Traveling without prescription

[graca123]

This is a frequent question / problem for many of us. Well, here is my plan.

I will be traveling to Japan and Thailand next week, and I don't have a prescription. All I have is either powder vials or reconstituted vials (plus syringes and alcohol pads). I fly on Friday morning, so I am planning on doing the shot on Thursday afternoon (which will be 6 days since my last shot), and then, when I am back after two weeks, reducing the doze by half, or more. I am now on 2.4mg sema, so I'll restart with 1mg, I guess.

Not sure if it's worth it to risk flying with it to Japan (Don't need it in Thailand, since I will be back home for my following shot).

Alternatively, I could just bring the vial in a cold container, and try to buy the gear in Tokyo (just a syringe, really), but I am reading mixed reviews on how strict they are there.

 

[d0se1]

I wouldn't risk it. Two weeks without a shot won't affect your goal. The half-life is longer than you think. Once you get back use the same dose as usual. You'll be fine.

 

[Chelsea_Dagger]

I would not risk traveling internationally with it. At the least it could cause you a big inconvenience/delay and have it confiscated. You don’t want to risk having them refuse your entry to the country, which they very well could do.

 

[ZippityDooDah]

I literally just replied to someone on Reddit about this earlier, so I'll do a copy-and-paste and add a little more commentary that the Reddit people don't deserve...

I traveled a lot for work over the past three years, and early on I went through all the hassles of trying to find the perfect travel cooler setup, pre-planning dosing schedules and what to bring, whether or not to reconstitute in advance, etc. plus the constant apprehension of wondering if today was the day TSA was going to get nosey (they never did, which seems to be the norm for most people).

Ultimately I just stopped bothering with trying to take anything with me unless I was going to be away from home for more than 2 weeks or so which was only 2-3 times a year. I'm not diabetic so missing doses here and there wasn't critical. Personally I think missing doses occasionally helps the body do a quick little reset to help the overall benefit and effectiveness of whatever you're taking.

While it was never an issue for me, the one thing I tell people is that if you are at all the "nervous" type and traveling with peptides has you thinking about a thousand "what if?" scenarios in your head, you are definitely better off traveling without them. TSA is not great at a lot of things, but one thing they do seem quite good at is picking out people who look the least bit nervous.

Especially if traveling for vacation, it's VACATION, take a break from things like your GLP-1 and/or peptide routine and enjoy yourself for cripes sake! Indulge a little! Don't worry about missing a couple (or even a few) doses. You're not going to die, and you're not going to gain 50lbs. Even for business travel, having one less thing to concern yourself with can be a huge relief.

Obviously this advice doesn't reply if you're diabetic or have other conditions where skipping doses could cause serious issues, but for everyone else, just chill out and learn not to be a slave to a syringe.

 

[ZippityDooDah]

I would not risk traveling internationally with it. At the least it could cause you a big inconvenience/delay and have it confiscated. You don’t want to risk having them refuse your entry to the country, which they very well could do.

FWIW, any time I traveled outside North America for 2-3 weeks, I only did so with real Mounjaro pens and a copy of my prescription (which I maintained for the first year after I went off-brand for exactly those situations). Some of the countries I was visiting are very strict about certain things, and given the nature of my work and travel I was not going to risk any potential problems. In fact that last 2 or 3 times I went to those parts of the world I just skipped doses altogether and I'm still down 120lbs from when I started so nothing terrible happened.

 

[Chelsea_Dagger]

FWIW, any time I traveled outside North America for 2-3 weeks, I only did so with real Mounjaro pens and a copy of my prescription (which I maintained for the first year after I went off-brand for exactly those situations).

Yes that’s normally ok for sure, but I have even seen situations where they will look at the date of your prescription fill and with pills how many tablets you’re supposed to have in your bottle- they can get very annoying about it if they want to. I think with injectables especially vials they get even more strict and unlabeled peptides, forget it.

 

[geoguy78]

I went to Europe for about three weeks a few months back and took my tirz. I put it in a cheap little insulin case along with a few syringes and alcohol wipes, and kept it in my carry on. At TSA security I just told the bag scanner that I had injectable medications in a case. Nobody cared. On a related note, many of the places I stayed at did not have refrigerators, so my tirz was repeatedly put through several day long warm/cool cycles. I didn't die. Honestly, I'm with Zippity though, it wasn't really worth the hassle of bringing, especially because I'm already at maintenance and ate like a pig anyways 🤣

 

[ZippityDooDah]

Yes that’s normally ok for sure, but I have even seen situations where they will look at the date of your prescription fill and with pills how many tablets you’re supposed to have in your bottle- they can get very annoying about it if they want to. I think with injectables especially vials they get even more strict and unlabeled peptides, forget it.

I can definitely see that happening with tablets/capsules more frequently than injectables, given the opioid abuse epidemic and such. With injectables I think 99% of the time a simple "it's my insulin" is more than sufficient if actually asked.

