TravelBuzz! - Taking Adderall / prescription drugs overseas?

Im not sure of the specific rules for travelling with adderall (an amphetamine) overseas. I was going to take just a couple with me in my wallet? Is it anything to be concerned about? I dont have the prescription on me but I dont want to risk losing my flight over something so silly. I would figure the only problem would be coming into the country rather than leaving the country. What if I put it in my suitcase?

Not Adderall, but I've never had problems bringing prescription medicines with me overseas. The prescription is clearly labeled on the case and I've never encountered difficulties.

Don't try that entering Japan or Singapore. Rules vary country by country.

Adderall is more gutsy than anything else since it's a true amphetamine.

In Japan, Singapore and probably some other SE Asia nations, that's a ticket straight to a long term in jail even for a small amount.

Leaving the US is not an issue at all, it's going into the other country.

When in doubt, call the local consulate and ask them by name.

Wow, civicmon, I did not know the medication nor the restrictions the OP referenced but I think your advice is quite sound. I DO NOT TAKE CHANCES with ANY of the numerous cardiovascular, antiboitics, anti-virals, etc. meds I carry in my "travel ememrgency kit in that I always have them in labeled containers, etc as I do the ambien and valium that I travel with for "urgent use", each of which is prescribed, documented, etc.

I would never take something overseas without the clearly labeled prescription container. I even take my thyroid and cholesterol meds in their original containers.

Take the bottle. It's small, and worth it if there is a problem.

You have to worry about customs in the country you are visiting, and their laws may be significantly different from ours.

Actually, even in this country, you can get into a whole heap of trouble if you carry prescription meds in something other than the container the pharmacy dispensed them in--with your name, Dr.'s name, etc. clearly printed on the label. Especially if those meds are scheduled drugs, LEOs tend to get pretty interested in you if you carry them in your wallet or backpocket.

In the case of prescription meds that your doc may have given you in his/her office--say samples the drug reps left--it's a good idea for the doc to write a prescription to accompany the drugs.

Ops, akdraith, sorry to have forgotten to officially welcome you to FlyerTalk.

Cheers

If I'm reading this correct, my method of just throwing some pills(and some may be controlled substances(1-2 percocet\1-2 soma or some other muscle relaxer, couple ambiens))into a script bottle is probably not a good idea if traveling over seas.
I've never had anyone look into any bottles in my shaving kit.
Is that routine???
Would they even know what they're looking at.
I'll need a much bigger kit if i have to carry 6-7 bottles with 2-3 tablets in each.

If I'm reading this correct, my method of just throwing some pills(and some may be controlled substances(1-2 percocet\1-2 soma or some other muscle relaxer, couple ambiens))into a script bottle is probably not a good idea if traveling over seas.
I've never had anyone look into any bottles in my shaving kit.
Is that routine???
Would they even know what they're looking at.
I'll need a much bigger kit if i have to carry 6-7 bottles with 2-3 tablets in each.
Is it routine? Not really. But any country has the right to inspect your luggage when you arrive for any reason before letting you in. How would it look if they find an unmarked bottle of random pills? While you may have a prescription for amphetamines, how are they supposed to know that if you don't have the original containers with your name on the prescription label? It would just look like you were smuggling drugs into the country. If they send the pills to the lab for analysis, you'll have a lot of explaining to do (not that they'll believe you anyway).

Actually, even in this country, you can get into a whole heap of trouble if you carry prescription meds in something other than the container the pharmacy dispensed them in--with your name, Dr.'s name, etc. clearly printed on the label. Especially if those meds are scheduled drugs, LEOs tend to get pretty interested in you if you carry them in your wallet or backpocket.

In the case of prescription meds that your doc may have given you in his/her office--say samples the drug reps left--it's a good idea for the doc to write a prescription to accompany the drugs.
It's technically illegal to posess prescription drugs that were not prescribed to you. The likelyhood is that in the US you won't get into trouble unless you're cought buying opiates or stimulants or something. Then they'll throw that on top. If it's typical-whatever meds, should't be an issue. Plus there's a big reference book that most LEOs have that compare the drugs.

Most meds, despite maybe not being approved on a country are typically ok, but if stopped with jarfulls of pills and no doctor notes or labels, expect a nice, long talk about what they are.

My friend is a vitamin junkie... he takes like 30 pills a day. We're at NRT which is sorta naive to this but if caught, you're going to be in the slammer for weeks before seeing a judge and making your first phone call.

So we're walking throwing customs and I declare nothing, and he puts his bag up and all the pills clankin around and asked "anything to declare?" and with a wide smile he says "nope!" and they let him go.

YMMV, he had no (known) illegal items in Japan. Just an FYI

I take four different prescriptions. I put all the pills for the trip in container for pill number 1 and carry that on with me and then make sure that in my luggage I have the bottles for the other 3. That way I don't have to carry 4 containers with me.

In addition to the a properly labeled prescription vial, you might want to take a printed, hand-signed letter from your physician describing exactly what medications you are taking and their purpose. In the event that you need to get a prescription filled overseas, the pharmacy or an authorized prescriber will have the contact information if you have the physician put this on their letterhead.

