Arrested For Tylenol?

[Cinders411]

Okay, I will be sailing away on Oct 31 and a friend of my husbands told him that you can NOT take even tylenol into a foreign port for fear of being arrested. Is this true or are they pulling my leg? Should have added I will be going to the Bahamas.

[cruiseryyc]

Your leg is being pulled. Have travelled to many foreign ports of call by land, sea and air; had no problems with bottles of Aspirin or Tylenol.

[CruiserBruce]

You should be feeling a significant tug on both legs.

[paul929207]

If that was true my wife would be in jail and they would have thrown away the key.

[caribsun]

Well a friend of a friend told me that your husbands friend doesn't know what he is talking about. It is okay to take over the counter and prescription meds into port for your personal use.

[firefly333]

What about people carrying prescription meds in ports if what you said was true??

[CruiserBruce]

What about people carrying prescription meds in ports if what you said was true??

 

Huh?

[RetireeWannabee]

cannot recall ever seeing someone pulled aside to have their bags gone thru looking for meds of any kind.

 

Not sure why anyone would care, suspect, or harrass anyone for carrying prescription meds, and if it has your name on it, what harm could possibly come to you??

 

When The Pill Police are out in force, just swallow it all before they get to you.

[njhorseman]

cannot recall ever seeing someone pulled aside to have their bags gone thru looking for meds of any kind.

 

Not sure why anyone would care, suspect, or harrass anyone for carrying prescription meds, and if it has your name on it, what harm could possibly come to you??

 

When The Pill Police are out in force, just swallow it all before they get to you.

 

Not to be a wise guy, but I was standing on a street corner yesterday and didn't see any pedestrians who were crossing against the traffic light get hit by a car.

 

I have, however, seen more than one report from Cruise Critic posters who have had problems with unlabeled medications being seized at international borders or TSA airport checkpoints. Any time you cross a border, including returning to the US from a cruise you potentially can have your meds inspected.

 

Prescription meds should always be in original containers with pharmacy labels and you should carry a doctor's prescription for controlled substances.

 

The Department of State's recommendations are even stronger than what I mentioned:

 

http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/tips_1232.html#medications

[MonaCD]

I don't know if it is still true but at one time I know you could not take codeine into Australia. So in that instance if you had Tylenol 3s (are they even available in the U.S.?) with codeine then you could and in fact some people were stopped at Australian immigration. Steroids were also banned at that time.

 

Some countries may have a list of banned substances that may not make sense to us but no doubt they have their reasons. You can check the Bahamian customs & immigration website, they will probably have a list of banned substances there.

[lizdave]

As far as I know acetaminophen or paracetamol as it is known in the UK is fine to take anywhere in the world as for prescription meds I would follow njhorseman advice

[lady_cruiser]

And if you are afraid of bringing your OTC meds in a foreign port, just leave it out of your purse and safely tucked away in your cabin's safe.

[sldearth]

Not to be a wise guy, but I was standing on a street corner yesterday and didn't see any pedestrians who were crossing against the traffic light get hit by a car.

 

I have, however, seen more than one report from Cruise Critic posters who have had problems with unlabeled medications being seized at international borders or TSA airport checkpoints. Any time you cross a border, including returning to the US from a cruise you potentially can have your meds inspected.

 

Prescription meds should always be in original containers with pharmacy labels and you should carry a doctor's prescription for controlled substances. (unquote)

 

I can vouch for this. Several years ago, we were coming back from a Bahamas cruise and my tylenol and pain pill that my dr had prescribed (only took enough for the cruise) were in the same bottle. Seems customs does profile you (had a HD shirt and short/shorts on:D) The decided to pull all of my luggage and go thru it and guess what??? They found the tylenol bottle with "different" pills in same bottle- boy- don't you know that I got the 3rd degree for that!!!! And that was coming back into Tampa, FL!!!

[STARFISH*4]

i had been traveling with meds in orginal containers but this time i was going to use my travel pouch i got from magellans and carry my RX papers, would be easier to keep track of taking daily...

but i guess i should leave in the containers and fill the pouch when i get on the ship!

[Hlitner]

They are pulling all of your arms and legs! As to prescription drugs, it is very wise that you have the bottle with the name that matches your name.

 

Hank

[Zambini]

One of my prescription meds is banned in the UK, so have to be careful on the Alaska and Europe trips that I don't take it.

[bplazo]

I have never had any of my pills checked. Sometimes I will mix the prescription pills in with my asprin.

[donaldsc]

i had been traveling with meds in orginal containers but this time i was going to use my travel pouch i got from magellans and carry my RX papers, would be easier to keep track of taking daily...

but i guess i should leave in the containers and fill the pouch when i get on the ship!

 

I travel with repackaged meds all the time and have never had a problem.

 

DON

[cruiseryyc]

One of my prescription meds is banned in the UK, so have to be careful on the Alaska and Europe trips that I don't take it.

 

Last time I looked Alaska was NOT part of the UK so why would have to be careful carrying your prescription meds there?

[uppitycats]

Yes, I know. Dozens of you will insist that it doesn't matter, that you've carried carloads of pills mixed in ziplock bags, never been stopped anywhere, never been asked.

 

To which I say, "good for you!"

 

Just let it happen once: I've been stopped, my pills carefully scrutinized, my luggage searched from seam to seam, questioned again, all over a small container of mixed meds -- about 15 pills total -- that I had forgotten were in the bottom of my purse. I had already shown them all my prescription medications, in their original bottles, with prescriptions attached, and my letter from my doctor verifying that I needed the syringes -- which also had a prescription attached, but there was that small container of aspirin, a couple of tylenol, a few ibuprofen, a few antacids..

 

We were leaving the US on a flight to England. Which I missed. Next flight was the next day. We cancelled our flights and came home. We're US citizens with passports, and I had all the documentation for the prescriptions...didn't matter.

