Pill organizers for extended travel?

[The Cosmic Avenger]

marko's post on CVS's Simple Dose reminded me, I've planned a trip to visit friends and family where I grew up for 11 days, and my weekly pill minder, which I've taken on trips before, won't be enough. And once we retire, we hope to travel a lot more than we do now.

For this next trip I'll probably buy a second weekly minder, which I need mostly for my vitamins & supplements in the morning; I just take a statin at night, which is easier as I can just keep a lot of it in one container. But this got me thinking, if I was going away for longer, I'd probably need to bring each bottle and refill a weekly minder while away...although I do see 3 and 4-row weekly minders for sale!

So, what do you all do for 2+week trips? Any issues with vitamins, supplements, or prescriptions while traveling internationally? IIRC you should bring prescriptions in their original bottles, but I can imagine some countries may have much stricter policies.

 

[athena53]

Be careful of Greece. DH always traveled with a small stash of Oxycontin because he had a creaky back. (Fortunately he never took more than a couple, till the pain receded, and addiction was not a problem.) Greece does not allow opioids into the country, even with a prescription. I know I told DH that a dozen times. When we walked through Immigration the officer asked DH what that plastic bag sticking out of his shirt pocket was. DH pulled it out further and said cheerfully, "These are my vitamins and supplements". The bag also included his Oxycontin.

We're fortunate DH didn't fit any profiles- just an over-70 American tourist. They let us through without inspecting the contents.

 

[DrRoy]

You can carry your supply in small zip lock bags to refill the minder.

 

[braumeister]

I've always done that. The little snack size ziplocks will hold a lot of pills. Use one for each type.

 

[Jerry1]

I used to have a couple supplements that the capsule would deteriorate a little (gets soft and sticky) when I left them in my pill minder. I think it was humidity because it was worse in the summer. When I traveled, I kept my supplements in a zip lock bag. I would count them out so I’d have the right amount for each day but I’d just put them all in one bag.

Now, I’ve gotten away from my pill minder because I take too many supplements and medications and some are liquids and one is a powder. Instead, I have a checklist that I check off as I go through the day. So now, I just keep everything in its own package.

 

[grasshopper]

We use these from WalMart pill pouches. athena53, thanks for the heads up for Greece medications, we will be there in May.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Equate-Zipper-Seal-Pill-Pouches-50-Count/834415743?athbdg=L1200

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Yes, the snack bags are a good idea, and the Walm*rt bags have something to write on, which could be important, although I still have a few of these tiny 2" x 3" zip lock bags that would be good for smaller pills; the snack size are a bit bigger than needed unless you're traveling for 4+ weeks, although they pack just fine if they're partially filled. (I actually love to use snack-sized zip lock baggies for each charging cord, and then put every one of those in one sandwich or quart bag, to keep them from tangling and to make it easy to find a particular cord when traveling.)

 

[erkevin]

For international travel, aren't meds supposed to be in original prescription bottles?

 

[Montecfo]

I've always done that. The little snack size ziplocks will hold a lot of pills. Use one for each type.

that is what I do. And I then do not take a pill minder.

 

[audreyh1]

You can carry your supply in small zip lock bags to refill the minder.

I've always done that. The little snack size ziplocks will hold a lot of pills. Use one for each type.

I use pill bags like these. These work well. And I reuse them for the same pill.
https://www.cvs.com/shop/cvs-health...6hY6QBFra8MpS2nLC1waAv_oEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[OldShooter]

I use the seven day organizers. I have both morning and evening pills so each week I have two organizers stuck to each other back-to-back with Velcro with the morning organizer marked with yellow tape.

I have enough organizers that I load eight pairs every time I refill prescriptions. So for travel it's just a matter of taking as many organizer pairs as needed plus one for good luck.

 

[OldShooter]

For international travel, aren't meds supposed to be in original prescription bottles?

I have read that many times. However, DW and I have now been to over 40 countries and neither of us have ever been asked about pills.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

I use 7-day pill organizers. I have 2 of them. For trips that are longer than that, I just bring the entire prescription bottles.

 

[pacergal]

Use the organizers for shorter trips, on longer ones I bring the bottles. I don't normally bother to take vitamins and supplements while on vacation.

 

[brett]

I do not understand the logic of taking the original prescription containers. Anything can be placed into the container....the label on the container is meaningless.

We have travelled for years, often for several months at a time. The longest was 7 months. DW puts her pills in one container. We only travel with carry on so the goal is to make the package as small as possible.

We have been in and out of Greece, Japan, Australia, UK, SE Asia, multiple times. We have never been questioned....not once over 40 plus years of travel.

 

[Rianne]

I don't like pill bags b/c the pills can be accidentally crushed. I always use a hard container, whatever fits the length of stay and I add an extra week in case of travel issues like plane delays, illness, or unexpected longer-term stay.

 

[Involuntary Retiree]

We bought these for our 2-month trip this fall (and if successful, future extended trips):



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081HX7YJX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1


The bad news is that my carry on bag will be stuffed with 120 of these little filled pill packets, assuming TSA doesn't confiscate them. The good news is that my bag will get lighter and lighter as the trip progresses!

 

[audreyh1]

I don't like pill bags b/c the pills can be accidentally crushed. I always use a hard container, whatever fits the length of stay and I add an extra week in case of travel issues like plane delays, illness, or unexpected longer-term stay.

