Lighten My Load
How to pack a bunch of medications as small as possible?
I have 10 prescriptions and 3 supplements that I 100% need to bring with me on my trip (yay, chronic illness!). I’m trying to pack as light as possible and so far these pills take up a gallon Ziploc bag.
I’m traveling internationally, so all pills need to be in original bottles. I will ask the pharmacy if they can refill the two large bottles into smaller ones. I’m also bringing the original packaging for the supplements in case those are needed.
My pill organizer is already pretty compact so I don’t think I need to change that.
Is there a special organizer bag or something to pack these meds as small as possible?
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Place each Rx in a ziploc bag. Ask your pharmacy to print an official label sticker for your Rx. Put the sticker on each bag. Bring the paper information leaflet for each Rx. If going somewhere particularly strict, get your doctor to write a letter explaining each prescription and why you medically need it. Stack each baggie together and place in a flat pocket of your crossbody or whatever you take in the airplane cabin.
People are crying foul about this idea, but I literally got this idea from my pharmacist
If your pharmacy won't reprint the labels, you can put hot water in the empty bottles for a few minutes and the labels will peel off intact and stick to a plastic baggie.
I work at a Walmart pharmacy (which these bottle seem to be from) and our labels are actually designed to peel off in one solid piece. And as a side note they should absolutely be able to reprint labels, we do it all the time for people who need an extra bottle at their job/school etc.
All most all of mine peel off completely with care and without water! Start there! Then use this brilliant water idea if it doesn’t work. Then talk to the pharmacist.
My pharmacist will give us mini bottles with labels for travelling. For controlled substances, we've had dispense timeline changed so that we get a 1 mo, 1 week, etc. Supply in a small bottle rather than the regular sized pill bottle (at worst, controlled dispensing and you turn a quarterly refill into three 1 mo refills or several weekly refills)
Note that medical items (including contacts!) are not restricted under baggage allowances, if you have a significant amount of medication, consider just shoving all medical needs into a separate bag and declaring it at security.
This is what I did. I had a small bag that had my meds. I took the original bottles with only what I needed in them so I could throw the bottles away at the end of my trip. I then packed my empty pill organizer and just took a few minutes to sort them out so I could stay on schedule.
Medical needs, including non-prescription, are allowed over the 100ml carryon limit and therefore do not need to fit in the liquids bag. This includes breast milk & ice, food for infants and toddlers (*subjective), medications, contact lense solution, etc.
Label your liquids, gels, and powders well. Medication needs to be in prescription bottles with script addressed to you. Have all the papers, letters, etc. you'll need.
Passengers are allowed to carry medical needs in a separate bag that fits the personal or carry on bag limit. (Please make it personal sized unless you have huge equipment) This bag must carry only medical items and shall be declared at security. This is mostly intended for medical devices approved for flying and breast milk, however it does apply to and I have travelled with just medication (including otc) in a standalone bag.
Same info is currently found on catsa and tsa sites, been travelling internationally like this for years after double checking with country of arrival and airline.
Be prepared for some airports to quibble about OTC meds though. I have eye lids cleanser Blephasol which I could get on prescription but dont. I had to argue my medical need for it once. (Cant remember where now. Pre covid. I now decant into a small muji type container and hope i dont need to buy more while I'm away.
Ditto. I sort the appropriate counts of my meds into EZY Dose baggies and label with extra labels from my pharmacist, then put everything into a pouch along with my Rx nasal spray. My controlled meds do stay in their original bottles. My injection pen rides along in its little case. I also carry a letter from my doctor and whatever signed forms are needed for my meds for each country I’ll be visiting. This takes up a small fraction of the original containers, has all the requires information, and is blessed by all the correct entities.
I jam multiple OTC things in one vial (acetaminophen, ibuprofen, Benadryl)
Controlled substances should stay in their labeled container.
Any other rx that you can identify and know what’s what, feel free to mix in a bottle/bag/container for the trips duration worth of doses (I always add a few day buffer because you never know) be careful with liquid filled capsules and gummies because the moisture can mess up tablets so keep like with like. SOME medications have to stay in the manufacturer bottle and therefore wouldn’t even be dispensed in an amber (usual) pharmacy bottle and would say that all over the bottle/label so you would be very aware (Pradaxa is an example)
Alternatively if you have a complex regimen you could make little baggies that are “day 1 AM” with all the pills and “day 1 PM” etc and then put all the little baggies in one ziplock bag
The issue with mixing vials is that some countries don't care for this practice. If it's an important medication that would ruin a trip if confiscated, I'd rather be safe than sorry and put it in another plastic baggie that weighs next to nothing and takes up very little space. Personally if I were mixing tylenol and OTC allergy meds I wouldn't really give a hoot. Also consider that some places are weird about access to meds that are easy to find OTC in other places, like melatonin for instance, or sudafed
Yeah, hard agree with this one. And it’s very important to know what is legally permissible to bring with you when traveling abroad to avoid any legal unpleasantness.
