Taking medication on board

[2thesea]

I not only carry my daughters medication in original bottles I also LOCK them in the safe once on the cruise. I also take them with me when I am off the ship touring in each port. if medications are a daily need and the result of not taking said medications can cause a medical emgerency they should be treated with the upmost care and consideration and not whats easier to handle.

[spg112357]

These are all very good points. I have already thought of every thing that has been mentioned.

Yes, it would be more convenient to just take the daily dispenser. Yes, it would be life threatening if her pills were confiscated. She takes 9 different types, totally 21 pills a day. (She's had a kidney transplant)

So - I think I will talk with the pharmacy & see what they suggest. It would be wonderful if they have smaller bottles we can take. If not, I will probably take the original bottles in a seperate carry on bag.

Yes, I will definately carry them with us and have a few extra day's worth, just in case.

Thank you so much for all of the input. I truly appreciate it.

 

I hope you have a good trip. Our Prayers are with you all.

[Algebralovr]

Ask your local pharmacy for a small bottle with the Rx info on it for traveling. Even if they charge a small amount, that is safer than a pill dispenser that might come open or get missed up.

 

Many pharmacies also do blister packs when requested, thick is another good idea. And always make sure to carry on your meds, never check them!

[livnlifecruzn]

Sorry, Steve G, but your mix up with two clear liquids is not the same as pills that have unique identifiers. Plus, you'll end up in the naughty room for smuggling alcohol on board. :D I'm all for med safety but I put together my weekly meds using a pill sorter. I know my pills by color, size, and shape. If they spilled out of the container and into the plastic baggie they'll be in then I could easily sort them again. Pill identification, there's an ap for that.

Everyone just needs to do what they are comfortable with. For me taking a weekly pill sorter is not a problem. You could also bring copies of the patient information pamphlets you get from the pharmacy. They often have pictures of the size, shape, color of the pill etc.

[karena1]

Hello everyone!

My daughter takes multiple medications twice daily. I was hoping to put her necessary pills in a daily dispenser & leave the actual bottles at home. (If I do this, I will bring a list of exact medications and doses.)

 

Do you recommend this? If I have to carry her meds in the original bottles, I will. But with 5 of us sailing, I would really like to save the suitcase space.

What is your experience? TIA.

 

We always take my husbands meds w/o the bottles. He has a list of his meds in his wallet if we would ever need it, but there is no way I am packing all those bottles!

[lrn2cruise]

I am on a couple of "scripts" and I had no problem with getting on the ship with them.

 

I do carry them with me on the plane, because you never know if you might get seperated from your luggage.

 

I take a few extra days worth too. You just never know if you get delayed in an airport or what.

 

For sure, have the 1st day you get on the ship with you. We didnt get our luggage until after dinner.

[newbiecruiser09]

DH takes 8 meds a day, I take 5 a day, all of these are 90 day supply, so they are the big containers.

 

 

Ask your local pharmacy for a small bottle with the Rx info on it for traveling. Even if they charge a small amount, that is safer than a pill dispenser that might come open or get missed up.

 

Many pharmacies also do blister packs when requested, thick is another good idea. And always make sure to carry on your meds, never check them!

 

I always carry med in original container but that said I only have 2. I know here in Canada you can ask your pharmacy to put them in a blister pack. They can put all your meds for each day in in little compartments for morning noon and night. They then will put the Rx for each med on the back. It is a lot easier to carry that than all the bottles. Here is a link to what I am trying to explain.

 

http://www.rexall.ca/pharmacy/Compliance-Packaging

 

We tried to do this with the mail order (required by our insurance) company but they said they could not give us a smaller duplicate bottle. Would love the blister packs but can't seem to get them done either :(

[spg112357]

Sorry, Steve G, but your mix up with two clear liquids is not the same as pills that have unique identifiers. Plus, you'll end up in the naughty room for smuggling alcohol on board. :D I'm all for med safety but I put together my weekly meds using a pill sorter. I know my pills by color, size, and shape. If they spilled out of the container and into the plastic baggie they'll be in then I could easily sort them again. Pill identification, there's an ap for that.

Everyone just needs to do what they are comfortable with. For me taking a weekly pill sorter is not a problem. You could also bring copies of the patient information pamphlets you get from the pharmacy. They often have pictures of the size, shape, color of the pill etc.

 

This is a very interesting discussion point. I end up in the naughty room all too often :-)

 

My analogy was to do with bad or no labeling that can cause a hazard to someone.

 

I don't know what design your pill dispensers are, but to me and to a child they look very interesting. Something that we could play with and oh they contain little candies. The official container looks boring and oh it is hard to open and are brown colored for a reason, it makes the contents look boring. Some one designed those because of child (and Steve G) safety.

 

If your dispenser has a lock of some sort on it or you are locking it in a bag that can not be opened and there is no chance what so ever of some innocent person getting poisoned then you are good to go.

 

There is a difference between what you are allowed to do and what it is safe to do.

