Andrea Mayfield
it's about the journey.....
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino Frances (May 2015)
Camino Portugues - Porto to Santiago (June 2018)
What is your way of carrying multiple Rx pills?
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prescribed meds plus various vitamins & supplements.??? Are you asking about required / prescribed medication? Carry it in its original packaging as required by airport security. If Rx stands for recreational it’s really not wise to ask that question on an open, public, forum
I had mine blister packed by the pharmacist the first time, and carried the prescription just in case. The last time, I just took the bottles, I asked the pharmacist to squash them into the smallest bottles he had. If you dont do that they use large bottles that take up space.prescribed meds plus various vitamins & supplements.
I'm not aware that this is a requirement of airport security. I always put mine in tiny individual baggies for each day. I do carry a copy of the Rx with me if I were to be questioned, but it has never happened.Carry it in its original packaging as required by airport security.
I like this idea. I'm thinking I could combine pills in one small baggie as long as RX labels are affixed. Thanks.We ask the pharmacist to print RX labels and then put the meds in ziplocksandwich baggies with a label.
good to know. thanksI just put them in a bag. I read recently that 1 in 7 of the UK adult population were on prescribed anti-depressants, and recent events wouldn’t indicate that number’s coming down anytime soon. If Spanish customs got excited about anything less than a brick of resin (is that still a thing? I’m getting on a bit now) there would be queues right round the airport.
Carry a copy prescription by all means, but unless your medication has a decent street resale value, nobody’s going to be interested.
ditch the supplements.... what a brilliant concept. Thank you!I ditch supplements for the camino. The walking and fresh air are supplement enough.
(I used to carry them in labelled baggies but got tired of the dead weight, since on the camino I rarely got around to actually taking them.)
I too, ditch the supplements while I am on the Camino. I do bring a couple of over the counter pills and mix them all together as I know which is which in a non-labeled prescription bottle. I've never been asked any questions by security.I ditch supplements for the camino.
You can buy small zipper bags specifically for this purpose at many pharmacies or other stores (like Target). I created a bag for each day before I left. It was much easier than managing the bottles. On my phone, I also had photos of the bottles the pills had come in and a photo/pdf of my prescriptions. But no one ever asked for them.I'm not aware that this is a requirement of airport security. I always put mine in tiny individual baggies for each day. I do carry a copy of the Rx with me if I were to be questioned, but it has never happened.
I take iPhone photos of each original container, making sure that for each Rx drug, they show my name, date of birth, the drug name and description, dosage, and prescribing physician. I create a Album called Travel and put the photos there so I can find them if I have to (I’ve never had to). Then I put the pills themselves into plastic zip bags. Each morning I take 4 different pills and don’t want to fumble with all the bags or risk them getting wet or dropped, so a couple of times a week, I’ll put one day’s worth of pills into a few small (jewelry-size) bags.What is your way of carrying multiple Rx pills?
You mean something like this?Very helpful thread for me, thank you.
What about a pill cutter? (Both at customs and taken in backpack on the flight)?
In the past, I have done my cutting at home prior to traveling.Very helpful thread for me, thank you.
What about a pill cutter? (Both at customs and taken in backpack on the flight)?
Hello,What is your way of carrying multiple Rx pills?
I like the idea of splitting meds between day and night - less to think aboutHello,
I have always carried my meds in zip lock bags, the little snack ones, one for night meds and another for day meds and write the name of each on the bag. I never carry the bottle. For controlled meds, I suggest carrying the pharmacist receipt which is often stapled to the bag you get your scripts.
I carry a multivitamin as my only supplement.
Wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing the logistics for sending a bag forward? I assume you mean to have items you will use later in the trip to be waiting for you when you are further along the camino. Thanks!You are most likely to be scrutinized at the airport. Once you land and especially once you’re on the Camino no one will care.
So if you’re worried about it, you can always bring the pills in their original packaging, and then sort them into lightweight plastic bags once you’re through Customs.
That said, my husband and I both take numerous supplements on a daily basis, and since we were having our bags it forward, we brought a 45 day supply, already sorted into daily vitamin packs.
In fact it was the weight of the supplements, and our desire to continue them on the Camino that led to the decision to send bags forward. So if anyone had checked they would’ve seen a pretty large amount of things, all OTC but some uncommon.
On a direct flight from the US to Paris, nobody cared
When traveling with prescribed medications, they should always be kept in the original bottle. Gate officials may want to know what you pills are and the bottle identifies the drug, dose, date, prescriber etc. Or they may confiscate if you can not prove the are prescribed by a physician. Also, it makes it easier for you to fill at a pharmacy if you have all the details of the drug.What is your way of carrying multiple Rx pills?
It is not an issue if you are from the Americas and traveling to Spain but those of us that travel through Dubai need to be very careful about carrying prescription medicines in their dispensed containers along with a copy of the prescription. Over-the-counter pain medication can have you end up in jail.