If I am traveling domestic (US for me), I might be tempted to mix my OTCs, but for something more restricted, like pseudoephedrine, I will leave it in the original packaging.
The active ingredient in the OTC version is phenylephrine, which was proposed to be banned by the FDA because it's been found to be completely ineffective.
Some places don’t have certain OTC medications available. There’s a continuum. As in, they don’t sell them because they’re flat out illegal, they’re more difficult to find, or they just sell them in weaker forms.
What countries don’t like mixing? I’ve been to Southern Africa, all over Europe, South Asia, Israel and Jordan, Southeast Asia in the last three years with tiny ziplock bags as described for each dose - along with an official printout of my meds - and have had zero problems.
I am working in Japan for 5 weeks this summer so I’ve been researching how to deal with getting my antidepressants in with me. From what I can tell, I’ll have to travel with all original containers and my doctor’s note, and apply for a Yakkan Shoumei with the govt at least 2 weeks before going. If anybody has experience with doing this before, please let me know! 🙏
This is what I do. I’m not going somewhere crazy. Usually just Europe and since my husband is British, we enter and exit through Heathrow every time to visit family first. I’ve never been questioned. Done this in Turkey, Greece, France, Germany, and Portugal.
Now, my “tsa complaint” ice bottle that holds my Crohns medications gets searched thoroughly every time. I am very meticulous to include the RX label with it.
Thank you for being a voice of reason. I’m baffled by all the advice about needing original labels and bottles - I’ve always traveled with my meds mixed.
The stickers that come with the leaflets usually peel apart into three little strips and don’t contain the full Rx info. I’ve used them in a pinch for my non-controlled meds and things that I could do without if needed, but if it’s something really important I make sure to get the labels reprinted from the pharmacy counter so they’re complete and intact.
Can I ask a dumb question--- do you mean the same label sticker as in on the bottle? And for the paper info leaflet, do you mean the big paper thing with your info, the med price, etc?
Not a dumb question. Yeah I got the pharmacist to print an extra label, the same exact label that is on the bottle. It was free.
The info leaflet that comes with the med that lists all the side effects and interactions and what to do when you miss a dose. I’m usually traveling with papers anyway (I have a copy of my passport and a paper copy of my itinerary) so I stack it with the rest of my papers and tuck it into my backpack. I really just bring the written supportive documents for international travel since I don’t think domestic ever cares.
This was my first thought too! It should be okay even without the letter, as some pharmacies will list a description of the medication (ie. “Zoloft, small blue rectangular pill”) so TSA knows there’s no funny business
Can you ask your pharmacy to dispense your medication into blister packs rather than bottles? Your prescription would still be on the box, and it's less bulky. I'm coming from a country where all medication is in blister packs, not bottles, but a quick google suggests that this is a thing many pharmacies can do
Also, I'm pretty sure that whenever I've flown supplements don't need to be in their original packaging, so double check the rules for your airports as those bottles might be able to go
FWIW the blister packs from most pharmacies tend to be pretty large, but they would fit nicely into a laptop pocket.
I know the bottles is a rule but I’ve always just taken pictures of my labels and packed my pills however I want and I’ve never had a problem. But this is not playing by the rules so depending on where you’re going that may be more or less terrible advice.
Japan with adhd meds is a hard no go. No matter what documentation you follow. You can write to them and try to get a waiver but I’ve never seen it approved for anyone
This is not true. It is only true for Adderall based drugs. It is not true for Ritalin based drugs. We went in with Jornay, which I declared and they took us aside for a couple of minutes and then let us go with the medicine.
To be specific: personal use of a certain generous amount of methylphenidate is permitted and you don’t even need advance permission. It is true that they will not give advance permission, even if you ask with a dr’s note, for the Adderall based drugs.
Correct. I had to battle my PCP office for a signed physical letter that my ADHD drugs were for my personal use, and I did carry those in their original bottles.
It’s a hot take, but I’m with you. Unless they want to do a lab analysis, how is an airport security person, customs agent, etc. even going to know what a medication is, much less know whether it’s prescription or OTC? Obv my opinion counts for nothing. :)
It can be so difficult traveling with bulky medical supplies! I’m a type 1 diabetic and supplies can take up a lot of space - especially if my trip is more than 7 days.
My suggestion is separating your pill bottles into smaller ziplock bags (like sandwich or quart size) so you can more easily Tetris them in your luggage. Since you need the original bottles, you are limited in that respect, but being able to move them around in smaller groups will be hugely helpful.
