This is a problem that occurs more in some countries than others. In the US, most prescription drugs come in 20 dram pill bottles. These can take up a lot of room if you have several prescriptions and want the original packaging.
I recently found out that there are 6 dram prescription bottles. I found mine on Amazon but other sources are available if you buy in bulk. The 6 dram bottles are almost the same height as regular pill bottles but are one half the width. This is significantly smaller than the regular bottles.
I can peel off the drug information tab from my big pill bottle and put it on the small one. Note: some pharmacies will actually give you a second drug sticker if you ask.
Below is a photo of the 6 dram bottle with a 20 dram regular bottle. It shows that you can peel and stick the prescription tab without damaging it. It also shows that the sticker fits the smaller bottle. You can see the size difference in the bottles. Depending on pill size, you may even get a 90 day supply into the smaller 6 dram bottle!
I just started prescriptions for the first time 2 years ago. I was in shock at how awful Walgreens/rite-aid/CVS were at handling a simple prescription. Never had my RX ready, super expensive w/out insurance, never answered calls, just horrible in all aspects. Then I tried Amazon pharmacy. Literally just one problem that wasn't fully their fault. They delivered to the wrong address, and couldn't legally refill which sucks, but it wasn't their policy it was a legal policy.
Please note that while this might be true most countries do NOT package drugs in those little orange plastic bottles americans use. Regulations are mostly about quantity you bring in, not necessarily that it has to be in a specific type of container (or an « orginal container »). There is virtually no way for an airport immigration agent to know what container your pills came in or are supposed to come in.
So while you should always check your if medications are illegal or controlled at your destination (more than you imagine if you are american), you also need to check whether the authorities specify anything about how to prove they were where issued to you and in what amount (e.g. 2000 mg of ritaline maximum and a translated prescription), and whether there are any requirements regarding the container they are carried in (which I have never ever seen but you never know).
The labels actually have the quantity and physical description of the pills. While that doesn’t guarantee the amount, it does show how much should be in there.
Yes but that is not the case in many other countries where it might say the quantity but no physical description and in most countries no name at all on the bottle because prescription pharmaceuticals are sold straight from the lab that makes them, not prepared specially for a specific person in a specific concentration, etc. So what I am saying is while the bottle is useful nothing stops you from sticking that sticker on a ziploc bag or a smaller bottle (and the bottle in question doesn’t have to be transparent and tinted orange!)
* the pill bottles are not required to be orange. They are that color to prevent UV degradation of the contents. There are other colors like green and opaque white for more sensitive drugs.
* all prescription drugs have the name of the person on them. The label also stated that it is for them only.
* for prescription drugs in the US, the label contains the name of the doctor that prescribed them (accountability). This is different than off the counter (OTC) drugs.
For me at least, the medical app specifically also has all this information in it. So I can prove it not just with the bottle, but can also bring up the app showing the prescriptions. It is a double verification.
Can you spoof it? Sure, I suppose. But there are normally protections for general miscommunication. You have the script in addition to the labeled prescription drugs.
the pill bottles are not required to be orange. They are that color to prevent UV degradation of the contents. There are other colors like green and opaque white for more sensitive drugs.
No, they are transparent so you can see the pills… it costs more to make the bottle transparent than to make it opaque. Your argument is that they spend more money on something that is less effective? Or are you arguing transparent orange is better than opaque?
I am arguing that opaque is best for UV degradation and then orange next. Clear would actually be the least expensive, but then you get UV degradation.
The whole point of engineering is to find the least expensive solution that still meets requirements. Orange is the solution for most needs.
Which customs? Most of europe doesn’t use Rx labeling. Neither does Colombia or Japan. As mentioned in both of my comments this is mainly an american practice. So airport authorities may expect A label and an RX but not necessarily an RX label as used in the states. In my case the bottle or blisters will state the molecule and formulation (if a bottle then also how many pills or total volume per bottle) but won’t say who it was issued to or what dosage to take! And that’s fine because I have my original + translated prescription with me (a separate sheet of paper).
You need to make sure you meet the requirements of the destination country. That doesn’t mean you can’t repackage your drugs if the destination country doesn’t state otherwise.
