View Full Version : Carrying Pills
I will be carrying 2 maybe 3 different pills with me when i hike.
1. Allergy Medication - Terrible allergies
2. Metformin - Diabetic
3. Vitamins - Do i really need these or will i be urinating all of it out anyways?
I don't want to bring the bottles because of the weight. I have thought about plastic bags but am a little concerned about a tear in the bag. Has anyone used anything else with success.
I use a ziplock freezer bag for my migraine pills and consciously keep it as dry as I do my sleeping bag.
Nothing worse than hiking with a migraine - which I get when a strong cold front is coming in. Which is pretty often.
1. I also have terrible allergies, but I've never had the slightest problem with them on the trail, just when i stopped in towns, hopefully you will luck out (i was very shocked)
3. I found the days that I forgot to take my vitamins kinda sucked.
I started out w/ plastic baggies, but ended up with a bottle, found it to be multi-functional too, i looked for something small and light weight, be sure to know the difference btn your pills, and also a bottle is a great place to store a sewing needle and not have to worry about it putting holes everywhere, i also used it for putting duct tape around...
Beachcomber
05-15-2011, 10:14
I started out w/ plastic baggies, but ended up with a bottle, found it to be multi-functional too, i looked for something small and light weight, be sure to know the difference btn your pills, and also a bottle is a great place to store a sewing needle and not have to worry about it putting holes everywhere, i also used it for putting duct tape around...
If you still have any of the old 35-mm film canisters around, they're great lightweight, sturdy containers for pills, spices, etc. Stuff 'em into the core of your TP roll to optimize space.
Rocket Jones
05-15-2011, 10:49
My wife ordered some pill baggies from Amazon, similar to the craft ones, but they open on the long side. I grabbed a few and use them. Each day's goodies go into a labeled bag (Monday, Tuesday, etc.) I know what the morning routine is vs. the evening group, so it's easy to see if I forgot to take something. Mostly mine are vitamins, aspirin and fish oil caplets, so this simple method works well enough for me.
I use pill bags from Walmart. I haven't had a single problem. No tears, no inadvertent openings, not even any crushed pills. In each baggie I put one day of vitamins: 1 multi, 4 calcium, 2 vitamin E, 1 vitamin C, 2 glucosamine/chondriton, 3 ibuprofen. I also carry another baggie full of ibuprofen.
atraildreamer
05-15-2011, 12:39
If you still have any of the old 35-mm film canisters around, they're great lightweight, sturdy containers for pills, spices, etc. Stuff 'em into the core of your TP roll to optimize space.
Go to the photo shop at Wally World and ask for empty containers. They are glad to get rid of them.
Eze-Dose pill pouches are available in the Walmart pharmacy. $1.29 for 50 the last time I bought some. :)
Not sure about potential chemical residues in film canisters, so I don't use those for something I'm going to consume. I use small containers (available at Dicks, Wally world, gear stores, etc.) instead. I put a tiny bit of paper in with instructions if necessary, and pill identification, i.e. brown=ibuprofen, red=benadryl, white=tylenol.
I have used the snack size zip-locks then put them all in a sandwich size, it helps keep them together. I also put a slip of paper in with each different pill stating what it is and dose, it helps in case of emergency. Another thing I have done is to use one of the small pocket tackle boxes about 3"X4"X1.5" these usually have lids on both sides, makes it nice for morning and evening meds, then place that in a ziplock to help keep moisture out.
-SEEKER-
05-15-2011, 19:21
The zipper bags I use are for jewelry (it's nice to have a friend in the business). Get some little driers ( dessicants) from your pharmacist (they just throw them away) to keep pills from getting moist.
Blissful
05-15-2011, 19:53
I carried all mine in snack size Ziplocs. Never an issue.
I believe vitamins are a good idea. I used them throughout my hike. I also took glucosomine for knees, calcium, cranberry, CoQ, and a mega Vitc C tablet along with my prescription
i like the idea about writing down what pills are what and what the dosage is. since i have plenty of time before my thru i will be trying several of these ideas out. thanks for all of the suggestions!
chiefiepoo
05-15-2011, 22:18
check with your doc about continuing your typical metformin dosage while undertaking strenuous backpacking. I bonked on a past section a few years ago with muscle pain and fatigue. Doc said it may have been due to metformin flushing out minerals / electrolites needed for muscle repair and recovery. He has since cut out the met and replaced it with other, albeit, more costly meds. I'm a type two and witheld all meds for my recent 100 mile section. With lots of strenuous walking and sensible eating, my numbers stayed within acceptable ranges.
Thanks Chief, i will defiantly ask my doctor about Metformin. That would be great if I stayed level through out my thru. I happen to like Metformin because i can get it for free at Publix. :)
pcasebere
05-15-2011, 23:00
Plastic wrap for the day's pills.. keep these all in plastic bag.. seems to work just fine.
I carried all mine in snack size Ziplocs. Never an issue.- Blissful
Ditto! I place a little hand written label in my baggies describing the total # of each individual supplement, the dosage(mg) of each pill, the daily dosage and/or number of pills to take daily, a brief visual description of the pills(some look alike), and how many days they will last until needing to resupply. And, I carry about 10-12 different supplements on thruhikes mailing myself about 10 - 21 days worth at at time via USPS flat rate priority boxes to general delivery or places that will hold a box for me.