 

Were they wrong to question me? Maybe. But I'm not going to question them!

 

Now everything is in it's original container, even vitamins, with the labels firmly attached. If the bottle is too big, I head to the pharmacy and get the pharmacist to repackage the amount I'll need for the trip (plus a week's extra, just in case we're delayed somewhere), and label it accordingly.

 

I'm nearly always questioned, but so far haven't been unnecesssarily delayed.

 

But hey, go ahead, carry around whatever you want. Take a risk. I'm not willing to, anymore.

[SeattleCruiselover]

Yes, I know. Dozens of you will insist that it doesn't matter, that you've carried carloads of pills mixed in ziplock bags, never been stopped anywhere, never been asked.

 

To which I say, "good for you!"

 

Just let it happen once: I've been stopped, my pills carefully scrutinized, my luggage searched from seam to seam, questioned again, all over a small container of mixed meds -- about 15 pills total -- that I had forgotten were in the bottom of my purse. I had already shown them all my prescription medications, in their original bottles, with prescriptions attached, and my letter from my doctor verifying that I needed the syringes -- which also had a prescription attached, but there was that small container of aspirin, a couple of tylenol, a few ibuprofen, a few antacids..

 

We were leaving the US on a flight to England. Which I missed. Next flight was the next day. We cancelled our flights and came home. We're US citizens with passports, and I had all the documentation for the prescriptions...didn't matter.

 

Were they wrong to question me? Maybe. But I'm not going to question them!

 

Now everything is in it's original container, even vitamins, with the labels firmly attached. If the bottle is too big, I head to the pharmacy and get the pharmacist to repackage the amount I'll need for the trip (plus a week's extra, just in case we're delayed somewhere), and label it accordingly.

 

I'm nearly always questioned, but so far haven't been unnecesssarily delayed.

 

But hey, go ahead, carry around whatever you want. Take a risk. I'm not willing to, anymore.

 

I know where you're coming from. This last trip on NCL, security did everything but strip search me because I was in a wheelchair. Patted me down, opened everything, turned on the laptop, took the cameras apart, and on and on. Moral of the story: Don't take anything in any form that you can't prove.

[caribsun]

From the TSA site.

 

All medications in any form or type (for instance, pills, injectables, or homeopathic) and associated supplies (syringes, Sharps disposal container, pre-loaded syringes, jet injectors, pens, infusers, etc.) are allowed through the security checkpoint once they have been screened. Atropens, an auto-injection system that can help treat many emergency conditions (low heart rate, breathing problems, and excess saliva related to insecticide, nerve gas or mushroom poisoning) are also allowed.

We do not require that your medications be labeled.

[MonaCD]

From the TSA site.

 

All medications in any form or type (for instance, pills, injectables, or homeopathic) and associated supplies (syringes, Sharps disposal container, pre-loaded syringes, jet injectors, pens, infusers, etc.) are allowed through the security checkpoint once they have been screened. Atropens, an auto-injection system that can help treat many emergency conditions (low heart rate, breathing problems, and excess saliva related to insecticide, nerve gas or mushroom poisoning) are also allowed.

We do not require that your medications be labeled.

 

That's TSA, the Transportations Security Administration, they are only concerned with Safety & Security. Customs & Immigration are the ones you really have to be concerned about when it comes to drugs.

[CruiserBruce]

Yes, I know. Dozens of you will insist that it doesn't matter, that you've carried carloads of pills mixed in ziplock bags, never been stopped anywhere, never been asked.

 

To which I say, "good for you!"

 

Just let it happen once: I've been stopped, my pills carefully scrutinized, my luggage searched from seam to seam, questioned again, all over a small container of mixed meds -- about 15 pills total -- that I had forgotten were in the bottom of my purse. I had already shown them all my prescription medications, in their original bottles, with prescriptions attached, and my letter from my doctor verifying that I needed the syringes -- which also had a prescription attached, but there was that small container of aspirin, a couple of tylenol, a few ibuprofen, a few antacids..

 

We were leaving the US on a flight to England. Which I missed. Next flight was the next day. We cancelled our flights and came home. We're US citizens with passports, and I had all the documentation for the prescriptions...didn't matter.

 

Were they wrong to question me? Maybe. But I'm not going to question them!

 

Now everything is in it's original container, even vitamins, with the labels firmly attached. If the bottle is too big, I head to the pharmacy and get the pharmacist to repackage the amount I'll need for the trip (plus a week's extra, just in case we're delayed somewhere), and label it accordingly.

 

I'm nearly always questioned, but so far haven't been unnecesssarily delayed.

 

But hey, go ahead, carry around whatever you want. Take a risk. I'm not willing to, anymore.

 

It would seem your problem was that you stated you were "declaring" all medications by showing them your meds. But then, another mysterious container- the one you had forgotten- appears. That would be suspicious to a law enforcement officer, and make him/her wonder what else you might have "forgotten". This is a common scenario to law enforcement. Meds are forgotten, guns are forgotten, many things are "forgotten".

 

I am not saying you deliberately did something wrong. I am just stating law enforcement's position.

[uppitycats]

It would seem your problem was that you stated you were "declaring" all medications by showing them your meds. But then, another mysterious container- the one you had forgotten- appears. That would be suspicious to a law enforcement officer, and make him/her wonder what else you might have "forgotten". This is a common scenario to law enforcement. Meds are forgotten, guns are forgotten, many things are "forgotten".

 

I am not saying you deliberately did something wrong. I am just stating law enforcement's position.

 

Yep. Still doesn't matter, whether it be TSA, law enforcement, customs officials, whoever ... I'd rather go overboard to address the issue (carry everything carefully labeled), than miss another vacation and the expense involved.