Most airline passengers who need to fly with medicine are worried about it being confiscated in airport security.

You can pack almost any medicine for a trip.

Let’s break these travel tips into four different sections: over the counter pills, over the counter liquid medicine, prescription pills and prescription liquids.

Travel With Over-the-Counter Pills

In the United States the TSA website says that they do not need to be screened-so you do not have to pull them out of your carry-on bags. Pack them in a pill organizer that is really helpful for large fingers that may be weak, tiny pill bags, or even a sandwich bag if you do not have room.

Important Travel Tip: Research the foreign country’s airport security rules for medicine long before your international trip.

Watch my lengthy video if it would help. Tap here or on the pic below.

Liquid Medication Travel Tips

The Transportation Security Administration officers allow over-the-counter liquids THAT ARE FOR MEDICINAL USE to be in larger than 3.4 ounce containers.

2 eamples of liquid over-the-counter medicine that is allowed in carryon bags:

1. Contact solution
2. Cough syrup

The officers need any containers that are larger than 3.4 ounces to be in the bins so that the machine can screen those liquids clearly.

Travel Tip:

Pack them all in a gallon bag for 2 reasons:

1. Easy access
2. No stress on your travel day

Prescription Liquid Medication for a Flight

These bottles of prescription meds are allowed in larger than 3.4 ounces, but they must:

1. Be in the bins for screening
2. Have the prescription on the bottle

I asked my Kroger pharmacist to create a prescription label for my shampoo so I did not have to pack the box that had the sticker on it.

Especially if you are flying to Japan or any foreign country, the prescription must be attached.

Travel Tip: Sudafed is illegal in Tokyo and in Mexico.

Just google your vacation destination airport security rules, and you should be fine. But if flying to Tokyo, their rules can be tricky for bringing medicine.

Prescription Medication in Solid Pill Form

My tip is to travel with the prescription if you are flying to an international destination. Since so many travelers need to maximize space because you will pack in a carry-on suitcase, one tip is:

Ask your pharmacist to create a blister pack of the pills you need during your vacation.

A tricky caveat to the pack-your-pills-anywhere rule in the US airport security lanes is that some states have rules about prescription pills.

If you travel with a heavy substance, to be safe, pack it with the prescription just in case you are stopped by police? I do not know if that would ever happen here.

How to Know if a Medication is Allowed

On the TSA website in the upper right corner is a section called What Can I Bring? When you type in your medicine or item, it shows you either a check or an X beside Carry-On and Checked Bags.

Notice that you can also call the Transportation Security Administration like I have done twice. But you can also message “Ask TSA” on Twitter or on Facebook Messenger. You go through AI bot questions; just keep tapping More until you find your answer.

Sleep easy knowing that you can take care of your medication by researching and packing all of it correctly BEFORE your trip.

If the officers need to swab or test your medication again, it does not mean it will be taken away. It means the machine cannot see it clearly or something like that. So just be prepared that it could delay you another 5-10 minutes.

And have a beautiful vacation. If you need my top 5 list of every travel category, it is a fantastic list before you pack.

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