Laws vary widely from country to country, and most countries permit a pharmacist to dispense a certain emergency amount of medication, from 24 to 72 hours, to avoid a medical catastrophe. When I travel, I take signed prescriptions for a one-week supply just in case I need them filled. My physician is very good about that, and most will understand if you request.

Some countries have heavy fines for even a small amount of certain types of drugs. Also, medicines which may be sold over the counter in some countries are restricted drugs in others. Other drugs have a high value on the black market.

If you have a perscription for the drugs and you genuinely need them then take them with you but bring the 'script too. If you can do without them then you are better off to leave them behind, especially if the drug has a potential for a recreational use.

A year ago my husband and I went to Greece and I know I told him about 4 times that non-prescription codeine is illegal there. I left my small stash of tylenol-and-codeine tablets that I buy in Canada at home. Dear husband walks up to Immigration with the corner of a plastic bag peeking out of his shirt pocket and the Immigration officer says, "what's that?". My husband cheerfully pulls the bag of pills (mostly vitamins but also including his stash of Vicodin just in case of back pain) and says, "They're my vitamins". Aargh.

It's a good thing he's 68 and conventional-looking.

Don't try this yourself.

If you have a perscription for the drugs and you genuinely need them then take them with you but bring the 'script too. If you can do without them then you are better off to leave them behind, especially if the drug has a potential for a recreational use.

If the OP is thinking about taking Adderall, then the prescription bottle for the generic may not be the best thing to take along, since it's probably labeled "Amphetamine Salts" or something like that.

Even more interesting would be Desoxyn, i.e. methamphetamine, though nowadays it's not prescribed often.

I don't know how many countries' customs officials would be okay with a bottle labeled "methamphetamine HCl", even if it was a legit prescription.

I wonder if this is a theoretical problem or a real one. Has anyone ever really had a problem (even in Singapore), or is it that you could have a problem?

Of course it's a real problem. Didn't you see the thread about U.S. customs confiscating a jar of Vegemite? Every country has different rules. If you think you can get advice here instead of contacting the consul of the country you're visiting, you might as well flush it down the toilet now. :) :p

I've never had anyone look into any bottles in my shaving kit.
Is that routine???
Would they even know what they're looking at.
Can't say if it is routine in Mexico, but the one time I flew into Ixtapa/Zihue the Mexican Customs agents demanded to see every single pill that anyone on the charter had with them - yes, it took about an hour for them to look into every single toiletries kit, and no, that airport did not have A/C. I have no idea if they knew what any of the pills they saw were for, but they let me keep my Bayer aspirin.

If you have a perscription for the drugs and you genuinely need them then take them with you but bring the 'script too. If you can do without them then you are better off to leave them behind, especially if the drug has a potential for a recreational use.

The problem with Adderall is that as a Schedule II drug it comes on a special prescription form. In California, this form supposedly has light-activated features that not only render the copy useless, but mark the original as "Void", so I'm not sure how one would copy the prescription.

So, does anyone specifically have experience with a Schedule II drug like Adderall, Ritalin, or one of the major pain killer drugs in a country like Singapore? Is it enough to just have your current prescription bottle clearly labeled with your name and a recent date?

The problem with Adderall is that as a Schedule II drug it comes on a special prescription form. In California, this form supposedly has light-activated features that not only render the copy useless, but mark the original as "Void", so I'm not sure how one would copy the prescription.

So, does anyone specifically have experience with a Schedule II drug like Adderall, Ritalin, or one of the major pain killer drugs in a country like Singapore? Is it enough to just have your current prescription bottle clearly labeled with your name and a recent date?

No personal experience, but here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4526759.stm) is the story of a woman who spent 8 weeks in a Dubai jail for having codeine in her urine, so the possibility of turning into a horror story exists.

When I travel, I take signed prescriptions for a one-week supply just in case I need them filled.

These days I xerox a prescription before filling it then staple a copy in my International Vaccination yellow card. That way I always have it with me. The real pain is when I get a 30 or 90 day supply of something that are large pills or several a day, and it comes in a quart size bottle. Three of those won't fit in my carry on. I got some tiny orange pill bottles from my pharmacy and then remove labels from the big bottles and put them on the travel size bottles.

It is hard to remove vitamin labels. I take my vitamin bottles and lay them on a copy machine and copy the fronts. At least I have descriptions of what each pill is if ever I need to explain what each and every pill in my possession is. Knock wood, never had to, especially in a place like SIN.

Don't forget the silly Water and Gel Ban. Instead of being safely packed with my vitamins, I now have to pack my food supplement gelcaps in my Freedom Baggie. At least I have the satisfaction of knowing that if a TSA screener ever roughly inspects my baggie they may spend the rest of their shift smelling like cod liver oil. :p

Also: reinspect your first aid kit for contraband. When the Gel Ban started, I had to go through my little travel first aid kit and remove some gel cap form OTC meds and go buy some solid pill form versions of the same thing. Luckily several items that used to only come in gel form now come in solid tablets. Can I send the bill to Kip for the extra needness expense he caused me? :td:

My "blog" is a fictionalized account of the real consequences of trying to bring Dextroamphetamine (Adderall) and Methylphenidate (Ritalin) into Japan.

http://aonghascrowe.wordpress.com/

This entry deals specifically with the laws involved.

http://aonghascrowe.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/4-16-“this-is-no-time-for-jokes-”/

Long story short: if the idea of spending a month or more in a windowless cell, held incommunicado, is your idea of a fun time, by all means do try to bring your Adderall into Japan.