To each their own, and I DO NOT want to enter into a debate on the effectiveness of what supplements(not really vitamins!) I chose to take, other than to say I will not do a thru-hike without my supplements. They are DEFINITELY beneficial for me!
The bigger snack size bags do work, as does any bigger bag, but I like the little pill bags because it makes it super easy to know if I've taken all my pills for the day. If I have an empty baggie, I've succeeded. Also, I use a gallon size ziplock for my daily consumption. All the food, electrolytes and pills that I'm supposed to eat each day and nothing more goes in that bag.
The bigger snack size bags do work, as does any bigger bag, but I like the little pill bags because it makes it super easy to know if I've taken all my pills for the day. If I have an empty baggie, I've succeeded. Also, I use a gallon size ziplock for my daily consumption. All the food, electrolytes and pills that I'm supposed to eat each day and nothing more goes in that bag.
Keep in mind that in some places it is illegal to carry prescription medications in any container other than the pill bottle the pharmacy gives you. This is mostly a way to catch people who are selling their pills, and as a practical matter most elderly people have those plastic containers labeled M - T - W - T - F - S - S so they can have all their pills laid out for the week. But technically a sweet old lady could be arrested for carrying her pills around in her purse in one of those containers. Most police officers will use common sense in enforcing this law, but if you take pain meds like Oxycodone or Vicodin or Percocet or something like that and you get caught without the pill bottle you might end up getting into trouble because a lot of these kinds of pills are sold on the black market for recreational use.
You need a way to prove that you legitimately have a prescription for the pills you are carrying, and that pill bottle is what the law requires in many places. Its not that heavy, and certainly no heavier than the film canisters people recommend...and a film canister with pills in it is a definite red flag for illegal drugs.
BigFoot2002
05-16-2011, 03:22
When I brought prescription antibiotics on the trail I pealed the label off the bottle and stuck it on the ziplock I carried them in.
Rocket Jones
05-16-2011, 06:15
When I brought prescription antibiotics on the trail I pealed the label off the bottle and stuck it on the ziplock I carried them in.
Check with your pharmacist, they may be able to print you an extra label for your baggie.
Tipi Walter
05-16-2011, 08:31
Keep in mind that in some places it is illegal to carry prescription medications in any container other than the pill bottle the pharmacy gives you. This is mostly a way to catch people who are selling their pills, and as a practical matter most elderly people have those plastic containers labeled M - T - W - T - F - S - S so they can have all their pills laid out for the week. But technically a sweet old lady could be arrested for carrying her pills around in her purse in one of those containers. Most police officers will use common sense in enforcing this law, but if you take pain meds like Oxycodone or Vicodin or Percocet or something like that and you get caught without the pill bottle you might end up getting into trouble because a lot of these kinds of pills are sold on the black market for recreational use.
You need a way to prove that you legitimately have a prescription for the pills you are carrying, and that pill bottle is what the law requires in many places. Its not that heavy, and certainly no heavier than the film canisters people recommend...and a film canister with pills in it is a definite red flag for illegal drugs.
This reminds me of a story. Around 1988 when I was living at my tipi some kids came up to the ridge on a long hike and while I was gone and pilfered and took a bag of lose vitamins and a prescription bottle of Flagyl for giardia with my name on it. Several miles away they discarded the bag off the side of a road and somebody else found it and several months later I got a call from the sheriff's department to report to their agency. All because my name was written on a prescription bottle. Great.
I had to go to the law enforcement center and get my little bag of trivial pills and sign it out. I looked at the form and saw my little pill bag had traveled to about six different agencies for testing before it got back to me. Weird. I wondered if the thieves tried to OD on Flagyl??
Harrison Bergeron
05-16-2011, 20:00
If you're over 50, you're probably taking several pills a day. Here's a trick to organize and carry them without having to pack a load of prescription bottles.
Organize the pills in a grid pattern on a sheet of saran wrap, with each grid cell being a day's worth. Lay another sheet on top. Use a hair dryer to lightly melt the sheets together. Then just fold the whole thing up into a baggy. It'll keep them dry and organized and when you open one of the little day "pouches" you'll find that the plastic isn't really stuck to the pills, just to itself. It's more hassle, but if you don't like the idea of actually melting the plastic to the pills, you can also use the edge of an iron on low heat to melt the plastic together between the pills.
Beachcomber
05-16-2011, 20:21
a film canister with pills in it is a definite red flag for illegal drugs.
ZipLok bags full of drugs, on the other hand, are no problemo for suspicious cops.
Oxycodone or Vicodin or Percocet or something like that.....you get a lot of these kinds of pills are sold on the black market for recreational use. - Bonk
WHERE?
Of course this could occur. I don't worry about it though and I carry a bag of supplements when ever I hike and travel! I don't take or carry that kind of "bigger league contolled prescriptions" but some of my supplements/prescription antibiotics/OTC pain relievers can look suspicious to an ignorant cop or law enforcement authority. If I was to have prescription pain killers in this class I wouuld have that label on my baggies as some suggested. After having my pack totally unloaded at national boundary crossings by Border Patrol, at more airports than I can remember by TSA, by inquistive Wildlife, SP, and NP Rangers, and by a few local police I have NEVER had one major problem. I do know what every supplement is, its dosage, and why I'm taking it though in case I ever was asked about that "bag of pills."