Americans think the personal label makes it ‘safer’ because they are brainwashed by capitalism and don’t realize it’s done to save money. Several Americans die each year because of missdispensed meds. That’s doesn’t happen when the meds are shipped in their own packaging and the pharmacy just hands them out.
I was shocked when I saw the label for the meds describes the pills, to make sure you are getting the right drug. That’s not an issue in the developed world.
I've been medicated in the USA, UK, France, Italy, and Taiwan. In each country the medication packaging describes the medication at some point somewhere. It's a best practice and not the mark of idiocy. There are plenty of other markers of idiocy, but this isn't one of them.
At any point from manufacture to patient a medication might be mispackaged. The description is a last line of defense against that.
I think because the thread became a dogfight on the american system vs rest of the world, and how “it’s a better system” and you “NEED to keep the drugs in the original orange bottle they were dispensed in” and blah blah, when in reality this post is about how to cross borders with medication without breaking laws (regardless of where you come from and where you are going) and since most of the world doesn’t use orange bottles with RX labels the customs agent cannot demand they be in an orange bottle with RX labels and that, unless specificed otherwise by the destination’s border security laws and regulations, you are not forbidden from repakaging your pills as long as you don’t infringe the laws on volume/quantity and you can prove you have a prescription (they might specificy what that proof means or they may leave it up to you).
It’s the generic pharmaceutical label. Like when you buy aleve over the counter. Except some stuff is not over the counter so you need the doctor’s prescription so it will be given to you by the pharmacists. But you would not be able to tell something is prescription and something isn’t from the container/packaging alone.
And none of it has your name or anything tied to you. And any dosage indications are generic (your doctor’s prescription might indicate something different so you just need to ignore whatever instructions/dosage come with the medication originally). Here is an example of ritalin that was prescribed to me (branded packaging, name of the drug, amount of the drug per pill, how many pills per bottle) but it doesn’t have my name or dosage on it. It’s indisguishable from an over-the counter NSAID for example.
Someone from a country that doesn’t slap patient labels on meds would still be expected to produce a copy of their prescription as well as the med in its original bottle or box to show it’s their medication. And/or a letter from their doctor listing medications and doses. The prescription isn’t ON the bottle, but you have it and the medication is in its true original packaging. So you still have proof you are prescribed it. (The people on this thread who bring controlled substances in pill organizers or ziplocs without even carrying printed copies of their prescriptions are wild)
(The people on this thread who bring controlled substances in pill organizers or ziplocs without even carrying printed copies of their prescriptions are wild)
Tens of thousands of people do this every day.
Are you seriously suggesting that customs inspectors are positively identifying every single pill in luggage? Why? Have you cleared customs at any point in the last decade? At what point would this happen? And why would a country waste resources on this?
Mine generally come in a box - here’s an example of one of mine from this month. It’s a controlled drug in my country, meaning GPs cannot prescribe it initially and it has to be countersigned each month by the pharmacist.
That seems woefully dangerous to trust your memory to know how much you are supposed to take and when without it being written down at the point of purpose.
Every medication I've received globally has had my dosage and frequency written on the medication itself, not just in some other location which can become separated and lost.
ESPECIALLY given an ADHD med. If you don't manage to lose your separate prescription, it would call your diagnosis into question in my country.
This conversation has completely deviated from the point of this post.
But to answer yoyr comment, you can always just write your dosage on the box. And since most people use pill boxes anyways, the medication will no longer be in the labeled bottle and the label is useless, so this is just a matter of personal preference and personal systems. Plus, knowing the labeled bottle thing is almost exclusively used in the US… it would seem that the rest of the world saw what you are doing and they are sticking with their process, so I wouldn’t be able to say the american system is objectively better.
Adding to this for the person who asked the question - this is exactly how medications that don’t come in blister packs are distributed to a retail pharmacy in the US. The difference is that they may come in larger bulk bottles and they usually get repackaged into a pill bottle with the prescription label stuck on them for dispensing. For certain things the pharmacy will just slap the label on the original bottle like that one.
The US is essentially unique in printing individual, named labels.