I would check with the local laws. Bring a prescription with you and probably bring only the amount that you would use. In general, it's a good idea to avoid countries with crazy laws around drugs and alcohol. There are plenty of sane places to visit in this world. Leave the crazy ones to the crazies.

Don't forget the silly Water and Gel Ban. Instead of being safely packed with my vitamins, I now have to pack my food supplement gelcaps in my Freedom Baggie. At least I have the satisfaction of knowing that if a TSA screener ever roughly inspects my baggie they may spend the rest of their shift smelling like cod liver oil. :p


I've traveled through innumerable airports since Freedom Baggie rules were instututed- 75,000 miles in all in 2008- and never had a problem with my fish oil capsules until last year at MAD. They insisted I take them out and put them through separately. Yeah, whatever. I'm about to leave for a 3-week trip next week and usually I just stash all my vitamins and supplements (all non-prescriptions, no controlled substances) in a plastic bag in my carry-on. It's gonna look like a pharmaceutical convention. Better put most of them in my checked bag.

Oh gosh this thread has got me thinking about the meds i have to take via doctors prescription & where dom i put it checked or hand luggage travelling form uk to u.s.athese are them MIRTAZAPINE 15mgs & TEMAZEPAM 15mgs also paracetamol tabs does any on eknow the answer please

Oh gosh this thread has got me thinking about the meds i have to take via doctors prescription & where dom i put it checked or hand luggage travelling form uk to u.s.athese are them MIRTAZAPINE 15mgs & TEMAZEPAM 15mgs also paracetamol tabs does any on eknow the answer please

Always take what you need for the trip and maybe a day or two extra in your carry-on. I prefer to take all pills/medicines in my carry-on to make sure they get there. (I read somewhere that meds are a favorite target of thieves who work as baggage-handlers- presumably the ones with high street value such as heavy pain meds.) Keep everything in their original containers with the prescription label with your name on it and you should be fine.

So, does anyone specifically have experience with a Schedule II drug like Adderall, Ritalin, or one of the major pain killer drugs in a country like Singapore? Is it enough to just have your current prescription bottle clearly labeled with your name and a recent date?
No. To go by the rules, you have to inform the Health Sciences Authority and obtain an advance permission (at least 10 days prior) to import any "Controlled Substances" legally.

http://www.hsa.gov.sg/publish/hsaportal/en/health_products_regulation/bringing_personal_medication.html
http://www.hsa.gov.sg/publish/hsaportal/en/health_products_regulation/bringing_personal_medication/controlled_substances.html

It's a hassle, and it's highly unlikely that you'd be "caught" if you didn't do this -- I've lived here 7 years, gone through Customs probably hundreds of times, and they've never checked my medicines -- but given the potential consequences, you'd be a fool not to do this.

And yes, Japan is even more crazy about this: even pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) is on their controlled list!

No. To go by the rules, you have to inform the Health Sciences Authority and obtain an advance permission (at least 10 days prior) to import any "Controlled Substances" legally.

http://www.hsa.gov.sg/publish/hsaportal/en/health_products_regulation/bringing_personal_medication.html
http://www.hsa.gov.sg/publish/hsaportal/en/health_products_regulation/bringing_personal_medication/controlled_substances.html

It's a hassle, and it's highly unlikely that you'd be "caught" if you didn't do this -- I've lived here 7 years, gone through Customs probably hundreds of times, and they've never checked my medicines -- but given the potential consequences, you'd be a fool not to do this.

And yes, Japan is even more crazy about this: even pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) is on their controlled list!

I have been to all of these countries with controlled medications and honestly I have wondered the same. I have taken the attitude that no one is going to bother a middle aged man that is obviously taking the medication for real reasons. However, the question has always been in the back of my mind.

If you do ask permission as listed above please do post back. I am curious.

I have been to all of these countries with controlled medications and honestly I have wondered the same. I have taken the attitude that no one is going to bother a middle aged man that is obviously taking the medication for real reasons. However, the question has always been in the back of my mind.
The minimum penalty for unauthorized importation of any quantity of a Class A drug like amphetamine into Singapore is 5 years in jail plus 5 strokes of the rotan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_in_Singapore). Feeling lucky?

http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/non_version/cgi-bin/cgi_getdata.pl?actno=2008-REVED-185&segid=1207125305-001819

I don't think any country in the world takes drugs quite as seriously as Singapore. A friend of mine, a French citizen but of Arab extraction, is regularly stopped at Changi for urinalysis -- and if he were caught, it wouldn't make a whit of difference if that pot had been smoked perfectly legally in AMS.

If you do ask permission as listed above please do post back. I am curious.
Oh, I have no doubt that the permission would be granted, and the HSA site even says that as long as you have it, you don't even need to declare your drugs at Customs unless stopped.