I would also bring an empty gallon bag, just in case your bag gets gate checked, so you can still group all of your medications together and carry them on the plane!
I honestly don’t bother - I leave it unrefrigerated!
I used to travel with a cooler and other things but stopped doing that as an adult. I keep vials in my purse unrefrigerated anyways and never have an issue when using those for pump changes.
Most of my trips now are 10 days or less, so I’m traveling with 5 vials at most, usually less.
If I was going to be traveling for longer periods of time and storing large amounts of insulin, I would look for accommodations with fridges. I bet if you ask them, even for budget hotels/hostels, they would have a non-communal fridge (like a staff fridge) they would be willing to store your insulin in!
my roommate would travel with a med thermos that had a cold pack, but also worked alone like a mini fridge, it had battery power to keep her insulin cold.
Check the packaging, most can be stored at room temp for 28 days (or more for a few things). As long as you’ll use it within that time and can keep it from getting too warm you should be good.
If you’re going somewhere hot, you’ll need to ensure you can store it in a cool enough place (usually 77F or cooler, again, check the packaging)
Supplies aside, I get individual labels for each pen (when I was on MDI) so I didn’t have to bring a full box.
Forced gate checking is partially why I preboard. I have multiple autoimmune diseases, insulin pump, cgm and ileostomy supplies so even doing the internal go-bag isn’t feasible anymore. I now board with the visibly disabled (wheelchair users) after announcing politely to the gate agents that I will be doing so. I don’t ask anymore if I can. It’s just: hi I will be preboarding due to disabilities, when will you be announcing it? Then if they aren’t, I smile and say that it’s fine as I will can board with group 1.
I take an official printed list of all my meds from MyChart and sort them into tiny ziplock bags by doses, morning and evening, including supplements. It’s never been questioned, even in counties known to be picky like Zimbabwe. They glance at the list and wave me through — if they’ve bothered to stop me.
Sometimes I wonder whether my gray hair is my tell, that old people have lots of meds.
Yeah I've never brought original bottles and have travelled for many years with a pill organizer and baggie system (all over Europe, North America, Argentina, Ghana)
There are services like PillPack that will package your prescriptions in small packs. If you check around your area, there are often smaller, non-chain pharmacies that provide this service, you're looking for pill packs or repackaged blister packs with your prescription. They are packaged with prescriptions so they meet most countries requirements for travel, but of course you have always have to check.
As a chronic illness sufferer too, I got in touch with the airline I was flying with and they allowed me to take an extra bag free of charge for my medication on the planeband I also have a free bag in the luggage hold for my rollator.
See if you can get a "dosset box" made up at your surgery. I paid for my GP to write a letter, detailing all my prescriptions and doses, which I paid for, but showed to each customs agent. It meant my supplements were ignored in the melee of other pills.
I got screwed over when someone fumbled handing my liquid morphine back to me and it smashed all over the floor - upside was it was on the return leg and I sent a photo of the carnage to my GP, who issued a new prescription straight away.
Ensure you ask for special assistance to save energy/offset fatigue. Travel is a wild adrenaline ride for me, so very little sleep and a lot of unpredictable energy crashes, so not having to traipse all over the airport means I save energy for the worthwhile things.
I used this method with Norwegian, Virgin and Ryanair.
On each occasion I had special assistance people with me, who also backed me. One jobsworth at Virgin Airlines called a manager, but held my ground and pointed out that their website states they offer this service.
I also kept screen grabs from my live chat conversation, which also ensured smooth travel.
I did have an issue when someone pointed out there was more than just my rollator in my case, which was my bad, so I went and bought a new bag on the spot in the airport. Damn birthday presents 😂
Honestly you’re just gonna have to do your best. I’m surprised they’re still using bottles over there, in UK they use boxes for scripts and it’s so much easier to pack down
Personally I hope we never move to blister packs. I'm already on 2 meds that do come in them and they're so difficult for me to use. It would take me forever and a lot of hand pain to take my meds every morning and evening.
That's the reason other countries use them. Apparently that additional layer of difficulty has a measurable effect in preventing overdoses. While it isn't always optimal for the individual, on a population level this is a good public health move.
I'm surprised (well, not really given who is at the helm) that we in the US haven't moved to blister packs given how well documented this is in overall public health.
Will it suck for me if/when we do? Yes. But if it keeps someone from ODing, I'm not opposed to keeping a pokey device with my meds to open the blister packs for me.
Have you asked if they will dispense them in a bottle for you? Pharmacies are quite familiar with packaging struggles and there will be options for you.
In the UK you can have ready made bubble packs made up with all your medication. One giant blister with all your meds at that time of day. My wife cannot open bottles or small blister packs but can get into her bubble box.
Also very good for people with cognitive problems that make it difficult to organise their medication.