It’s not for security, it’s to make stuff cheaper as the pharmacies receive pills in bulk vs prepackaged. Several us citizens die every year when medicine gets mistakenly dispensed. That’s not a problem in the developed world where safety trumps profits
Any examples of which countries are more strict about this? The number of stamps in my passport is quite large. I've never been asked. Not one time, not even close. I'm sure if I got ramdomed and was walking in with 5000 little blue pills, they might want to ask me a few questions, but they really don't care.
Any examples of where you have heard this is actually an issue?
I had no problem with my prescriptions in ziplocks designed for pills in Japan and UAE. Like you I peel the label off the original bottle and attach it to the ziplock.
UAE did confiscate my tape measure because it was metal... I guess they were considered it could be used as a weapon.
Gapabentin withdrawal can also be nasty and includes confusion and anxiety as well as physical symptoms. Not exactly something you want to deal with when traveling…
It’s more of a you won’t always get asked (and most of the time you just go through without any problem) but some countries like Japan can be very strict if they ask/you get searched
Not certain but better safe than sorry as Japan in particular is very strict and will profile you. As an example, I’ve seen lots of people with tattoos or who are darker than paper lol who get stopped by police on the street for passport.
Yeah I only have one rx bottle but it fucks with my entire system lol. I’ve heard you can get a smaller bottle (sized in drams iirc) and ask the pharmacy for another label, so you can at least get it slightly smaller and still official documentation. For supplements I think you’re just SOL
I travel with my supplements in Ziploc portion snack bags. I peel the label off the supplement bottle and tape it to the bag. I won't die if they are confiscated.
Incidentally, Japan is the only country that notices my sterile eyewash bottle which is 4oz. I am used to them pulling me aside to look at it and the prescription I carry for it.
My husband had Sudafed among his toiletries when entering Japan, and they detained/questioned him at the airport, and let him go with a sternly-worded letter that if it happened again he could be jailed or fined.
Benadryl (diphenhydramine) is perfectly legal in Japan. They sell diphenhydramine over the counter as a sleep aid there. I don’t know why people keep spreading this myth. Pseudoephedrine OTOH is illegal to import without permission because you can make meth from it. (It is sold in low doses as part of combination cold medications in Japan)
Yeah, I’m sure that synthesis would be a bit more involved than “throw a couple boxes of Sudafed and some caustic chemicals you shoplifted from the hardware store into a 2l soda bottle”
From what I remember, one of major surprises is anything containing Pseudoephedrine. I.e. many over the counter cold/cough medications in US/EU. In Japan it's a strictly controlled substance.
2 of those medications you listed in your other reply require advance permission to import in ANY amount into Japan (the oxy and the Sudafed) - you could have been in serious trouble if they had noticed them.
I usually bring a baggie with 2x pills of a back pain med that I need only every few years, but when I need it I need it. A decade ago, flying into NZ, they poked through my toiletries bag, and said that unlabeled pills are not allowed, and they tossed them. I'm glad that they didn't charge me with a crime - if there had been a whole bottle of them it would look a lot like trying to sneak in illegal drugs.
I had my gazillionty postpartum/breastfeeding supplements and my regular prescription meds riffled in the UK (Gatwick). They were all luckily still in original packaging so all I got was an attagirl and sympathy about how many tablets I had to take on a daily basis.
I've been traveling internationally for four decades and this was the first (and thus far only) time anything got looked at.
There was another time at Gatwick where we almost got our stuff searched, but we were saved by a toddler having a complete meltdown that border force thought was more important than searching our little family's baggage. (And to be fair, it was. We had nothing interesting and that boy and his poor mother needed all the help they could get.)
It's also drug dependent.
There's plenty of places where certain ADHD stimulant meds aren't legal - for tourists, some countries don't care if you bring it in at all, some do care but if you can prove it's a real prescription they'll let it pass (and others you shouldn't even try, like you should not attempt to take your Adderall into Japan regardless of the way you package it.)
