Traveling with Prescription Meds: Essential Tips for Safety

Tips for traveling with Medication

Traveling with prescription drugs internationally is not as easy as throwing them in your bag and tossing them in your car as when you are taking a local road trip. There may be different regulations for traveling with medication if you are traveling internationally. Many travelers have intermittent or chronic health conditions that require medication. Some medication is over the counter and others are prescription. As prescription medication is crucial and customized to the individual, safely traveling with them is a very important consideration in making your travel plans. Over the counter medications can sometimes be obtained in your travel destination country during your stay. In the U.S., the U.S. State Department is a good resource along with the embassy information pages of the country you plan to travel to.

Air Travel with Prescription Medication

According to the TSA(Transportation Security Administration), you can bring your prescription medications in pill or solid form in unlimited amounts as long as it is screened in labeled containers. TSA also states, “You may bring medically necessary liquids, medications and creams in excess of 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters in your carry-on bag. Remove them from your carry-on bag to be screened separately from the rest of your belongings.”  You should travel with your medication in your carry-on even though you can place them in checked baggage. Traveling with them in carry-on assures you will not be separated accidentally from your needed prescriptions and for immediate access.

Below you will find safe ways to travel with prescription drugs. This article covers air travel. Here are tips you need follow to stay within the law:

-Check with your airline in advance what the rules are to get through security checkpoints and board the aircraft without issue. You can find this information on the airline’s website.

-Review the airline’s policy to make sure your prescriptions are allowed.

-Make sure sure your medications are clearly labeled with original labels. Although it is not required by TSA, it will save you time and questions during travel and at your destination. Your name should be on label also.

 

Packing Prescription Medicine for Travel

-Before travel, you can ask for your physician for a letter that explains your medical conditions and your prescriptions. You can keep this letter in your carry-on bag or with your important documents along with your passport. You can show letter is there is any question about your prescriptions or medical conditions.

-If you have a chronic condition that you wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace for, be sure it states your medical conditions and medicines. This way if an emergency occurs with you or your prescriptions, quick access to needed information is available.

-Pack your prescriptions in a plastic ziplock type bag and place inside your carry-on so they will be easily seen at one glance by screeners and you don’t have to find them individually. This also helps if you have to remove them from your bag. You can lift them up for inspection or place them in a bin easily without getting the bottles soiled or broken.

TSA Tips for Flying with Prescription Drugs

Here is an excerpt below from the TSA website. The website offers information for traveling with prescription medications: You can find the full article here https://www.tsa.gov/travel/special-procedures

Medications in pill or other solid form must undergo security screening. It is recommended that medication be clearly labeled to facilitate the screening process. Check with state laws regarding prescription medication labels.You are responsible for displaying, handling, and repacking the medication when screening is required. Medication can undergo a visual or X-ray screening and may be tested for traces of explosives. Inform the TSA Officer Inform the TSA officer that you have medically necessary liquids and/or medications and separate them from other belongings before screening begins. Also declare accessories associated with your liquid medication such as freezer packs, IV bags, pumps and syringes. Labeling these items can help facilitate the screening process. 3-1-1 Liquids Rule Exemption TSA allows larger amounts of medically necessary liquids, gels, and aerosols in reasonable quantities for your trip, but you must declare them to TSA officers at the checkpoint for inspection. Remove medically necessary items from your carry-on bag. These items will be screened separately from your other belongings. You are not required to place your medically necessary liquid, gel, or aerosol in a plastic zip-top bag. If a medically necessary liquid, gel, or aerosol alarms during the screening process, it may require additional screening and may not be allowed. The 3-1-1 liquids rule exemption allows certain items to be carried in the cabin of the aircraft when the item is declared and it is: 1 Required during your flight and/or at your travel destination; 2 Not available at the airport in the sterile area (after the screening checkpoint) and/or; 3 Not available at your travel destination. Common examples of medically necessary liquids, gels, and aerosols include but are not limited to: • Prescription liquids, creams, and gels; • Breast milk, infant formula, baby/toddler food (to include puree pouches), and toddler drinks; • Ice, gel, and freezer packs used to cool breast milk, infant formula, and or other medically necessary items; • Hand Sanitizer, less than or equal to 3.4oz/100 ml allowed per passenger. Common examples of liquids, gels, and aerosols that are NOT medically necessary onboard or are usually available at a destination, and are subject to the 3-1-1 rule, include but are not limited to: • Water, juice, soda, and other beverages, except as necessary for certain health conditions such as diabetes. • Partially solid food items such as spreads, peanut butter, sauces, jams, and jellies. • Sunscreen lotion Accessories Ice packs, freezer packs, gel packs, and other accessories may be presented at the screening checkpoint in a frozen or partially-frozen state to keep medically necessary items cool. All items, including supplies associated with medically necessary liquids such as IV bags, pumps, and syringes must be screened before they will be permitted into the secure area of the airport. Screening TSA officers may test liquids, gels or aerosols for explosives or concealed prohibited items. If officers are unable to use X-ray to clear these items, they may ask to open the container and transfer the content to a separate empty container or dispose of a small quantity of the content, if feasible. Inform the TSA officer if you do not want your liquid medication to be screened by X-ray or opened. Additional steps will be taken to clear the liquid and you will undergo additional screening procedures to include a pat-down and screening of other carry-on property.

Traveling with Prescription Medication Overseas

Finally, before traveling with medication overseas understand the laws for bringing prescriptions and medications to your destination.  The United Arab Emirates, Singapore, and Japan are countries with stricter regulations that other countries.  It is illegal to bring into Japan some common allergy and sinus medications used in the U.S. such as Sudafed and Vicks inhalers. Tylenol from outside of Japan is illegal to bring with you but you may purchase medication similar to Tylenol within Japan. A prescription medication such as Adderall, is not allowed in Japan because it is an amphetamine. No amphetamine drugs are approved in Japan for medical use. You will have to get the correct documentation and permission for Adderall in Korea.

Singapore does not allow medicinal chewing gums (Nicotine gum). The United Arab Emirates also has a long list of prohibited substances. You may be arrested if you bring in any of these prohibited substances or medications.

Do Your Research

To be safe and legal, do your research before your trip. Get documentation of your medical conditions and medications well before it is time to embark on your journey. Pack your medications with labels and in original containers to avoid delays. Check with the U.S. State Department and the travel advisory section of all the embassies of countries you travel through as well as your final destinations. If you are a traveler from countries other than the U.S., check with your countries’s travel authorities and the embassies of countries you plan to visit during your international travels.

Do you take prescription medication? What measures did you take to insure that you were traveling safely and within the laws and regulations of countries you traveled to?  Share your adventures with medication travel in the comment section.

Happy travels!

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