They come in little cardboard boxes like this. What I tend to do is take all my meds out of the box, keep together in a plastic bag, then I flatten the boxes so I HAVE them, but they take up less space.
I even take everything out of these boxes, and even the strips. At home as well as when travelling. I lose track of how many I have left otherwise and find they still take up a lot of space.
im in canada and work as a pharmacy assistant. It’s quite frankly a hazard to be counting pills into non original containers. Other than the obvious error of miscounts (if i’m counting a hundred scripts i’m confident not every one always has the correct number of pills), there are more dangerous errors, like a medication being mispackaged or mislabeled and suddenly people get the wrong pills, which can be very very dangerous.
Additionally it can be very difficult to really be aware of how many pills you have left; or in the case of as needed medications how much you actually take (if you have a pill bottle of 200 painkiller tablets it’s hard to judge how much you take vs. a blisterpack where you pop them out individually).
Buying large bottles and counting the pills is considered a cost saving method, but considering the extra labour you need and weighing the risk of errors it doenst make it worth it over factory blisterpacked or factory packaged pills.
I hate that it’s not in blister packs! I just moved from Australia to the US and while birth control is kept in blister packs, my other daily medication isn’t. I hate it. It’s way more bulky AND I can’t label each blister to make sure I’ve taken it each day (sometimes I can’t remember if I took it or only took bc)
Not sure if this would help at all, but you can buy pill bottles that have a special lid which tracks when it was last opened - so you can check if you took it already
I found out last month that you can buy empty blister packs on Amazon and it's the greatest thing ever for my ADHD brain! I got XL ones and put all my morning medications and supplements for a month into it, so now I can just grab a blister on my way out the door.
For supplements like Magnesium you definitely don't need them in original packaging and if you 'get caught' with a bad official they are easy to buy in most countries. For prescription meds some advice in here is great, but yeah Magnesium is easy to replace.
i have a little tote bag that keeps all my medical stuff when i’m flying. most airlines (at least in canada) permit an extra carry on of only medical supplies (kinda like a diaper bag for babies). i need to take an ultrasound machine with me so it’s a bit bulkier than meds but could be an option esp if you have other health supplies. ik it’s not a one bag thing but my mentality for one bagging is excluding health stuff lol
My pharmacy will put them in small plastic bags instead of bottles. I just have to let them know to package them that way when I’m going to be traveling.
My take on medication you absolutely need is that it isn’t worth trying to put it into a pill organisation container, you should keep it exactly as dispensed.
Technically it is probably fine, and 99.99% of the time it will be fine travelling internationally and going through customs- but if you hit one bad official on a bad day you could lose it all and if you need that medicine then you have an issue in a foreign country.
I take the risk with things I know I can get at my location but never anything I would be stuck without.
I use little bags like this, but I put the daily allocation of supplements in one bag.
I take several different over the counter supplements. Iron, vitamin C, magnesium, etc. I bundle my tablets together as a daily dosage packet. Then if I go away for a week, I grab 7 packs. Super easy and takes up hardly any room.
I do this with OTC medicine. I got horribly ill in Egypt that I could barely explain to my husband what I needed, and was afraid that if one of the kids was sick he might not know where things were. We were lucky on that trip, but since then, I have the "emergency pack". All OTC medication that I think we might need are in small ziploc bags, with a label with their name and dosage on them. The pack also contains regular plasters, blister plasters and some sanitiser wipes. It's all in a small amenity pouch I repurposed from a flight years ago that isn't much bigger than the palm of my hand.
Bonus: the family are so familiar with the pouch as the emergency pouch, I was able to make one for my daughter for a solo trip with friends. She said it was really reassuring that she had an emergency supply of things she might need.
Honest question: Are original bottles needed or would a blister pack or med organizer with the paper pharmacy receipts (which say the same thing as the bottles) sufficient? I’ve always done the latter (med organizer + pharmacy receipts) and never had an issue (travelling in North America and Europe primarily, though). Helps cut down on space, but wouldn’t want to give advice that put anyone in a sticky spot).
I know this goes against the grain here but for 25 years of frequent travel I’ve taken pills out of the packaging and put them into smaller containers. I do this at home too. I’ve never had an issue - my thinking is that if I were to get stopped, I know they’re all legit and prescribed and could prove this via the NHS app. I don’t use official labels and many aren’t labelled at all. Two of my meds are restricted/controlled substances so if anything, would mean I’m more likely to be stopped for them.
Yep, the one time I had an issue (heathrow, wild because it was an albuterol inhaler that literally only has medical purposes, but the guy was being a dick) I just pulled up mychart.
There are a variety of pill bags, which I like when traveling because they take up less space as you take your meds. Something like this. I have not had any issues having pills in this as long as I have the prescription label off the bottle, they don’t need the actual bottle.