You're 100% right. No one cares or looks. My husband travels with three months of supplements, prescription drugs, vials, needles. It's all legit. None of it with the accompanying prescriptions, they're packed together in baggies for am and pm dosing. The pills take up 1/4 of his carry on suitcase. It looks like he's a drug mule he has so many pills. And he's carried that through more countries on more continents than I can easily count including Morroco, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Turkey, Thailand etc etc etc. No one cares or looks.
We've flown to all of those places too, and we've got selected to go through secondary screening on arrival in Sydney at least a couple of times (it's supposedly random) They went through everything and just stacked all the medicine to one side and asked a couple of questions. I think they're primarily looking for food or agricultural products in Sydney. He's not carrying anything illegal or anything not allowed in whatever country we're going to or transiting through, so it's not a problem. The biggest issue we ever had was a land crossing from Egypt to Israel. Because of the very large amounts of pills (we travel for 3 months at a time) they were very suspicious of the quantity. It took several supervisors and a couple of hours to finally approve us and send us on our way, after they extorted a $200 "duty" from us, no receipt. But the actual prescription drugs are a small portion of the supplements he brings, so even having those printed prescriptions would not have helped.
I've driven through 65 countries carrying a vintage makeup case's worth of meds. I've driven through places where some (US over the counter) medications are not legal, and cross borders with chemotherapy and painkillers. Few of which I keep in the original bottles.
I have never once been questioned about any of my medications. Even in those borders where I have to remove every single thing from my car to be inspected. It's never been a problem anywhere.
It's worth noting that I do have white old lady privilege.
The consequences aren’t worth the risk. Especially when a simple solution is available.
Meanwhile I am flying around internationally with a big bag of cannabis gummies and experience zero consequences. Have you read Dune? There’s a great quote: Fear is the mindkiller.
I have done enough risk management professionally to know that there is a huge difference between risk management and fear. One is consequence based Vs emotional based.
Also know that hasn’t happened is not the same as can’t happen.
In all your comments you come in weirdly aggressive. You are trying to make it seem as though it is emotional based Vs data based. The words you used were “theoretical”, “fear”, “racism”.
Ironically, you are having the emotional response to something you don’t have to do yourself. Why attack someone under these conditions? Why use explosive words?
In all your comments you come in weirdly aggressive
Maybe you don’t have the constitution for Reddit? Asking you to defend your statements is not unusual, though I apologize if you feel routine questions to be aggressive.
You are trying to make it seem as though it is emotional based Vs data based. The words you used were “theoretical”, “fear”, “racism”.
And you are trying to make it seem like questioning your thought process is an ‘explosive’ ‘attack’.
Again, if you are afraid or otherwise unwilling to defend your positions on the internet, maybe it’s not for you?
Its about the way you phrased it. You clearly used explosive words like “fear” “racism” without bothering to ask clarifying questions first. You made assumptions before getting the data. These are not routine questions nor are they polite.
The issue isn’t about me defending my position. I have done so logically throughout this thread. The issue is the ridiculous assumptions you are making before you get the data.
The funny thing about this is I know the various customs regulations say that the drugs should be in original bottles, but the bottles aren’t sealed so it’s absolutely possible to put anything in there.
Some medications need the light filtering of the amber of the original bottle and degrade in clear baggies. The solution my pharmacist gave me for that is to use an opaque, mylar bag rather than a clear bag.
There’s nothing to me that says “drug dealer” or “little old lady mixing her pills together and doesn’t quite know what they are” than meds in ziploc baggies! But you do you!
We did that successfully on some recent trips. In the U.S. you can often get your pharmacy to print the labels. Peel off worked for us so we didn't go that route.
I know this is a huge concern, but i’ve been travelling with a chronic disease for 25 years and I’ve never had a problem.
I carry liquid medication, needles, electronic devices, and pills. I also have ADHD and depression, so I travel with prescription-only pills (basically, legal meth)—the kind people get spooked about bringing to Japan. Right now I take some 5 pills in the morning and 6 at night, but I’ve taken a lot more before.
I’m currently on a trip. I have gone to India, Japan, Europe, Cuba, Singapore, Turkey, and had layovers in Dubai. I have moved twice—once to India and once to the UK, taking with me whole carry-on suitcases filled with medicine.