There have been several cases over the years. A quick Google turned up this article that highlights "Tramadol is among the medications that requires medical certificates" and without a certificate you may end up in jail.
Air travellers warned of dangers of carrying prescription drugs into the UAE
Passengers told they must have medical certificate when entering or leaving the country or risk prosecutionwww.google.com
Carry it in its original packaging as required by airport security.
This is what I had always understood to be the rule too. Discussions with travel doctors here, prior to travelling - I took medications in original packaging.Prescription medications I leave in their original packaging, and carry the script and a letter from my GP stating what he has prescribed and why.
When discussing with my doctor the size of the packaging of supplements… his/her reply has always been almost the exact words of @VNwalkingI ditch supplements for the camino. The walking and fresh air are supplement enough.
Peg brought three large cards with a month's worth of two supplements in blister packs (actually it turned out one was a placebo). Rather a pain but she was in the middle of a five year medical study for fish oil and vitamin D. It was a big study with exams and even the use of MRIs.I ditch supplements for the camino. The walking and fresh air are supplement enough.
(I used to carry them in labelled baggies but got tired of the dead weight, since on the camino I rarely got around to actually taking them.)
I ask my doctor for two paper prescriptions which I keep in separate areas. Then I sort all my meds into 2X3 inch plastic baggies (found in craft stores) daily packets. That way every night I pull out one packet, take my night meds and in the morning I take the morning ones. I even do this at home. I hate all the time it takes to open every bottle and dig out a pill. Good luck and buen Camino!What is your way of carrying multiple Rx pills?
As long as the blade that cuts is small it's ok. Go onto TSA website. There is an area to look it up. If it isn't there you can message them a pict of it. They will get back within a few days to let you know if you can carry it on to the plane.Very helpful thread for me, thank you.
What about a pill cutter? (Both at customs and taken in backpack on the flight)?
Yep go ahead and ditch those supplements and see how you feel at the end of your Camino...you well get a very pleasant surprise, not to mention some extra money saved for some more travel or toward another Caminoditch the supplements.... what a brilliant concept. Thank you!
No it’s not banned. Just not usually prescribed. Equivalent antibiotic salves are variously available throughout Europe as a simple google or a visit to a pharmacy would revealMedication--sort of.... On the Primitivo in May, several people from Denmark and Lithuania asked me if I had Neosporin. They said that is banned in the EU and they usually get it by asking for it when they know someone is going to the US or Canada. Gave them what I had in my First Aid Kit, Is it really banned in the EU.
What is more likely to be happening is that medications available OTC in the USA despite their side effects aren't in the EU because of them.And I don't understand the suggestions here that pills that help you in the USA will not work in Spain.
Or vice versa. (Higher doses of Ibuprofen being an example )What is more likely to be happening is that medications available OTC in the USA despite their side effects aren't in the EU because of them.
Depends on where you are traveling from, to, and through.Airport security has no interest in your pills.
It is not an issue if you are from the Americas and traveling to Spain but those of us that travel through Dubai need to be very careful about carrying prescription medicines in their dispensed containers along with a copy of the prescription. Over-the-counter pain medication can have you end up in jail.
There have been several cases over the years. A quick Google turned up this article that highlights "Tramadol is among the medications that requires medical certificates" and without a certificate you may end up in jail.
Air travellers warned of dangers of carrying prescription drugs into the UAE
Passengers told they must have medical certificate when entering or leaving the country or risk prosecutionwww.thenationalnews.com
I took two prescribed meds in small pharmacy bottles, all my supplements in small ziploc bags bought at Michael’s.prescribed meds plus various vitamins & supplements.
I think there is a significant difference between having two medications available OTC but in different dosages to the circumstance where a medication has been removed from OTC supply in the EU because it has potentially harmful side effects.Or vice versa. (Higher doses of Ibuprofen being an example )
You should have asked yourself that question before coming to Europe.Is it really banned in the EU.
Maybe, but dosage is an important factor in what side effects there may be. Drug approvals depend on a lot of policies and important considerations as well as red tape. I thought people might conclude (perhaps in error) that you thought that the US is less strict than Europe about side effects. I have no knowledge if this is the case or not, but I wanted to provide this balance.I think there is a significant difference between having two medications available OTC but in different dosages to the circumstance where a medication has been removed from OTC supply in the EU because it has potentially harmful side effects.
I only have the evidence from two medications I have had reason to check recently that the EU has taken a stricter line on removing them from OTC supply or banning marketing altogether because they assess them as having risks that need to be addressed. Whether it is the US that is less rigorous or the EU more risk adverse than other countries is not clear to me.I thought people might conclude (perhaps in error) that you thought that the US is less strict than Europe about side effects.
Gotcha! Thanks, @C clearly. We do sometimes meander a bit off course.This thread asked about how to carry prescription medications. Some relevant answers have been provided, but other members have taken the thread off-topic into discussion about what non-prescription pills they take, and why.
Please stick to the topic of how to transport prescribed pills.