 

[cheaperseeker]

I agree with not decreasing your dose when you get back. I've skipped a week and started back up at the same dose without issue before.

 

[juGGaKNot]

I will just modify the travel letter i have from my previous pharmacy order.

Its not like they can call and verify ? Wouldn't it be a gdpr breach for the pharmacy to give out details.?

 

[Chelsea_Dagger]

I can definitely see that happening with tablets/capsules more frequently than injectables, given the opioid abuse epidemic and such. With injectables I think 99% of the time a simple "it's my insulin" is more than sufficient if actually asked.

3ml vials are what medical grade injectable opiates come in as well though, and it seems like they are really on top of people traveling with injectables like testosterone and hgh etc for some reason.

 

[spyke65]

The times that I have traveled with my peptides I carried a vial with only enough for the trip, enough syringes for the trip and a copy of my old (unexpired) prescription from an online compounding company. Each trip was out of country and being unsure of security in other countries, being able to come home empty handed made it less stressful.

If I am only going to miss one dose, I change my schedule so I take my last dose before leaving home and resume the day I get back. So, less than 13 days, it’s stayed at home.

When I get home, I start at the same level as I was unless it’s a rare situation where I’ve missed several doses.

 

[AndyPanda]

This is a frequent question / problem for many of us. Well, here is my plan.

I will be traveling to Japan and Thailand next week, and I don't have a prescription. All I have is either powder vials or reconstituted vials (plus syringes and alcohol pads). I fly on Friday morning, so I am planning on doing the shot on Thursday afternoon (which will be 6 days since my last shot), and then, when I am back after two weeks, reducing the doze by half, or more. I am now on 2.4mg sema, so I'll restart with 1mg, I guess.

Not sure if it's worth it to risk flying with it to Japan (Don't need it in Thailand, since I will be back home for my following shot).

Alternatively, I could just bring the vial in a cold container, and try to buy the gear in Tokyo (just a syringe, really), but I am reading mixed reviews on how strict they are there.

I recently traveled to Europe. I just put lyophilized peps and bac water in my checked baggage. To reconstitute ahead of time might damage your peptides from all of the abuse your baggage takes. I also took a vial of Testosterone Enanthate. I traveled from Milan to Amsterdam. I wouldn’t try to bring anything home though.

 

[graca123]

Thank you for all your responses, super useful. Well, I will be traveling without the vials. The only change to my original plan, based on most folks' suggestions, is that, once I am back, I'll continue with me regular dosage - no reductions.

To be honest, being a foodie (or an ex-foodie), like many of us, I have mixed feelings about not being able (or willing) to indulge into what are some of my favorite cuisines - Japanese and Thai. But hey, all good...

 

[Rissalove]

Thanks for asking this question I was wondering the same thing about travel has anyone ever traveled with a peptide pen and had trouble with tsa

 

[cheaperseeker]

Thanks for asking this question I was wondering the same thing about travel has anyone ever traveled with a peptide pen and had trouble with tsa

TSA doesn't care, so domestic travel is generally not a problem. However, when traveling internationally, you have to deal with customs, and that's where you could get into trouble.

 

[zpped]

3ml vials are what medical grade injectable opiates come in as well though, and it seems like they are really on top of people traveling with injectables like testosterone and hgh etc for some reason.

Which "they" are you referring? It heavily depends on the country.


TSA doesn't care at all. Japan is very strict about syringes. When I went to Japan I kept everything in a pen and didn't have an issue.

 

[exploitedworkerbee]

This is a frequent question / problem for many of us. Well, here is my plan.

I will be traveling to Japan and Thailand next week, and I don't have a prescription. All I have is either powder vials or reconstituted vials (plus syringes and alcohol pads). I fly on Friday morning, so I am planning on doing the shot on Thursday afternoon (which will be 6 days since my last shot), and then, when I am back after two weeks, reducing the doze by half, or more. I am now on 2.4mg sema, so I'll restart with 1mg, I guess.

Not sure if it's worth it to risk flying with it to Japan (Don't need it in Thailand, since I will be back home for my following shot).

Alternatively, I could just bring the vial in a cold container, and try to buy the gear in Tokyo (just a syringe, really), but I am reading mixed reviews on how strict they are there.

When I go to Japan I pause all my injectables. Syringes are very taboo there, so if they are found during customs checks you might get a bigger reaction and more scrutiny than you bargained for. You definitely won't easily purchase syringes in Japan, they require a prescription. I'll take peptides to Europe, but not Japan for this reason. Domestically it's fine, do whatever.

Take some time off, enjoy the ramen, put on a few lbs, and restart when you get home.

 

[ZippityDooDah]

Which "they" are you referring? It heavily depends on the country.


