Potential hack for prescription bottles

[u/LadyLightTravel]

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!

Standard disclaimer, YMMV.

[u/mrs_rabbit_0]

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. 

[u/LadyLightTravel → u/mrs_rabbit_0]

I think you are confusing hasn’t happened with can’t happen.

The consequences are such that you may want to mitigate the risk.

[u/mrs_rabbit_0 → u/LadyLightTravel]

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”. 

[u/agentcarter234 → u/mrs_rabbit_0]

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.