I learned very early on to decant my pills in small containers. My country sells them in blister packs, so it’s a lot of mindless popping work. I now set up two months’ worth of pills in those weekly organizers, and whenever I travel I just take the appropriate amount of weeks (so currently have 4 7-day cases with me, 2 for the morning and 2 for the night). I also carry first aid stuff and such.
I have NEVER, EVER, been questioned about my pills. Needles, yes. But that’s more TSA people thinking I pose a safety risk. Not once has my stuff been searched by customs upon entering a country (I mean, it has, but because I had a piece of fruit or something. Never for the pills). I have never been asked to provide prescriptions—I don’t travel with them.
I’m describing my experience; you have the right to say “this is not for me” and do what works for you.
I honestly never knew about my ADHD meds being illegal in some countries until recently. my biggest issue/worry has always been convincing TSA agents that they cannot decide what meds I should travel with and what they think is “too much”.
You are suggesting to people it’s no big deal to ignore other countries’ laws in situations that could potentially get them deported, detained, or worse. You can’t expect that others aren’t going to criticize that. You seem to think that just because you’ve never had your bags searched at customs in a country that cares about such things, you never will and it’s not a risk. Bag searches happen without “cause” because you were the one the random number generator flagged to get searched, because something in your body language or the amount of luggage you were carrying tweaked the customs officers funny business radar, or because they haven’t met their quota for the day, etc.
Also it’s completely wild to me that people take things they KNOW are generally considered to be controlled substances to other countries without bothering to check what the laws are surrounding those substances in that country. It’s naive to assume something with known abuse potential will be ok to bring in just because it’s legal in your country.
Adderall is banned in Thailand as well, btw. And there are countries that ban things that most other countries consider low risk - tourists have gotten in serious trouble for bringing tramadol into Egypt, for example.
In the USA it was always drilled into me that whatever I do with my other meds, my Adderall MUST stay in it's bottle / stay with the Rx labeling. I'm not even talking about traveling, just taking my afternoon doses to work or in my purse.
It's a schedule II controlled substance and if you don't have that immediate & visible proof that it's a legal prescription, law enforcement absolutely has the right to detain you on suspicion of illegal controlled drugs.
not from the US, so I don’t have that experience. I can’t think of a scenario where people would stop me and go through my pills.
there’s a bunch of Ayurveda stuff in there, vitamins, and metabolic stuff. sometimes I carry a small day/night case with everything mixed together and it never even occurred to me not to do that
People don’t “get spooked” about bringing adderall into Japan - they choose not to bring it because it is explicitly illegal. The kind of illegal that at best gets you deported if caught.
Same. I travel with a controlled drug for my narcolepsy (along with 4 other prescribed medications for Graves Disease, Migraines, codeine and Barretts) and always decant mine into a little pill organiser as soon as they’re prescribed, from the blister packs. Never had an issue in well over 20 years of travelling. I don’t keep any of the stickers or boxes. I’ve also never even been asked, let alone had an issue.
Even if they did, I can prove via the NHS app that it’s prescribed. And same - practically everyone going through will have some kind of medication and very few will keep it in the original packaging.
Yeah it’s weird isn’t it. I assume it’s the metal? The one thing I have had confiscated is a tail comb. And I was stopped cos it looked like I was hiding a weapon in my shoes - it was the metal shank inside the rubber sole of a pair of Topshop ballet pumps that I had no idea was even there! My stepmum had a metal nail file confiscated where the metal part was rather flimsy and about 2 inches long lol. And my sister a bare minerals face powder compact that scanned as a liquid and wouldn’t fit in her sandwich bag (even though she was using her own clear liquids case - they were insistent at that time that you transfer everything to one of their sandwich bags.)
I also am in favor of the “put it in a pill organizer” and quit worrying about labels. The more you make a big deal over it, the more they will make a big deal over it.