TSA doesn't care at all. Japan is very strict about syringes. When I went to Japan I kept everything in a pen and didn't have an issue.

This raises an important distinction that I think is often overlooked.

TSA and customs in the US are two completely different agencies and functions. Anyone traveling internationally with peptides should be planning well enough ahead that dealing with US customs upon returning from an international trip is a non-issue. When dealing solely with TSA traveling with syringes and vials doesn't cause problems 99% of the time as long as nobody is being stupid and trying to travel with enough to start their own medspa.

Obviously airport security and customs practices vary widely between countries, so there are definitely concerns with traveling outside of the US, but for domestic travel (and in my experience travel within North America) the majority of concerns are much ado about nothing.

I still think taking a break and not bothering with the hassles and frequent machinations and questions regarding traveling with peptides and related paraphernalia is a far better choice for most people; especially anyone who needs to ask the question or is the least bit nervous or concerned about it. As I mentioned before, unless you are diabetic or have another condition where traveling with injectable meds is a necessity, you are not going to die if you leave your stuff at home and skip a dose or a even a few.

 

[Peotidethrowaway]

Went to Japan this year. I checked my meds in a thermos with a cold pack. They’re good for 48 hours in there. Then while traveling it has a usb powered cooler to keep them cold. No issues. This worked well on the Shinkansen or at hotels that didn’t have a refrigerator in room.

Most recent trip I just made a vial with exact dosing and kept them at room temp. Also no issues mush less hassle

 

[zpped]

This raises an important distinction that I think is often overlooked.

TSA and customs in the US are two completely different agencies and functions. Anyone traveling internationally with peptides should be planning well enough ahead that dealing with US customs upon returning from an international trip is a non-issue. When dealing solely with TSA traveling with syringes and vials doesn't cause problems 99% of the time as long as nobody is being stupid and trying to travel with enough to start their own medspa.

Obviously airport security and customs practices vary widely between countries, so there are definitely concerns with traveling outside of the US, but for domestic travel (and in my experience travel within North America) the majority of concerns are much ado about nothing.

I still think taking a break and not bothering with the hassles and frequent machinations and questions regarding traveling with peptides and related paraphernalia is a far better choice for most people; especially anyone who needs to ask the question or is the least bit nervous or concerned about it. As I mentioned before, unless you are diabetic or have another condition where traveling with injectable meds is a necessity, you are not going to die if you leave your stuff at home and skip a dose or a even a few.

Agreed. But I tend to travel for a month+ at a time. I also plan out what I'm going to need so I never have to bring anything back through US Customs. That's definitely an agency not to mess around with.

 

[indolent]

So the question remains:
all speculation and reasoning aside, has anybody EVER heard a specific, believable incident of TSA or Customs in any country actually confiscating/fining/jailing for bringing a reasonable quantity of reconstituted peptides vials and their accompanying syringes? Even one?

I'm going with no.

 

[Needsalife]

Went to Japan this year. I checked my meds in a thermos with a cold pack. They’re good for 48 hours in there. Then while traveling it has a usb powered cooler to keep them cold. No issues. This worked well on the Shinkansen or at hotels that didn’t have a refrigerator in room.

Most recent trip I just made a vial with exact dosing and kept them at room temp. Also no issues mush less hassle

Did you have a prescription with you, just in case? I’m going to Japan for 3 weeks and really want to take my Tirz.

 

[ZippityDooDah]

Agreed. But I tend to travel for a month+ at a time. I also plan out what I'm going to need so I never have to bring anything back through US Customs. That's definitely an agency not to mess around with.

Traveling for that long I can definitely see how folks might want to figure out how to keep some kind of routine. It's the one or two week trips that are a head-scratcher for me.

 

[ZippityDooDah]

So the question remains:
all speculation and reasoning aside, has anybody EVER heard a specific, believable incident of TSA or Customs in any country actually confiscating/fining/jailing for bringing a reasonable quantity of reconstituted peptides vials and their accompanying syringes? Even one?

I'm going with no.

You're conclusion is likely correct.

In all of my air travel, and the countless amount of time I've spent in TSA lines, I've never seen anyone specifically hassled for having syringes and vials. Guy I used to work with a few years ago was type 1 and always traveled with insulin and such and never once was even asked about it.

Combine that with the length of time I've been involved with self-injecting meds and all the various social media and platforms I've been part of I can't recall anyone ever reporting anything more than just being asked what it was.

 

[Chelsea_Dagger]

Which "they" are you referring? It heavily depends on the country.


TSA doesn't care at all. Japan is very strict about syringes. When I went to Japan I kept everything in a pen and didn't have an issue.

I’m referring to customs not TSA. In the scenario he’s talking about it’s really not worth risking going to secondary, all countries have different laws about what you can and can’t bring and different severity in penalties but a lot of countries are much more strict even than the us and they don’t play around with their laws. It’s just not worth the risk.