• 🇳🇿 🇲🇲 🇯🇵 🇨🇳 🇦🇺 🇦🇶 🇮🇳
    Australian & Asian
    Drug Discussion

    Welcome Guest!
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
  • AADD Moderators: swilow | Vagabond696

Australian customs and large amounts of prescribed meds

Pagey

Pagey

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Apr 11, 2012
Messages
9,460
Hey guys, new to this section of bluelight :)
I'm moving to Sydney tomorrow as I'll be studying there as an exchange student for five months. I'm prescribed escitalopram (an SSRI) and alprazolam (xanax) to take every day and I got an advanced prescription on all five months seeing as I'm from France where I can get everything reimbursed. As such, I'll be travelling with an extremely large amounts of very controlled meds. I'll of course have the prescription with me but I was wondering if anyone knew how likely it would be for it to be a bit of a pain for me to get through Australian customs, especially as I've heard they're particularly strict? I know I won't get into trouble seeing as they're prescribed but I'd still rather not have to go through any kind of hassle at all...I'm especially worried about the xanax considering it's sold illegally so much. Any advice on how to handle the situation/what I should expect would be much appreciated. Thanks!
 
As long as you have the scripts and all the meds are in their boxs with a pharmacy label on it then you should be fine. They might want to call your doctor to ask why you have so much at once, but that would be the worst case scenario I think.
 
since xannax has been re-scheduled, i'de imagine you would get hassled aka. looked into but you should be alright at the end of the day

5 months worth of xannies is a very reasonable amount not matter what the dose but...
 
Declare them...I think is the general rule, isn't it?
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
If I were concerned, I'd get a letter from the prescribing doc, and declare them as you go through customs;
Australian Customs are notorious, but (again I could be wrong) scripted medication should be ok.
They're looking for invasive flora/fauna, illegal drugs and pretty much every plant material imaginable. And lizards down people's pants and shit. Few anti-ds and some Xanax ain't gonna register, if it's legit and Rx'd.
Maybe worth checking with Australian customs - but it's genuinely a medical matter, not a recreation drugs thing. Without your Xanax your fucked. Make em call your dr at the very, very worse.
But I doubt it'll come to that.
 
Last edited:
As pisspotnrock said, Alprazolam has been rescheduled. It's now schedule 8 along with Morphine, Oxycodone, Ketamine, and Methadone. It might get taken very seriously. I would recommend treating Australia more like Singapore in this case. Get a letter from your doctor stating why you've been prescribed such a large amount of Alprazolam (include your dose regimine). This, and declaring everything, should avoid any potential problems.

It probably won't even be necessary but it will save you a huge hassle if it does occur.

You could also contact Australian customs here

This is from the medication section of their website:

Can I bring my medicine with me whilst holidaying in Australia?

Travellers are permitted to bring no more than three months supply of prescribed medicines to Australia. The medicine should be declared on arrival, in the original packaging and accompanied by a doctor’s prescription. Travellers should ensure their medication is not restricted by contacting the Office of Chemical Safety and the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
Click to expand...
 
Eww so according to that Pagey, you can only carry three months worth in with you. Maybe have the others mailed to you? I dont know what the law is on that over there though either...

Since it specifically states that on the site i would be afraid to try to take all 5 months worth in with me. What if you get there and they refuse to let you take the rest through? Then they would just confiscate it and you would just be out of your meds for those other months...if it were me i would be afraid to try it..
 
Whoops. I must have skipped over the "five months" in the OP.

I would definitely be contacting them to investigate.

Stupid Australia.
 
Yay Pagey, you're coming to Aus! :) That's awesome - I think you'll love it. Make sure to check out some other parts of Aus too while you're here - especially Melbourne <3

Good info from yagecero there...I suppose you're already on your way now so what will be will be. Good luck, I hope you don't have any trouble.
 
Thanks very much for the answers everyone, they were all very helpful! :)

I ended up asking at the Paris airport if it was okay for me to bring all my meds in the cabin with me and they said I could only take 3 months worth anyway, so I left the rest at home and my parents will ship them over. I declared them on the immigration sheet, they just asked me a couple questions at customs and voilà, I'm now writing from my first day in Sydney, so everything was fine in the end! :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top