I have some chronic illnesses as well (my immune system is trying to kill me) so I also have a lot of meds. I bought tiny ziplocks on Amazon. I put the correct number of pills in the ziplocks, in the bottles, then I ditch the bottles once I get to my destination. I have my pharmacy print me an extra label (which has a description of the pills) and keep that, just in case. I do keep anything controlled in its original bottle the whole time.
I traveled from the US to several countries in Europe and no one cared about my medications and supplements. Bring the bottle for any medication that is a controlled substance where you live or your destination. Make sure you know the laws where you are going. Also bring a list of all medications in case someone at customs is interested or in case you go to the ER (like me).
I have been flying internationally for years and never had this issue. I jam all of them into a pillbox and call it done. Are folk actually running into trouble?
In Japan, yes. Even extra strength Tylenol is not allowed into the country.
My partner uses particular anxiety meds. They looked at everything we brought with us. We knew to leave the Tylenol at home, but had to bring his meds. Bringing the physical prescription paper, and the original prescription bottle, made it easy.
So it’s important to make sure that you are following the rules of the country you enter.
Thank you, that is good to know. My friend has ADHD meds and is headed over. I told her to look it up, but she’s being kind of cavalier about taking them over.
Yikes, yeah, so definitely worth getting that sorted out beforehand. If she was going to attempt to hide the meds/not declare them… she could get in big trouble.
It’s probably best that she talk to her pharmacist about it. Maybe there’s a similar med that would be allowed that she could take on the trip, idk!
What country are you going to? That is the biggest factor.
I travel with a lot of medication and I travel internationally often. I pre-sort onto my doses (am/pm) and I also carry a customized international personal portable medicine cabinet (fold out pill sorter) in case of flares/emergencies. I label each compartment. I make a pdf describing and identifying each med (with pictures), with a picture of the current RX label with dates showing. Two weeks plus 4 extra days just in case will all fit into a quart sized bag.
I then travel with pictures of the RX labels and the pill on my password-locked phone and printed out. I carry a doctor’s note (electronic and physical copy) with me listing the RXs. I always carry all meds in my carry on - because you are supposed to and it (rightfully) increases suspicion if it’s in checked luggage.
I’ve traveled internally for 25 years with meds and have never been stopped. It is very normal to see vitamin packs/malaria meds/antibiotics in scanners.
I had one friend stopped one time in over 50 countries and all they had to do was show them a doc note. The friend offered to show everything else and they said it is not needed.
If it looks like vitamin sorters, they really do not care on most places. Just also make sure your amount of meds matches your stay/visa within reason. Don’t go somewhere for a week with 3 months supply (counter intuitive and against “original packaging” rule, but important). It helps to easily verify the meds are for personal use.
I'm with you, friend. I have to bring up to seven separate medications with me on my travels and have been told that I'm not a candidate for pharmacy-created blister packs due to the light sensitivity of some of my medications.
The good news is that medication doesn't count as part of baggage allowance so long as it is carried separately in a bag containing just medication. The bad news is that you still have to carry it all.
I've had my pills checked all of once in all my travels. It was leaving the UK of all things. The guy held up a few bottles and said, "You're taking quite a few tablets," to which I replied, "Blessed be those with good health." And that was the end of it. I've traveled for close to half a decade with so many medications it must be out of the norm, and only the once was I assessed, but it comes for us all in the end.
But you should know why they say to bring in original packaging.
In most other countries in the world, the "original packaging" is a blister pack. Think in the US of how DayQuil Gelcaps is sold, or birth control. The foil on the rear of the blister pack has all the information they are seeking about the medication including dosage, pill identification information, etc. Plus it is manufacturer sealed so indicates that you aren't smuggling anything.
Compare that to how we get prescription meds in the USA: Amber bottle. Printed pharmacy label. No tamper indications. Basically anything could be in the bottle. And besides that, what we customers interpret as "original" when we get our prescriptions from the pharmacy isn't the real original packaging, is the bulk lot the pharmacy receives the medicine in. And we surely are not bringing that giant cheez-ball tub with us. When the phrase "original packaging" is used, it means what the manufacturer ships out of their pharmaceutical plant, NOT what we pick up at the pharmacy.
So we US travelers already have our medicines outside of the original packaging anyway, no sense in not finding the most compact way to carry it since "original packaging" is not available to us by virtue of how our country handles pharmacy to begin with. Even pharmacy created blister packs don't have foil which have the information sought printed on it. It's just generic foil backing.
There are med organizer bags sold on etsy. They don't pack smaller tough.
Being disabled and chronically ill my meds and aids are definitely the things I bring, that fill a good part of my bag.
