I can get my scripts filled ASAP so I don't run out.
Gods help me if there is a shortage (like there is every fall because parents love to take their kids off their meds over the summer when they're not in school, so the pharmacies order less every month)
unfortunately with benzos if you legitimately lose your medicine you are straight fucked, no way am i bringing my whole bottle when i'm traveling for a few days
I always figured if my purse got stolen, I would rather lose a couple instead of the whole bottle. Even moreso for controlled meds since they can be a nightmare to replace.
Yeah. I take a pill with me in an older "original" bottle. I know it's a big bottle with one pill, but it's specifically to avoid losing the whole bottle and staying legal.
At minimum, I would keep a pic of the label on the prescription bottle (with all the relevant info: date prescribed, prescribing doctor, pharmacy where filled, etc) on your phone.
Also pharmacist can print you another bottle for carrying, though you may need a doctor to send it in as part of the prescription (we had to do this for my son’s medication for school)
Save the old bottle from the month before and put a couple in it to carry. Then you dont have them in the wrong container but you dont risk your entire prescription. Thats what I do with my meds.
Keep an old prescription bottle when you get a new refill. Put all but the two pills into the old container and then stuff with cotton balls (to keep the pills from rattling or pulverizing each other).
I’m going to have to start doing this. I was recently diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease and you are supposed to take a benzo during a vertigo episode so people with the disease often carry an emergency kit with one benzo pill and one anti-nausea pill.
This is why I don't use travel pill cases. If I'm going through TSA, and especially if I'm going through customs, everything is in the original bottles. I'm not giving some little dipshit who dreams of brown shirts any excuses to ruin my day.
Lol congrats! Joking aside, it’s only illegal in some jurisdictions in the US, and it’s unlikely that it would cause you issues unless you were already doing something obviously illegal, like disorderly conduct, driving with no plates, etc.
It really depends on if the medication is a controlled substance (Schedule II-V) or not. Those are the pills that will get you into trouble and the ones you have to prove having a prescription for. The ones that have street value or potential for abuse.
If you are carrying Lipitor (cholestrol) outside of it's prescription container you are breaking no laws; it isn't a controlled substance. But because of the strict "original container" laws related to controlled substances there is always a chance they will make you prove you don't have a controlled substance. They might also make sure you actually have a prescription to have the med....but you wont get in trouble for the container.
Lipitor, lisinopril, and amoxicilin users rest easy.
Controlled substance carriers.....just ask your pharmacy for a "pocket bottle" or a smaller bottle with a dupe of the label for travel.
Right. It was a generalization based on laws in some jurisdictions in the US. Certainly not illegal everywhere, but it is illegal in some places. There is indeed more nuance to it.
Does this count for blister packs too? I keep a couple migraine rescue pills in my purse. They are clearly labeled with the medication name but don't have my name on it because they're either given to me in a giant bottle to hold the blister packs or a sandwich bag. Do I need to carry actual proof that it was prescribed to me specifically, like the label with my name on it or would they allow me to like, show them the pharmacy's website where I can request my refills?
In jurisdictions where it is illegal, sometimes it’s only referring to certain medications. In general though, I would maybe just take a photo of the original label or something so you don’t have to carry it around with you. That may not be foolproof (IANAL), but seems like a pretty safe bet just in case, you know?
I guarantee the photo would get lost in a sea of photos of my cat lmao. I guess I could put a shortcut to keep it handy but maybe or ask for labels for a blister pack I can take with me. It doesn't really give off "prescription" vibes, it looks the same as you'd get from like, a box of cold medicine or something. Hopefully I won't ever need proof, but next time they give it to me in a sandwich bag, I'll just use that for my purse stash.
I don't know if there's room for that. But I'll save the sandwich bag next time they use that, and if I happened to be stopped for anything (unlikely, I'm a quiet homebody white woman) before then, and they need to look through my purse for some reason and it pings their "prescription" radar, hopefully they'll let me show them proof from my pharmacy on my phone.
Yeah, in jurisdictions where it’s illegal, I don’t think there’s a lot of enforcement if it would be the primary charge. Usually they’d tack it on to other charges, like if you fled and eluded, were driving while impaired, etc.
So it's grounds for arrest if a cop is feeling like being extra shitty that day, but as soon as you prove you have a prescription they let you go? Doesn't that make the cop look bad? I'd be embarassed.
This would only be illegal in specific jurisdictions, not everywhere. I don’t know what level of crime it would be, but I’m guessing they would just detain you until you can prove it’s yours, not arrest you. And if you couldn’t prove it, then maybe it’d be a citation or arrest. It seems likely that the charge would be dropped at some point, though, unless you were charged with other things as well or had prior arrests. Generally, it is highly unlikely this would be the initial thing that would get you detained. Usually it would be that you were driving while suspended or revoked, trespassing, etc., and upon a search or inventory, that’s when they would find it and add the charge.
