frank john
Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- October 2016
October-November 2024
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Most US meds don't come in blister packs , but in pill bottles, unless specially packaged for the patient. Medications for patients in a nursing home might be ordered that way for example due to the processed used to dispense medications in a nursing home (I am a nurse.)Don't they come in blister packs where you come from? If you go to the bank ask for a few empty cash bags, they will be about the right size and then you can put them all in a ziplock bag.
These are great ideas. My pills look very different so I will be able to tell the difference. But putting them in separate plastic bags us a great idea. Dud you have trouble getting labels from pharmacy? With vitamins I will have ten separate bags rather than all the bottles. Thanks for the suggestion.Most US meds don't come in blister packs , but in pill bottles, unless specially packaged for the patient. Medications for patients in a nursing home might be ordered that way for example due to the processed used to dispense medications in a nursing home (I am a nurse.)
No, my husband uses the VA and a local pharmacy and I use the same local pharmacy. His few VA meds, he peeled labels off his bottles. After we explained to the local pharmacist our need he was able to print us the labels. Sadly we are turning into walking pharmacies the older we get. I stop talking any nonprescribed supplements like calcium or multivitamin on the Camino to save space and weight.These are great ideas. My pills look very different so I will be able to tell the difference. But putting them in separate plastic bags us a great idea. Dud you have trouble getting labels from pharmacy? With vitamins I will have ten separate bags rather than all the bottles. Thanks for the suggestion.
I'm actually quite shocked by that from a safety point of view. I have only seen vitamin supplements loose in bottles for at least the last ten years, never actual medication. Does the pharmacy actually have to count pills in the 21st century?Most US meds don't come in blister packs , but in pill bottles, unless specially packaged for the patient. Medications for patients in a nursing home might be ordered that way for example due to the processed used to dispense medications in a nursing home (I am a nurse.)
Yes. Very few prescription medications come in blister packs in the US.Does the pharmacy actually have to count pills in the 21st century?
I do similar. I know that the little baggies add a bit to my overall pack weight, but each day it gets lighter!I used a pill pack product I got on Amazon when I walked the Frances in 2022–this one: https://a.co/d/e3SR9Mo
Carrying bottles is just way too much weight (I carried my pack). Before leaving my home I created for each day an AM and a PM pack of pills, but it was super easy while traveling to just open each pack. And the little plastic pouches weigh close to nothing. Highly recommend!
Yes, the VA pill bottles are huge (and I assume they must have some automatic counter when filling them). I do the exact same as curlylottie. I get the little ziploc bags from Amazon (and save and reuse them). Try to squeeze all the air out but still had to up my backpack from 38L to 50L to carry 6 weeks worth of heart meds. I take paper copies of my prescriptions through Customs (never been asked) and photo copies on my phone. Buen CaminoCarrying bottles is just way too much weight (I carried my pack). Before leaving my home I created for each day an AM and a PM pack of pills, but it was super easy while traveling to just open each pack. And the little plastic pouches weigh close to nothing. Highly recommend!
Packed my meds (ditto, 5 different) in small ziploc-bags for the CP last year.Hello. As I prepare my pack, I have five bottles of medications. All could fit in one. Given a lack of space, I’m trying to get the meds in the smallest plastic bottles. So far, not going well. Has anyone ever combined all their meds in one bottle or plastic bag?
Thanks for any who have experience with this. Frank.
As a professor of pharmacy, I emphatically say, do not combine different medications in the same container, regardless of how different they appear. It is a recipe for errors. Bottles or sealable bags, properly labeled with a pharmacy label are fine if they’re separate.Hello. As I prepare my pack, I have five bottles of medications. All could fit in one. Given a lack of space, I’m trying to get the meds in the smallest plastic bottles. So far, not going well. Has anyone ever combined all their meds in one bottle or plastic bag?
Thanks for any who have experience with this. Frank.
My pharmacy has a little machine that does the counting for them, it sounds like one of those rainsticks that is filled with little beads.Does the pharmacy actually have to count pills in the 21st century?
Especially as different manufacturers make the same medicine in different shapes and sizes. My latest prescription for Atorvastatin is a much smaller pill than last time and the Doxazosin is lozenge shaped rather than circular!As a professor of pharmacy, I emphatically say, do not combine different medications in the same container, regardless of how different they appear. It is a recipe for errors. Bottles or sealable bags, properly labeled with a pharmacy label are fine if they’re separate.
It's still adding a layer of work and possibility for error.My pharmacy has a little machine that does the counting for them, it sounds like one of those rainsticks that is filled with little beads.
Oddly enough I was reading a short story last night, one from the "Golden Age" of crime fiction wherein the murderer bought her poison from a chemist and it was packaged in a "bindle".It's still adding a layer of work and possibility for error.
I take 3 medications daily. When I'm travelling, I generally sort out X weeks' worth of them into one of those daily-compartment pill boxes. I take the labels off the pill bottles (I try to remember to save the previous lot, and use those, so the current ones still have labels), and wrap those labels--which tend to be sticky--around the outside of the pill-dispenser box. My tablets all look different, so sorting out which one needs to be taken at any given time works out okay.Hello. As I prepare my pack, I have five bottles of medications. All could fit in one. Given a lack of space, I’m trying to get the meds in the smallest plastic bottles. So far, not going well. Has anyone ever combined all their meds in one bottle or plastic bag?