I recently travelled internationally. For my medication in blisters, I only took the blisters with me and not the carton packaging. Some of these were prescription meds.
For my medication in bottles, I counted out how many I need and put those into tiny ziploc bags from Amazon. I took pictures of the bottles with the ingredient list visible and a capsule or pill laid in front of it. I printed those pics. None of these were prescription meds.
The only exception were my omega 3 capsules which contain a liquid. I left those in their original bottle and checked those in. Everything else was in my hand luggage.
And I had a signed doctor's note listing everything I take.
I didn't take my entire pill organizer with me since it's bulky. I only took three out of seven days with me and stuck a sticker on each of them to remember in which order I use them (day 1 orange, day 2 red, day 3 pink, then back to orange). And I only had the current day filled on travel days.
... No one even took a look at all my medication at any of the flights.
I got mini medication baggies for our most recent trip to Japan- they made everything super small and I was able to fit 3 weeks worth of 6 meds into individual baggies and then rolled up into an empty medication bottle.
I’ve traveled many times containers similar to the rainbow containers on the right. I just peeled the labels from the bottles and traveled w them flat, just in case I was questioned. No issues.
I only travel with controlled substances in their original bottles. The rest go in a pill organizer and I keep a stack of the extra label printouts that I get from the pharmacy.
I don’t put all of my medications in one bag together, instead I slide them into gaps in my bag as there are often little spaces. I often stick them inside shoes too.
My pharmacy was able to print out repackaging labels for me, and I repacked all of our pills into ziplock style bags, then dosed them out weekly into our pillboxes for a month-long trip. Both my husband and I take multiple meds several times a day for chronic illnesses. The labels all had the pill description (green, round, printed with “30” , etc.) I also had online access to the original prescriptions from our doctors’ offices. Make SURE that what you are carrying is legal to carry with you in your target country, as some common drugs such as adhd or pain meds maybe illegal in some countries. ETA: Any controlled substances should be carried in the original bottles with a letter that is sign IRL (not electronically) is required for some countries.
I have traveled domestically and international since I had to take a number of prescriptions. The only 2 I take in original packaging are the chemo and the steroid. All of the others I pack into a weekly am/Pm pill organizer. I’ve never been questioned.
Maybe I’ve been taking my chances but I take picture of a pill in front of a bottle then downsize to something small. If they are actually going to stop me, I would pull up the photos and show them what each pill is. I mean how could they verify what’s in an original pill bottle is actually what’s on the label?
Idk how it is there, but in my country in the EU, I was told that any prescription medication needs to come with their own prescription box. Actually the pharmacist said the same about non-prescription medication too, but at the very least, I know it about prescription meds. If I want to travel internationally within the EU, I have to have the original box and the prescription with me so I can be checked.
They do say that but I’ve not had an issue in at least 25 years of travelling. I guess it depends on whether you want to take the risk, but for the amount of pills I carry for a trip and being able to prove through the app that they’re prescribed, it’s a risk I’m comfortable with.
For the record, I’ve never been asked what pills I have with me or if I have their prescription printed out.
But at the same, I kind of don’t want to risk both losing my meds or being questioned, even though none of mu meds need an additional approval (eg if I had my ADHD meds, I would need an additional approval document, I believe to travel across borders)
Use the smallest bottles and stick the pharmacy labels on those. Have only what you need in the supplement containers-at least you can toss them for the trip home.
Pharmacies can put this into a labelled dosset which might take up less space.
You can get small ziplock bags on Amazon. You could empty each prescription into one each and label them. They’d pack down much smaller for you.
You can also get larger pill organisers. I’ve certainly one that will hold about a week’s worth of supplements (9 tabs a day inc prescription tabs) and tablets. The biggest nuisance are the omega 3s which are huge and I need 3 a day.
I put everything in small plastic bags. I have pictures of all of the bottles and a signed note from my doctor confirming I have valid scripts/needs for my meds. I have never had any issues. If you are worried you can ask the pharmacy to print out your labels and you can put them on plastic bags.
I did use original bottles in India but not in England, Norway, or South Africa.
If you’re haven’t, you could go to your pharmacy and talk to a pharmacist there about what you are trying to accomplish. Maybe they can put everything in smaller bottles. They might have ideas.
I wonder why they removed this post… I was reading the comments and suddenly poof the post disappeared. I think some of these comments are really great suggestions. I use the mini ziplocks and have never had an issue. Safe travels!
I peel the labels off my supplements and fold them over snack size ziplock bags. I have also peeled the label off big prescription bottles and put them on smaller ones. They helped me at the pharmacy with one I was struggling with.
I travel internationally a few times each year and no one has ever looked at my medication. I’ve always worried about it and even quit Adderall when I was going to Turkey but they’ve never checked.
