Prescription medicine brought into Panama

[PugM0m]

My husband and I are going to Panama to get on a cruise in February. We have never flown outside of the US, can someone please tell me if we can just put our prescription meds in our pill cases or are we going to need to provide the actual bottles showing all the information?

[SrCruizer]

I've traveled all over the world & this is what I personally do & have never had a problem. Granted my prescriptions are pretty common but never have I been questioned about my drugs going in or out of a foreign country. I don't travel with the bottles (take up too much space) but take pictures of them on my phone. That includes putting an actual pill in the picture. I also keep a list in my purse of the meds I take for quick reference. That's a precaution in case of a medical emergency & someone needs to know what I do take. Hope this helps.

[Turtles06]

3 hours ago, PugM0m said:

My husband and I are going to Panama to get on a cruise in February. We have never flown outside of the US, can someone please tell me if we can just put our prescription meds in our pill cases or are we going to need to provide the actual bottles showing all the information?

What you will need entering Panama depends on what Panama requires.  Check for any requirements on their government web site. (Some tourist sites may also be helpful.) Be aware that some countries prohibit visitors from bringing in certain specific drugs that Americans consider pretty common and innocuous. Others may require a letter from your prescribing doctor for certain meds, like sleep meds and narcotic pain meds. 
 

Even if there are no specific rules for Panama, I think it’s safest when traveling internationally to have things like prescription pain meds and sleep meds in their original containers. (I take a doctor’s letter as well.) For innocuous Rx meds, like statins, if I don’t take the original container, I do take a photo of it. 

 

Most folks here on CC will tell you they’ve never had any problems (I haven’t and hope I’m not jinxing myself), but it’s wise to be prepared and you’ve asked a good question. 
 

 

[cmaleblanc]

When we travel I ask myself, "Would I like to spend time in <<Country Names>> prison for drug trafficking, instead of being on the ship?" My answer is always No, so I bring my prescriptions in original bottles with the prescription on the bottle, and if I'm going to a new location I check local laws. 

 

As Turtles said, just because it's a common medication in your home country doesn't mean that it will be accepted in another, and it just takes one agent at a border crossing to ruin your very expensive trip, all for the sake of bringing the original bottle. 

 

 If the size of the bottle is the concern. Speak with your pharmacist. In may places your Pharmacist can package a small amount in "travel blisters" or packs with your prescription neatly printed on the package. So you can take what you need, in a sealed container and only break it open once you're in the country your traveling.