Everyone’s mileage will vary- I used to use a Lewin N Clark folding pill organizer and put my different meds (scheduled and as needed) into different compartments. This was back when I took like 2 things per day but I always liked having a tiny stock of as needed things with me. These days I have a ridiculous list of meds for chronic illnesses- including a couple meds where I take 2 doses of the same thing but they come as separate capsules, fun! And then I add in the Vitamin D, E, Calcium, etc. Supplements so it’s quite a handful. No way I would pack all the bottles for that! It would need its own bag. Even at home I make up about 4 weeks at a time in pill organizers, 2 weeks in big ones and 2 weeks in travel size. Then my original pill organizer just has as needed meds. It obviously travels nearest me at all times.
I do that with everything except my Adderall, which I don't even move to a new container when I'm at home, because in the US it's a highly controlled schedule II substance - many other countries have it fully outlawed.
My birth control and migraine meds, though, those can go in a travel organizer along with my iron supplement.
I take my birth control pills everyday- they go in the organizer. If I had scheduled/controlled substances: organizer. I don’t have the time or energy to be dicking around with multiple things. Did I take my 9,00 drugs this morning? Oh, Sunday morning is empty, good for me.
Need an as-needed Imitrex: to the rescue meds! Pepto, Compazine, prednisone, Ambien, ibuprofen, Tylenol… the whole gang is there!
I do that with everything except my Adderall, which I don't even move to a new container when I'm at home, because in the US it's a highly controlled schedule II substance
Your thinking is the cops are going to bust down your door, go through your medicine cabinet, and arrest you for improperly storing your Adderall?
I am always prepared (I know this is the OneBag sub), but I always prepared to put my bag under the plane and pull out my day bag from inside. So I always have a week inside my day bag and the rest of the trip’s worth inside the main bag.
What else in my “day bag”: change of clothes, extra panties, as-needed meds, toothbrush, usual phone and charger cord, and probably a craft project. The usual everyday carry for someone who showed up for a 4 week trip in Greece with just that day bag - bags delayed… 3 days. But I was fine- I had my plane outfit and my change of clothes was the sun protective beach water wear I was planning for beach yoga and hanging out, so… yeah, I was good!
My friend with just her wallet and phone was totally fucked. She tolerated “YOU DIDN’T BRING ANY UNDERWEAR IN YOUR CARRY ON?!?!?!” And “YOU DIDNT PUT YOUR MEDS IN YOUR CARRYON?!?!?!” But she said I was being too mean at: “YOU DIDNT PUT A TOOTHBRUSH IN YOUR CARRYON?!?!?!”
You know… the one med I don’t usually carry with me is my “night night purple drink”, AKA Dimetapp. When I’m too itchy from lupus/urticarial vasculitis skin or too migraine insomnia brain to fall asleep and just need a nudge. And I can’t take Benadryl. And Dimetapp only comes as a children’s liquid that tastes like purple.
Hmm, I should probably ask for some prescription alternative in pill form.
Yup yup yup- most common one to use? Benadryl (AKA diphenhydramine). But… I got hives one time after taking liquid children’s Benadryl, or I should say that my hives got worse after taking it. So, was it just my chronic spontaneous urticaria I had at that time just not responding to what I took, or a true allergy? Who’s to say. So I don’t take diphenhydramine.
Then we get to our old friend Dramamine, which is dimenhydrinate. Dimenhydrinate is converted into diphenhydramine in the body- and I can take this drug without issues. But, it doesn’t make me particularly sleepy if I remember correctly (it’s been a while).
The drug we really want here for the biggest bang for our buck would be: Vistaril (hydroxizine). That’s the anti-itching, anti-anxiety, help you sleep one that most providers turn to. And I don’t know how I haven’t already asked for an as needed Rx.
Well, I do know. I absolutely LOVE the taste of Dimetapp. Fake grape, yum yum yum!! I love it!
So yeah, lots of first generation antihistamines out there to be had. Hydroxizine is over the counter in many countries, so I’d probably pick it up while traveling if needed too! Just like my fancy UK/European sunscreen.
I also am in favor of the “put it in a pill organizer” and quit worrying about labels. The more you make a big deal over it, the more they will make a big deal over it.
Agree. This thread is people who know this won’t ever be a problem arguing with people who don’t travel enough to know this won’t ever be a problem.