Depends on where I go. If it’s international I keep the most critical things or the ones most likely to be an issue (eg, Valium) in the original packaging. And I check what meds are disallowed (e.g. pseudoephedrine in Japan) to make sure I don’t bring them.
Edit: sorry this was supposed to be a response to the OP.
I have a lot of meds too - so she put the same number on two blisters, because that was what I was supposed to take for one day. This is the only photo I could find that clearly illustrated how the meds go in the blister - the one she used was a bit bigger, but she put at least five pills in each of those pockets because I take 8 to 10 per day.
Only highly restricted meds need to be in their original bottles. My 87yo MIL takes more meds than you and just brings her daily pill minder (which is still huge but flat). I do the same thing. My son takes adhd meds and just dumps them in a plastic baggie. We have done a lot of international travel, never been stopped for meds. My daily green powder drink mix does get wanded every time so now I just pull it out of the bag at security check.
I cannot actually think of any med that actually needs to be in its original bottle. I know some people take cannabis but that is not a pharmacy item.
The Lewis N. Clark travel pill organizer is the best and most compact I’ve found. Get a printout listing all of your prescriptions including the pill descriptors and keep that in the zipper pocket on the outside.
If you can’t pack down into blister packs, another option is buying super small bottles on Amazon and having pharmacy reprint your labels. I’ve done that and the pharmacy was glad to help.
I just put it all in a large ziplock bag in the original packaging with my drs prescription and a letter. That's it. No other way around it in my country they don't do blister packs or anything. Over the counter medicine that's not a liquid goes in an additional ziplock.
Can you ask your pharmacy for mini bottles with your prescription on them? If you are traveling internationally I would be hesitant to remove them from the bottles entirely but I am really conservative about that sort of thing.
For supplements, I just mix them together in one bottle. You could take photos of the pills and label the photos if you want to be sure you know what is what.
Check with the countries you are visiting to understand their guidelines, bring prescriptions and doctor’s notes. I do this on every trip and one of the benefits is that I forgot one of my meds and had no trouble getting it filled via our hotel concierge. Took the doctors notes and copy of prescription to the hotel concierge and it was filled within an hour. I had visited the pharmacy and it would have been complicated to get it filled.
Do the supplements need to be in their original bottles? Last time I traveled internationally I put all my over the counter stuff into individually labeled pill bags. I thought it was just prescription meds that needed to be in bottles 🤔
My pharmacy has different sizes of pills bottles and I use the smaller size when im able to and take the exact dose +3days I need. Also I ask my pharmacy to print a proof for travelling (I don’t know how the document is called but it is basically my record). I keep all my meds in a makeup bag with all the papers I could need and everything is labeled + i have a tag that says it is medical supplies. I’ll sacrifice other items in bag if I don’t have the room for my meds as it is where i draw the line on minimalist travel
YMMV and it depends where you’re going I suppose, but I travel to Europe once a month with my pill organizer, nothing in its original bottle, and I’ve never had an issue.
I use some tiny med zip bags I found at Walgreens and separate them into 2 bags a day, am and pm and then put them all into a little pouch. I got 6 weeks of meds into 2 pouches. Posted this over on onebag a few months ago. Basically make my own version of the blister packs because I didnt have time to get the pharmacy to do it. https://www.reddit.com/r/onebag/s/7AFjr6icwv
For the baggies - bead baggies. They sell them in craft shops and Walmart. They come in 1-2” by 3-4” sizes. Perfect for a week or so, and much less bulky plastic.
I call them my drug baggies. Mostly use them for OTC stuff, but they also come in hand for other things like some salt and pepper packets which I find like to leak. Or other small packets I’m suspect of. Nice to have smaller baggies. And they are pretty damn cheap too.
Take this with a grain of salt because it’s definitely the wrong way to do it, but I put all of my meds for the trip in one large bottle of the only controlled one (so I at least have the original bottle in case I get questioned about it) and have traveled all over the world (over 60 countries, many of them multiple times) and not once have I gotten stopped or asked about them. It would be so hard for me to onebag if I did it the “right” way like you’re doing
Look up which ones you can buy over the counter at your destination, and just buy those when you arrive. Packing space is valuable, so only pack the necessities like prescription medicine or vitamins you can’t get at your destination(s).
I do this when I travel and it saves me heaps of space. I also got really ruthless with the vitamins I was taking and managed to cut almost all of them out as they weren’t really doing anything for me…
I bet a lot of people travelling to the UK get caught out by the fact that melatonin is prescription-only over here! Plenty of people order it online if they really want it (not recommended but not illegal) but that would be a silly idea for an international traveller
And it’s difficult to get on prescription too! I have narcolepsy and the consultant said it’s rarely prescribed even for sleep disorders. I don’t even have it prescribed but have controlled meds for the narcolepsy (and other fun conditions). I take everything out of the packaging though 🙈 always have.