The pill bags are usually in a soft-sided bag or case, and they’ve never been in danger of getting crushed because that’s in turn tucked in with clothing or in carry-on. You’d have to drop the pill bag on the floor and step on it.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

For international travel, aren't meds supposed to be in original prescription bottles?

I do not understand the logic of taking the original prescription containers. Anything can be placed into the container....the label on the container is meaningless.

I mean, technically with enough time you could identify a pill by its appearance with the Physician's Desk Reference, or at least more quickly tell that the bottle that says "atorvastatin calcium" definitely does NOT look like that medication! In practice, of course, you're right, no one would bother looking it up.

My issue was more that most of my pills are vitamins and supplements, so they don't have prescriptions, so I was wondering if some countries might try to check prescriptions, which would mean they might not let in unidentifiable pills (which would include most vitamins and supplements). But since it sounds like it's exceedingly unusual for them to even check the prescriptions, it's probably not a concern.

 

[brett]

I do not understand the issue.

We just returned from three weeks in Zihuatanejo. DW had her pills all mixed in one container. Blood pressure, vitamin D (including mine), and some other supplement that she takes. She could have put them in separate bags but her preference is to have them in one container, in one place.

She had no problem each day setting out what we were supposed to take. The only issue at the start were that the tiny pills tended to fall to the bottom of the container. That was it...the big challenge.

The only small challenge was measuring out the pills required for the trip and adding a weeks supply of her high blood pressure pill just in case we were delayed. Then double checking and finding an appropriate size container. She does this for a one week trip, a three week trip, or tge two month month trip that we i often do take twice per year.

We have yet to have any customs person in any country query us on any pills or go so far as to investigate what they are. The manufacturer imprints on the pills are somewhat meaningless as well. . Anyone untoward bringing in unregulated products illegally would be bring them in quantity and would no doubt have the means to manufacture/stamp pills to resemble real product.

Oddly enough, the only product that we have ever been questioned about is bug spray. On one of our trips to Thailand a customs person (could have been Viet Nam) confiscated a bug spray because it had DDT (I think that is what it was) as an ingredient. Next four or five trips DW simply placed the bug spray in an unmarked container. No more issues.

[Mod Edit]
I suspect that customs folks are more concerned about what the sniffer dog finds or whether or not someone's suitcase contains a false bottom or false lining filled with an unidentified substance. Or perhaps fruit/meat products in the case of New Zealand and Australia.

 

[rodi]

I use the small ziplocs. Most of what I bring is OTC stuff 'just in case'... Ibuprofin, Imodium, Benedryl, and some antibiotics I picked up in Peru when DH got sick there last fall. (No prescription, but issued by the pharmacist in Cusco).

I use a sharpie on the bag to label what it is. I also date it with the exp date of the pills so I know when to replace my travel pills.

knock wood, I'm not on prescription medicine...

 

[brett]

My spouse does the same. She keeps them in a separate spot but they tend to be in short strips.

One thing we have found is the ease of obtaining certain prescription drugs in a few other countries that in some instances are controlled drugs where we live. Not only the availability, but also the price compared to what we pay at home.

Our experience is sometimes OTC product may not be readily available but an alternate, acceptable solution is invariably obtained by speaking to the pharmacist.

There have been two occasions where my spouse has easily obtained drugs from a pharmacy while travelling that were not only controlled where we lived but counted and reconciled in hospitals where she worked in the past.

 

[Luvtoride]

I use the seven day organizers. I have both morning and evening pills so each week I have two organizers stuck to each other back-to-back with Velcro with the morning organizer marked with yellow tape.

I have enough organizers that I load eight pairs every time I refill prescriptions. So for travel it's just a matter of taking as many organizer pairs as needed plus one for good luck.

I also have 7 day organizers, with each day being a separate holder having 4 slots for Morning, Noon, Evening and Nighttime marked. I fill the Morning and Noon with my AM pills and the Evening and Nighttime with my PM pills. This gives me a full 2 weeks of pills in one convenient pill minder. I have a 2nd one of these so if I ever plan to be away more than 2 weeks, I can take an extra days holder or two to have extra pills.

 

[Chuckanut]

My spouse does the same. She keeps them in a separate spot but they tend to be in short strips.

One thing we have found is the ease of obtaining certain prescription drugs in a few other countries that in some instances are controlled drugs where we live. Not only the availability, but also the price compared to what we pay at home.

Our experience is sometimes OTC product may not be readily available but an alternate, acceptable solution is invariably obtained by speaking to the pharmacist.

There have been two occasions where my spouse has easily obtained drugs from a pharmacy while travelling that were not only controlled where we lived but counted and reconciled in hospitals where she worked in the past.

+1

I was in Italy a few years ago when I smashed my big toe. It looked bad so I wandered to la farmacia and asked for an antibiotic ointment. He offered me an ointment and also the antibiotic pills. No Rx required.

 

[braumeister]

+1

I was in Italy a few years ago when I smashed my big toe. It looked bad so I wandered to la farmacia and asked for an antibiotic ointment. He offered me an ointment and also the antibiotic pills. No Rx required.

Visitors to Latin America, among other places, sometimes develop a violent form of diarrhea. But in most places, unless things have changed since I lived there, you could walk into any drugstore and buy a package of Lomotil, which is kind of an industrial strength version of Immodium. No way can you buy that without a prescription in the USA.