An airplane trip requires you to take all your necessary items, which can sometimes include your medication. Generally, drugs aren’t prohibited when flying, but there are some important details you have to note when traveling with them.
These important details may vary based on the laws in your jurisdiction, but there are some basic rules that you have to take note of:
- Confirm that the medicine with you is legal in the country you’re visiting. You can do this by reading up on the laws of that country or checking with the country’s embassy or high commission. Some of the medicine you should pay special attention to are:
- Strong painkillers;
- Drugs containing codeine;
- Controlled drugs – you may have to check with your doctor or pharmacist to confirm what kinds of medications these are;
- Prescribed drugs of addiction.
- You can travel with both prescribed and non-prescribed medicine on domestic flights. However, some terms and conditions apply when you’re boarding an international flight or if your domestic flight is taking off from an international terminal.
- Place your medication in a zip-top plastic bag and keep them in an easily accessible place for when you have to go through security. Also, try to take enough medication along so you’re prepared for unforeseen circumstances. You might not be able to get replacement medicines in the country you’re visiting.
- As a continuation of rule three, note that all pills and solid medications have to be screened, so label all your medications accordingly to make this an easy process. You’ll have to display, handle and repack the medicines yourself throughout the screening process. Once your solid drugs have been screened, you can bring them in unlimited amounts, as much as you need. You can also request a visual inspection, but this must be done before the X-ray screening.
- For prescribed drugs, always carry your prescription papers along with you as proof. Also, ensure that the names on the prescription sheets match that of the medicines with you.
- You don’t have to pack your medication in its original bottle, and you may not need to tell the inspectors anything about your medicine. However, that will be a different scenario if the drug is liquid, as they have stricter guidelines for liquid medication.
While it isn’t necessary, the officer might still want to ask questions about your pills. This is why it’s important to keep a detailed list and description of your medications. You can keep them in a pocketbook or on your mobile device. That way, you can easily refer to it whenever questions are asked.
- For liquid medication, you have to present them to the officers at the airport for additional screening. Put them in carry-on bags over 3.4 ounces in reasonable amounts for the flight.
Now that you know some of the basic rules of traveling with medication, it’s time to ask yourself, where should I pack my medication when flying? We have the answer.
According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), you can keep your medication checked or on carry-on baggage. This is so you can have immediate access whenever you need them.
A carry-on is also very important because you need to keep your medicine with you at all times to prevent them from getting lost in transit.
Also, if you have a condition that might suddenly flare up during your flight, you might want to have a medical alert bracelet on you. This bracelet should state your medical condition, its treatment, and possibly your doctor’s contact information.
Doing this will help the flight attendants know what to do in case of an emergency. This is also why you need to keep your medication in an easily accessible carry-on baggage. You or the flight attendants might not have the time to search through your luggage in the event of an emergency. So, the nearer your pills are to you, the better.
Conclusion
Like your other belongings, you also need to pay attention to where you keep your medication during a flight. It will go a long way in preserving your medicine and ensuring you have access to it at all times.
If you need a medication bag for your next trip, you can check out our selection of locking medication bags.