I'm wondering if anyone has experience with TSA and bringing pills onto a plane. I'm using united airlines, and going from virginia to new jersey, then new jersey to japan, then japan to thailand. My japan flight is like 13 hours long and I'm wondering if they'd let me bring a couple of sleeping pills onto my flight so i can sleep good on the japan flight. I'd wanna take the pills like 10min before boarding the flight to japan

I don't know about the legal aspects of this but I've always where possible booked night time flights for longer trips (Japan to US, Bkk to Sydney, Japan to Bkk, etc) taken 2 pills with me to the airport (2 only) wait until near actual boarding time, and take the pills a minute before going through final search, on board asked for a seat sticker 'Do not disturb' and had a great sleep. 

If they are prescribed for you it should not an issue with TSA.  To be safe bring them in the original vial from the pharmacy.  I'd be more concerned about how the pills are classified in Japan and Thailand if you plan to bring any for the return flight.

 

VA to NJ? Why??

 

Fly from IAD (Dulles) directly to NRT (Narita), Japan. Journey is also about 12 hours.

 

Regarding the sleeping pills, IMHO, that's a bad idea. What if there was an emergency that required your immediate evac of the aircraft. You will not be very attentive if in a drowsy state. Consider drinking 2-3 glasses of wine to help you sleep. If you require more, go to the galley and ask for it.

5 minutes ago, Gumballl said:

Regarding the sleeping pills, IMHO, that's a bad idea. What if there was an emergency that required your immediate evac of the aircraft. You will not be very attentive if in a drowsy state. Consider drinking 2-3 glasses of wine to help you sleep. If you require more, go to the galley and ask for it.

Lots of wine, enough to get you to sleep, will put the OP in an even more drowsy state (plus the added side affects) than the pills!

The eight essential items you need to sleep well on a plane

http://www.traveller.com.au/the-eight-essential-items-you-need-to-sleep-well-on-a-plane-h1go10#ixzz5v89bTo6N
 

Hope this helps you.

 

Win ????

Cannabis oil so they tell me

It's funny how we'll take flights within Asia, leaving for anywhere within a few hours to a half dozen, and everyone on the flight will pass out immediately even though it's noon.  I can definitely sleep on a plane if it's an early or late flight but I don't get the attraction of taking drugs to sleep during the day like that.

Tied back to the original question it seems dodgy to try to take prescription drugs onto a flight without a prescription.  It might slip through but I don't have any experience with it.

How would the TSA know if you swallowed 2 pills prior to boarding ?

4 hours ago, Don Mega said:

How would the TSA know if you swallowed 2 pills prior to boarding ?

i wanna take it on the NJ to japan flight, so i dunno if they'd throw it away when im going thru TSA on VA to NJ

12 hours ago, Gumballl said:

 

 

Regarding the sleeping pills, IMHO, that's a bad idea. What if there was an emergency that required your immediate evac of the aircraft. You will not be very attentive if in a drowsy state.

lol absolute bunkum. I've been on Uzbekistan airways around about 1995 ish on Tashkent Bangkok sector in the middle of the night when there were multiple extremely loud cracking popping sounds which turned out to be an engine trying to disintegrate. There was a not a single person on that aircraft that wasnt shitting themselves and 1000% awake within 5 seconds.

(the engine was shut down and we carried on to Bangkok...absolutely true)

No problems I do it all the time. If it's just two pills put them in your bag or shirt pocket. Not going to set off anything. Since you are coming from the US, the pills will be legal and have nothing to worry about. I use Zopiclone, which is Sched. IV in the US and never had a problem. I just tell them it's zolpidem (Ambien) which is legal. Worse case they take it from you.

Since you are transiting through Japan, you don't have to go through customs. All they do is put your carryon bags through an x-ray and you are good to go.

Don't take them until you get on the plane and are in the air in case there is a delay or something. And since it's United, I HIGHLY recommend being knocked out to avoid their horrible service.

I travel a fair bit, i always travel with 15-20 xanex and a few valiums.

 

Going through airports and flying annoys me, these mellow me out.

 

I've had security ask about the pills before ( not in thailand ) i just tell them i'm scared of flying, never been an issue.

 

Window seat, handful of pills, wake up at destination, only way to travel IMO.

On 7/30/2019 at 5:38 AM, prevaill said:

then new jersey to japan,

 

On 7/30/2019 at 5:38 AM, prevaill said:

My japan flight is like 13 hours long

are you sure? Los Angeles to Taipei is 14 hours. 

On 7/31/2019 at 7:21 PM, phkauf said:

No problems I do it all the time. If it's just two pills put them in your bag or shirt pocket. Not going to set off anything. Since you are coming from the US, the pills will be legal and have nothing to worry about. I use Zopiclone, which is Sched. IV in the US and never had a problem. I just tell them it's zolpidem (Ambien) which is legal. Worse case they take it from you.

Since you are transiting through Japan, you don't have to go through customs. All they do is put your carryon bags through an x-ray and you are good to go.

Don't take them until you get on the plane and are in the air in case there is a delay or something. And since it's United, I HIGHLY recommend being knocked out to avoid their horrible service.

Are you sure, because last time I was trouble without pills? Please tell me...

On 8/7/2019 at 12:21 AM, Louis Naylor said:

Are you sure, because last time I was trouble without pills? Please tell me...

You are not going to be nicked for having a couple of sleepers or diazapam or similar. Just keep original packaging in the extremely unlikely offchance that an over zealous customs guy takes an interest in you.

I have a bag full of pills , sleeping 100 pills, I think if you have under 45, your ok lorazepam, Immigration in Vancouver went tru my backpack, I had in it in full view , no hiding , I had 45 , he did ask if I had more, my name not on bottle, just FYI my incident, Vancouver always tough, like Australia


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are you sure? Los Angeles to Taipei is 14 hours. 

I just did SFO to Taiwan 13.5 hours


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