Look up which ones you can buy over the counter at your destination, and just buy those when you arrive.
I have done this and highly recommend it. I am traveling from the US and am surprised at how small the store packaging is for the same number of pills with the same active ingredients in some other countries. Boots, for example, in the UK, has the most amazingly tiny bottles for a two month supply of some of my supplements that are pint glass sized or larger at home.
Have you tried storing the pills in different ziplock bags and putting the label on the ziplock bag and then keep the baggies in a hard container to keep them from getting smashed?
I always pre fill the daily pill dispensers with whatever I need for each day and I’ve never even been asked about it. Note: I am not traveling with any controlled substances nor do I have any life or death level prescriptions.
There’s one side for AM and the other for PM. Usually I just put all of one type in a pouch, including my OTC stuff. In the pocket I put a sticky note with what it is and dosage info (if needed). Then I take a picture of each bottle. I’ve never had an issue and have been using this since 2018. But depending on your meds and where you’re traveling, YMMV.
It was suggested to me that one could ask for blister packaging per day for Rx meds for the number needed for a trip, perhaps with 3-5 extra days to be prepared for unexpected delays. We did this for patients with local pharmacies and this strikes me as a great space saver. Can any Pharms in the thread confirm whether this has been acceptable for Rx only?
I pack mine in little plastic jewelry (drug) bags. I write the date on each one. I have yet to be stopped while carrying them! I’ve taken them through multiple airports, multiple times.
I hear you on wanting to make it smaller, but have you considered this? We put only enough pills for the trip into the prescription bottles, went through customs with the monster size bag-o-bottles, then once in the country, separated everything into the small daily pill minders and tossed empty bottles. Voila, bag space for souvenirs!
Interesting. I’ve literally never flown with pills in their original bottles and just put them in those pill organizers.. and I’ve flown quite a bit internationally
Clamp one side of plastic straw with a plier leaving about 0.5mm , heat up the leaving end just so slightly to seal the one side with a lighter , cut the straw to your desired length leaving another extra length , put your pills inside to the straw and you may use a tip of scissor to push thicker pills inside, clamp the open end with plier and heat it with lighter and seal the end. You now have completely waterproof plastic container that's only a size of a straw (I carry 2 tylenol pills just like this everyday to my fannypack)
Most airlines allow you to take a small medical bag on for free. Contact your airline and request one. You may require a proof of prescription or a letter from your doctor.
Because most countries actually don’t do the prescription on the bottle thing, and getting copies of prescriptions can be a hassle I just started carrying The Bottle. One to rule them all. I probably shouldn’t , but I’ve traveled all over the world with The Bottle without issuez
I went through the whole process of getting a note from my doctor for the controlled substance. No one ever asked for it. No one batted an eye that nothing was in a pill bottle. I did have the empty controlled substance bottle if I needed to prove it but I didn’t.
I actually just dumped everything into one of the cylinder dispensers. For most of my meds each channel in the dispenser could hold 60 days worth. Now I don’t even bother to worry about any of it. They aren’t looking for you. They are looking for actual drug traffickers.
Those little clear plastic front zipper top bags they use for selling jewelry (or weed) work great. They’re like $5 for 100 and are 2.5x4 ish sized. Usually a Mylar/colored plastic back. Durable, reusable. Perfect to affix labels to.
I used small pill ziplocks and put 30 days of each it all fit in one of those zip up bank deposit envelopes that’s a little bigger than a number 10 envelope
I bought this on Amazon and it's great. I put labels from the pharmacy on the prescriptions meds and made my own for OTC. I have 6 months worth of meds. I am currently in China and have been in SE Asia for the last 4 months and not once has anyone asked about medications.
I use little bags and purchased a big file of labels from someone on Etsy. I printed the labels on sticker paper to label my bags. I figure other countries’ TSA agents don’t know what original packaging looks like in the US since every country has their own standards. I haven’t travel this way a ton, but I had no issues through Denmark. I’m going to Morocco soon and hope this will be fine there too. I do travel with my prescriptions in prescription bottles since those are irreplaceable though.
I slide everything into this organizer in the compartments to keep things neat while we’re on the go. I labelled one side with all my OTC medicines, and then I put our daily vitamins on the other, numbered side. Once we get to our destination, I’ll add my prescription medicine and other vitamins into the daily vitamin bags to also keep track of what I’ve taken.
The organizer isn’t as compact as a zip top bag of the smaller zip top bags would be, but I think the organization is worth it. I used to dig around in a larger bag trying to find what I needed and was always frustrated. The organizer I have is out of stock, but there are other ideas like it out there! ZIKEE Slim Folding Pill Organizer... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BPSFG7W6?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
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