 

In my analogy I am allowed to put clear liquids in 3oz bottles that are unmarked and carry them on to a plane. Is it safe to do so. It depends what the liquids are. If the liquids are nail polish remover, drain cleaner, etc. then it is not safe to do it. If the liquid is water then it is safe to do it.

 

I worked in a machine shop years ago. One of the machinist brought a big glass soda bottle filled with water so he could drink it while he worked. The bottle had lost it's label. One of the folks that worked in the etching department had some clear etching acid that he had to take to another department. He put it in a clear glass bottle because he could not find one of the official containers. Both guys went to the bathroom and left their respective bottles on the counter beside the sink. You can imagine what happened. Fortunately before the etching acid made it's way into the machinist's system he knocked the bottle on the ground and it broke. The acid melted the leg off his toolbox.

[spg112357]

As you can all tell this is really hitting a hot button with me.

Mostly because of the incident with my Mother-in-law and a daily pill sorter almost killing her.

 

What is the big deal with keeping the medications in the containers they are meant to be in? If you have 9 different medications in the 90 day supply bottles then that takes up about the same space as a pair of dress shoes.

 

If I find a bottle that is labeled with the type of medication that it is then I will make sure that it finds it's way to someone that can trace down who it is for, which will usually be on the bottle. If the container is a pill sorter that does not identify what it contains then I will make sure it's contents is destroyed so that no harm can come to anyone.

 

I am no saint. At home in my garage I put clear liquids that can be dangerous in unmarked bottle. I keep them in a locked cabinet. Would I take one of those containers out of may garage and travel with it? NO WAY.

[ebk2795]

Depending on the meds, it might be a good idea to bring a duplicate prescription from the doctor, just in case you need an emergency refill. It would eliminated the need of trying to contact the doctor if you need an emergency refill. This, of course, would depend on your ports of call and the availability of a pharmacy.

The time you don't have a duplicate prescription would be when you accidentally spill the bottle and lose some of the meds.

Eileen

[dbmac235]

If your dispenser has a lock of some sort on it or you are locking it in a bag that can not be opened and there is no chance what so ever of some innocent person getting poisoned then you are good to go.

 

 

I can appreciate the sensitivity of this issue, considering the situation with your mother-in-law.

I can assure you, if the medication dispenser is not in our physical possession, it will be locked in the safe. Not only for medical purposes, but because her meds are WAY too expensive to have someone toss them out because they didn't want someone to get hurt.

Trust me, this is a sensitive issue with me, too. :)

[spg112357]

I can appreciate the sensitivity of this issue, considering the situation with your mother-in-law.

I can assure you, if the medication dispenser is not in our physical possession, it will be locked in the safe. Not only for medical purposes, but because her meds are WAY too expensive to have someone toss them out because they didn't want someone to get hurt.

Trust me, this is a sensitive issue with me, too. :)

 

Yes that is the way to go. Too many people get too complacent, it is nice to see that you are not one of them. A lot of people think "That will never happen to me" until it does.

Have a great trip. It is brilliant that you are getting away from the everyday grind. Enjoy yourselves and have fun.

[spg112357]

I have blown my stack a few times today on this thread. Sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings.

 

So I went out and did a little research.

Here is a link to some pill organizers that are "Lockable".

 

http://www.forgettingthepill.com/categories/child-proof

 

While they are not completely child proof I think they may be Steve G proof :-)

 

There is a note at the bottom of the page that describes what lockable and child proof means.

 

So with a couple of them there is room on the back to stick a label with the medication details along with contact numbers of the patient, caregiver and medical contact (i.e. Doctor) Perhaps the Cruise Line, Hotel, Airline Flight numbers etc.

That way if you are parted with your meds someone will know how to contact you. The pills will be safe, both from being lost and being mixed up or taken by someone who should not and in the outside event of someone taking them has details of what they are.

[beachchick]

Another vote to keep the medication in the original bottle. Most pharmacies will provide smaller labeled bottles for travel upon request. A bit inconvenient, but much safer.

 

Ours has done that for us several times. That way we can carry original containers, but small enough that they hold enough for our travel plus at least 1 week because we cannot risk getting stuck somewhere without them.

 

These are all very good points. I have already thought of every thing that has been mentioned.

Yes, it would be more convenient to just take the daily dispenser. Yes, it would be life threatening if her pills were confiscated. She takes 9 different types, totally 21 pills a day. (She's had a kidney transplant)

So - I think I will talk with the pharmacy & see what they suggest. It would be wonderful if they have smaller bottles we can take. If not, I will probably take the original bottles in a seperate carry on bag.

Yes, I will definately carry them with us and have a few extra day's worth, just in case.

Thank you so much for all of the input. I truly appreciate it.

 

There is no way, just absolutely no way that we would carry those meds in anything except an original container, along with a list of prescriptions signed by the doctor or pharmacist. All it would take is one (over)zealous agent saying that they can't verify the meds and her health could be endangered. You're right to be concerned and smart to have decided to go with original bottles. I hope your pharmacist will help with the smaller bottles (many do).

 

May your journey be free of troubles and may you all have a wonderful time.

 

beachchick