Carry-on bag question
 

I haven't flown in over a year, and not since all the new regulations. I know I have to put makeup and toiletries in a zip-lock bag, and they can only be a certain size.

What about prescription medications? Do they have to be in their original bottles? Previously, I put them in a little divided container - one space for each day. It sure takes up less room than 6 pill bottles, but I don't want to get in a jam when I get to the security line at the airport.

http://www.tsa.dhs.gov/311/index.shtm

As far as I know, the regulations are just for liquids and gels. I believe they don't apply to prescription meds as long as it's in pill form.

Thanks! That's what I had thought, but I just wanted to make sure.

Additionally...
 

Wherever you get your prescriptions filled, you need to bring a listing of them with you in your bag. Print all your scripts out on a sheet.

Now that I did not know! I'll take care of that as well.

Is this really necessary? I fly to and from the neighbor islands about 3 times a month and I've never had to bring any kind of listing of my meds. I've just thrown them into the bag that contains all my meds and I've brought em on board with no problems whatsoever.

Same here, and I've also had no problems. I just throw my meds in my purse, and as long as its not a liquid, you're fine.

I don't know, but it was a recommendation to protect yourself. I have been harassed by TSA before, so, to have the most protection, if I am aliquoting my pills out in a container, I also carry my list of prescriptions. Since I take close to 4 different prescriptions, 2 of which are manditory or else I can get very sick, I just make sure I have the listing with my insurance provider if the TSA feels the need to harangue about my medical condition.

On a recent trip to DC, my girlfriend had problems with her meds.
For reasons unclear to me, she did not wish her meds to be X-Ray'ed.

Per TSA web site, she thought that there would not be a problem asking for a hand search.

At home airport, there was no problem.

In DC, at DCA, there was one. They would not do it. Had to be X-rayed.

Alright people, heres the DL from the girl with a huge bag o drugs, which encompasses inhalers, liquids, gels, lotions, and pills.

Every single TSA agent is gonna do what he/she wants. Don't expect them to follow the regulations to a T. It varies not only from airport to airport, but from screener to screener as well.

I've never had a problem with my meds, but I keep them all in the original bottles/boxes. But I also could give a rat's butt if it goes through the scanner. If you have a problem with anything going through the scanner, expect to be given a hard time.

Personally, all my liquid/gel/lotion meds go in their own plastic baggie (granted, it is a gallon size) and I keep it all separate from my quart size bag. I declare it. Mostly, they don't care. Sometimes, the screeners ask to see it. If you are going to keep your meds in the weekly box or something, then it can't hurt to have a list of meds.

Some drugs ought not ever be X-rayed. It changes some of the chemical nature of the drug. Typically, from what I remember of pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and organic chemistry, some of your major drugs may be affected by the X-ray machine. One never knows the last time TSA calibrated their stuff and personally, IMO, I would not trust their machine's calibration implicitly. Usually, it is a nickel-cesium core, so one actually can become exposed to radioactive isotopes when he or she are too close to the machine--like the stuff that goes through the machine...

Of course, it is DCA and they are touchy about these things. I was going through someplace in Virginia and they got pissy because the "souvenir" I brought from the Outer Banks was a piece of shelling. Oh well...

That's the bottom line -- to coin a phrase.

It can't hurt to be proactive and be as prepared as possible.