Thanks for any who have experience with this. Frank.
I take 3 medicines and vitamins, I went to the hobby shop and got small zip lock craft bags. One pack be day. If you go with one bottle put a cotton in top of meds to keep them from breaking as you walk.Hello. As I prepare my pack, I have five bottles of medications. All could fit in one. Given a lack of space, I’m trying to get the meds in the smallest plastic bottles. So far, not going well. Has anyone ever combined all their meds in one bottle or plastic bag?
Thanks for any who have experience with this. Frank.
My pharmacist tells me he strongly prefers to dispense in blister packs for patients over 65. However, the pharmacists' association instructs pharmacists to dispense in labelled bottles only for foreign travel, given that some states' customs officials require it.Yes. Very few prescription medications come in blister packs in the US.
This is exactly what I do... Great idea and saves me from having to figure out which med is which when they look similar. Those little glassine zip-locks that are about 2"X3" are perfect for small pills. Also, I include a bit of cotton batting (or a cut up cotton ball) in the zip-lock bag to make sure there is never any moisture that damages the meds. Weighs nothing but can prevent any moisture build up due to humid conditions.If you do decide to do this, take pictures of the labels of each bottle (especially if prescription).
Instead of using bottles, I use tiny zip lock baggies to keep different medications separate, and I label each one with a Sharpie.
Actually, the counting machines are far more accurate and cost effective than having a human count them out; whilst blister packs of individual pills are quite eco-unfriendly (too much packaging).It's still adding a layer of work and possibility for error.
In Germany (and most other european countries I know) you only get meds in sealed packaging in blistercards to prevent mistakes. Yes, it's somehow inconvenient and some sort of non-ecological, but the mistakes by wrong medication could be severe.These are all great. But I don’t combine all meds in one bottle. Someone mentioned how unsafe this could be.
Put them in small ziplock and wrap them in clothing (socks tshirts…)Hello. As I prepare my pack, I have five bottles of medications. All could fit in one. Given a lack of space, I’m trying to get the meds in the smallest plastic bottles. So far, not going well. Has anyone ever combined all their meds in one bottle or plastic bag?
Thanks for any who have experience with this. Frank.
I have 3 meds in tablet forms with a small bottle of liquid. I wrap the small bottle in a styrofoam and use an elastic around the bottle. One week supply in one packet of bubble wrap, the rest in a larger bubble wrap packet also wrapped in a zip lock bag. No containers at all since the solid meds use blisters.Put them in small ziplock and wrap them in clothing (socks tshirts…)
Do you have copies of prescriptions?Put them in small ziplock and wrap them in clothing (socks tshirts…)
I have scanned each prescription in PDF and placed them on my iCloud. Same for passport and important documentation.Do you have copies of prescriptions?
Im sorry for my tech ignorance but how do I place something in iCloud? I have an IPhone. I know you are laughing.I have scanned each prescription in PDF and placed them on my iCloud. Same for passport and important documentation.
Take pictures of the labels and keep them on your phone.Im sorry for my tech ignorance but how do I place something in iCloud? I have an IPhone. I know you are laughing.
Just keep them in your photo gallery. You could even email the pictures to yourself.Thank you for this. I understand taking pictures. They are stored in Camera app. But I can’t find the documents app. I’m truly ignorant of what this phone can do.
Oddly enough I was reading a short story last night, one from the "Golden Age" of crime fiction wherein the murderer bought her poison from a chemist and it was packaged in a "bindle".
I had to look it up - it's a small piece of paper folded to make an envelope that holds a medicinal powder* Spooning out loose powders? Imagine the error that might arise from that!
* It seems it's also a folded bandana on the end of a stick as used by tramps, hobos and vagabonds.
Since posting that I was talking to my eldest brother - he's 14 years older than me - and he said Mum and Dad used to buy Beecham's Powders (a cold cure) that came in a paper wrap.I remember having teething powders that came in little paper packets - perfect for dissolving on babies’ tongues..
Hmm … I’ve just found myself wondering about the possibilities for choking on the fine powder ..
A bit late to be worrying about that!
I put photos of my prescription bottles on my phone and combined all my meds. No problems.Hello. As I prepare my pack, I have five bottles of medications. All could fit in one. Given a lack of space, I’m trying to get the meds in the smallest plastic bottles. So far, not going well. Has anyone ever combined all their meds in one bottle or plastic bag?
Thanks for any who have experience with this. Frank.
Go to ‘settings’, click on your name (or photo if you’re a narcissist), then iCloud and enable photo storage - assuming you’re comfortable with North Korean intelligence looking at your holiday snaps.Im sorry for my tech ignorance but how do I place something in iCloud? I have an IPhone. I know you are laughing.
Small plastic bags are sometimes sold as “bead bags.” Lots of sizes available on the internet.Hello. As I prepare my pack, I have five bottles of medications. All could fit in one. Given a lack of space, I’m trying to get the meds in the smallest plastic bottles. So far, not going well. Has anyone ever combined all their meds in one bottle or plastic bag?
Thanks for any who have experience with this. Frank.
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