Flying in the U.S. with German prescription meds

I'm insulin-dependent (type 1 diabetes) and asthmatic, among other things, so have tons of stuff that must come with me in carry-on. In the US they say you can bring your meds with you IF the prescription label matches the passenger name. Ask a German where their "prescription label" is, lol. "Huh? What's a prescription label???" And Germany is not the only country outside the US that doesn't have such a thing. When I go to and around the US next month (via Heathrow) with all my German meds and insulin pump supplies, I've got a letter from my doc (in German and English) and photocopies of all my prescriptions, so that should be sufficient. I am curious, however, if anyone here has been hassled or questioned about prescription meds from Germany while flying (in the US or elsewhere) and what the officials said to you. Don't want to be paranoid, just prepared.

Doesn't the pharmacist put a label (=sticker) with your name and dosage instructions on your meds when filling out a doctor's prescription? I think that's what they mean by "prescription label". If you have something like that on the boxes/bottles, etc. plus all the papers that you've already assembled, I really don't see what else they could ask for.

@ Kay: rarely. The labeled, safety-capped orange bottles we know and love have German equivalents primarily for things the pharmacist mixes up herself.

@ dbunny: carry the prescription with you. Pharmacies often give you a plastic protector sleeve. Oh, duh - just read your post, and you know all this, were just looking for reassurance or commiseration or whatever, less than advice.

Can't help giving advice, though - if you have any meds that are scheduled/BtM, bring the original Rx. If you're traveling with someone with whom you're in some sort of legal relationship (e.g. marriage), there's a non-zero chance they'll be with your bags while you go to the restroom or heavens knows what, so bring at least a copy if not an original of whatever documents that establish that relationship.

Don't ask me how I know it's worth the effort.

NEVER. If you ask, they might scribble the dose on the box.
After the pont of dispensation there is NO name link between the patient and the drug.

Even if there WAS, it would be worthless.
I am reguarly dispensed multi packs of liquid medcines. The labelling would be on the box not the containers therein.

@MollyB

If you're privately insured, it's difficult to take the prescription with you, as you give that to your medical insurance to get the money back. Of course, for a specific trip, you might decide to postpone sending it, but if you lose it, it costs you money.

I have AOK and it's basically the same. You take the paper prescription from your doc to the pharmacy and what you get back is nothing but the medication itself. The pharmacy fills something out on the prescription paper for the insurance company's use, so you do not get that back. I'm assuming they send it off to AOK. Basically, in the end, you have no proof that this medication was prescribed to you, no reminder on how to take the medication (like "1 pill 3 times daily") and no mention of which doctor or pharmacy gave it to you. Well, except the sales receipt, but that has very limited info.

In America (and Canada too, I think), the pharmacy puts an official sticky-backed label on the bottle or package of medication that shows the pharmacy name and address, the medication name, the doctor's name and phone number, your name and instructions for using the med. (Plus how many refills you have left, which is something else that doesn't exist in Germany.) So in the US they want you to prove the medication is legally yours by showing that the official prescription label has your name on it. Hence the prob if you're from another country. However, they (airport security) should know this, right? I've actually never been asked for all the documentation I carry to prove anything, but, then, I hardly ever fly and before moving here I had American prescription labels on everything anyway.

(In the US, your pills will come like this: http://www.chemistryland.com/ChemEdArticle...ptionBottle.jpg and you'll have the same type of label on the box of things like asthma inhalers or injected medications.)

Heh?

Pick up the phone call doctor's surgery.
Hi, it's Mr Monkstown and I need a prescription for regular medication X and it's in my postbox the next day.

Or in a real tight situation:
Hi, it's Mr Monkstown, I need a replacment for regular medication X IMMEDIATELY but I can't get to the surgery in time to get a prescription and they are like: OK Mr Monkstown, we'll arrange for it to be ready at Apotheke Y, just go and call in there.

Yet again, excellent customer service in Germany.

In America a REFILL actually means that you just have to go to the pharmacy and say "hey, I need my next bunch of meds" and they hand it to you. I'm not talking about having to go back to your doctor and get a new prescription like you do here (whether by phone or in person). You don't have to have any contact with your doc's office at all if you have refills left. So, in the case of chronic diseases like a heart condition or diabetes, your doc can write "60 pills per month, refill for 1 year" on the prescription and it's all tracked and taken care of by the pharmacy, in conjunction with your insurance company (if you're lucky enough to actually have insurance -- the major shortcoming of American healthcare, along with insane costs). You just go to the pharmacy to get your next 60 pills or your next asthma inhaler (or, better, just go online and log in to their site and say you want more mailed to you). That's all you have to do. For people like me, with 11 ongoing forever prescriptions, much more convenient than in Germany! Not to mention that your pharmacy is most likely a chain store, so if you live in New York and go on vacation to California, you could run out of meds during your vacation and just walk into a California Walgreens (or Rite Aid or Walmart or Safeway or Longs or... or... or) and say "I need prescription number xxxxx refilled" and you'd have it. Or, if they don't have a Walgreens in that town, tell whatever pharmacy is there that you have prescription number xxxxx with Walgreens in New York and THEY will actually contact your regular pharmacy to confirm it and... tada... you've got your medication. In the end it's a wash. Prescriptions are MUCH cheaper here in Germany, but more convenient in America.

Anyway...what was this about? Oh yeah... has anyone been hassled or questioned at the airport about their medications from Germany?

errr I don't see a huge difference. I can easy go six months without needing to see a doctor for my regular medication.
Pick up the phone to call the doctor, collect the meds from the Apotheke I pass between the tram stop and my house.

Well, different experiences create different opinions, I guess. This has been a major point of contention since moving here. It's a pain in the butt to deal with my 4 different specialists and 11 different prescriptions, having to constantly get new prescriptions, whether it's time for a regular check-up or not. And, wow, you're lucky if you get six months' worth of whatever you're on and that your docs will call things in to the pharmacy. I only have one doc who will do that. I have to physically go to their offices, which means I'm missing work on a regular basis to deal with all this. Also, I get 3 months' worth of diabetes stuff at once (pump infusion sets, pump reservoirs, test strips, insulin, glucagon emergency kit, etc), and 3 months of one asthma inhaler, but only TWO months another inhaler (has to do with box sizes -- one comes in N3, the other only in N2 and insurance only likes one N2 box at a time to be prescribed.) And some pills I run out of every 3 months and others last 6 months or more. We've tried to synchronize things as best we can, but it's all over the calendar. I would just WAY rather deal with doc offices only when I really need to and log on to a website every 30-90 days and click a couple of times and swing by a pharmacy that's open until 11pm, or whenever it's convenient ;-)

But again, I'm not completely knocking the German system. Some meds I got monthly in America and here I get a 90-day (er, or so) supply all at once. And the COST is DRASTICALLY different. Example: 1 month of insulin in America with insurance: $76 (without, $228) versus 3 months of insulin in Germany with AOK for 10 Euros. Who wins on that one?! But as someone with much, much, much experience dealing with prescriptions since I was a child (ugh), I have to say that the American system of chain pharmacies and refills is simply easier to deal with.

DB, intesting stuff, I'll maybe try and write later about my experiences.