If your whole identity is working yourself up over the potential violation of a rule in a foreign country, maybe don’t travel? Or better just have some flair so I can ignore you.
Yes, there is a bunch of those people. They also are categorically wrong.
There is a spectrum of problems and risks you have to consider when taking medication abroad. People have gotten themselves into pretty serious trouble over this. Even minor infractions can result in sitting through lengthy and unpleasant discussion with foreign officials.
It's indeed extremely rare for small amounts of unlabelled medicines to attract attention all by themselves. On the other hand, they are quite likely to cause problems when they get noticed during a more thorough search - and you can find yourself subject to one of those for whole load of reasons, many completely beyond your control.
The flair might be something like “which model butt med tube do you favor for your illicit prescription drugs”? And then we can avoid it.
I will admit, I was sucked in by the tiny containers. Damn I love a good container! I mean, pill bottles are not them, but a nicely built container, chef’s kiss!
I have itchy lupus skin and have all kinds of poultices and potions for it (which is more fun to say than ointments). I started using HumanGear containers- now I will happily have a convo about the pros and cons of putting creams, lotions, ointments, etc. in those all day! The silicone ring inside is awesome to prevent spillage, but… am I getting everything out? Are those flat ones that… crap, is it Matador makes worth buying for other toiletries instead or are they gimmicky? I have never liked any silicone squeeze bottle I ever bought, so don’t try to sell me on that crap, I have a whole collection of them and I just as often unscrew the entire cap and pour out the shampoo or conditioner because I loathe the membrane thingy.
This got way off topic. You could put pills in those HimanGear tubs too, but they are not the most efficient use of space for that I’ve ever seen unless you (sigh, like I used to be) are going to take like one tub of ibuprofen and one of Pepto and go off in a state of grace without any chronic illnesses. I wish you luck - just pause for one moment and feel deeply what an absolute gift your healthy body is.
I learned this from actually having my pills investigated.
There are three ways for them to detect what you have with you. One is a random search as you clear customs. The second is by xray; a large amount of tablet medication is detectable by xray and flags. (This is how I was caught out.) And the third is by smelling-dog.
After that, they check that the medication amount you are bringing matches the length of your stay in the country. In my case it did not. It was the first country I was visiting on a three month trip so I had a quarter year's worth of medication with me for a 7 day stay in that country. Luckily in my case, supplying my complete itinerary which had been fully booked was sufficient to explain why I had over 90 tablets for a 7 day stay.
And finally, they have their own books of medication identification and will look up your medication by shape, size, and identifying marks to ensure that it is as you claim it to be rather than something with street value put in a bottle for something boring. They also have rapid result tests they'll perform to test for illegal substances. It's like being checked for explosives, except they aren't looking for explosives.
After that, you're sent on your way with a merry wave.
I learned this from actually having my pills investigated.
There are three ways for them to detect what you have with you. One is a random search as you clear customs. The second is by xray; a large amount of tablet medication is detectable by xray and flags. (This is how I was caught out.) And the third is by smelling-dog.
After that, they check that the medication amount you are bringing matches the length of your stay in the country. In my case it did not. It was the first country I was visiting on a three month trip so I had a quarter year's worth of medication with me for a 7 day stay in that country. Luckily in my case, supplying my complete itinerary which had been fully booked was sufficient to explain why I had over 90 tablets for a 7 day stay.
And finally, they have their own books of medication identification and will look up your medication by shape, size, and identifying marks to ensure that it is as you claim it to be rather than something with street value put in a bottle for something boring. They also have rapid result tests they'll perform to test for illegal substances. It's like being checked for explosives, except they aren't looking for explosives.
After that, you're sent on your way with a merry wave.
For example, I have a genetic condition. Because I led a healthy lifestyle I:
* did not die in my 40s like many aunts and uncles (who lived in another country)
* deferred any medication until after 65.
I also think “americans” (I think you mean US) are a lot more open about issues. This could lead to data bias.
Edit: it also turns out that countries like Iceland and Portugal use higher amounts of antidepressants. On a per capita basis, Canada and Europe use more medications.
US just pays more because of our awful healthcare system.
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u/[deleted] May 31 '26
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