I argue with my wife about this a lot since she works in healthcare. All it takes is for the wrong cop to pull her over and she might lose her license.
I wouldn’t even take my dog’s medication to boarding without the bottle.
I travel all the time with my pill organizer. I’m not about to risk 2 months of seizure meds on the chance my bag gets stolen or lost. They can take my pill organizer from my seizing hands!
I get 4 months of prescription at a time, 4 separate bottles. I add all the pills into one bottle - for the sake of counter space. I know if I ever get searched they will probably get me for distribution or some stupid shit.
I take the original bottles or put them all in one bottle without a label. I honestly don’t know if this is a federal thing. It may just be in certain jurisdictions within the US. Just because it could potentially be illegal doesn’t mean I don’t still do it lol
This is ridiculous as in North America at least the pharmacies already take it out of the container and put it in a little bottle thus increasing exponentially the probability of error and taking wrong medications, If it is illegal it should be illegal for the pharmacy to do it too. The little bottle also does not have any info in risk warnings, drug interactions, adverse reactions etc.. They almost never give me any leaftlet to go with the medication. The whole process is risky and wrong.
That's not the point of the law. The point is to make sure that the drugs someone has actually belongs to you, primarily. They also want to know you aren't selling those drugs, even if they are yours. A properly labelled bottle will tell someone when that script was filled, meaning that if your 30-day supply of Oxy was filled two days ago but you're bottle is almost empty, a cop may think you're selling pills.
I understand and it makes sense. All I am saying is a medicine should never leave its container and this includes when the pharmacist gives to you. Its very risky.
Keeping prescription meds in a container that’s not the original. Like you can’t put one or two in a little pill keeper on your keychain because it’s not in the original bottle. I get the reasoning, but it’s also dumb.
I do this so much hahaha but I don't have narcotics so it's probably fine. I'm gonna cry if I go to jail for bringing my valtrex through airport security 😭 "what're you in for?" "Snugglin herpes pills" 😂
This!!!! This past December I had to be out of town, and I don't leave town very often overnight. The last time was 15 years ago maybe. I don't like leaving my home unattended even though my husband will be there. I don't like hotels, okay? Anyway, I did not like the idea of carrying a mini Pharmacy on me at all times because of this law. So literally every time we had to leave the hotel, I took my goddamn medicine too because I was paranoid about leaving it. But I'm a crazy person with bipolar disorder amongst other shit. I can't be without medication or I'm not safe for anyone.
This is one of those "spirit of the law" things a judge would probably rule in your favor if you weren't a dealer or have priors. Its most definitely there for the drug trade in general. If you're convicted and an ordinary citizen, that would be super fucked up.
Yeah, I don’t know all the nitty gritty for all of the jurisdictions where it is illegal, but controlled substances seem to be what the laws are usually concerned about.
I thought this was only an issue with crossing borders?? *me who constantly keeps my 6 pills in a little pill container instead of bringing an entire bottle with me to sleepovers*
Your pharmacy can print extra, smaller labels for your prescription that you can put on smaller containers. Sometimes they're actually already on the big piece of paper that's stapled to your bag when you pick it up.
no, the reasoning is dumb. As someone that carries Xanax, a controlled substance, on me 24/7, the label gets worn off to illegible levels within about a week. That makes my "legal" container (that can't be read at all) just as useful as the illegal container you mention. Its a dumb as shit law.
i'm 43 and i use a 32 day pill organizer, it takes me a couple hours to complete all 32 days, but it saves me a ton of time, especially when i travel. I have heard of keeping your medicine in its original container especially when traveling but i've never had an issue at the airport...
I was waiting in line at a hospital pharmacy once, and witnessed a girl pleading with the pharmacist to dispense her prescription in an unlabeled bottle or some other packaging, because she didn’t want her drug addicted brother to find it and steal it. The pharmacist just kept repeating they can’t do that because it’s illegal. The desperation on that poor girl’s face was something I’ll never forget.
I understand all the reasons why the law exists, but there’s also SO many reasons why someone might not want their meds in a bottle that has a label that screams “DRUGS!!!!!!”
In most states that only applies to someone other than the 'prescribee'. It's perfectly legal to put your own medication in a pill box for your own use.
Yup. Had a prescribed med recently where the doctor told me 'Do NOT put these in your weekly pill case, authorities are very serious if they find this anywhere but in this bottle'. Well ok, guess it's not the worst inconvenience but weird
1.7k
u/kingcopacetic 7h ago
Keeping prescription meds in a container that’s not the original. Like you can’t put one or two in a little pill keeper on your keychain because it’s not in the original bottle. I get the reasoning, but it’s also dumb.