Can you bring medication to United States?

• Controlled medication

  allowed, within limits

  Individuals may cross the U.S. border with a Schedule II-V controlled substance for personal medical use if (1) it is in the original container it was dispensed in, and (2) the traveler declares it to a CBP officer, stating either the trade/chemical name and schedule, or the prescribing practitioner/pharmacy and prescription number. U.S. residents bringing such medication back into the U.S. after obtaining it abroad are capped at 50 dosage units combined across all such medication; that cap does not apply to medication lawfully obtained in the U.S. before departure, and the source does not state it applying to non-resident visitors entering with their own foreign prescription.

  This is a DEA regulation (21 CFR 1301.26), separate from CBP's 90-day-supply guidance on the site's general 'prescription medication' entry -- the two operate together. By DEA scheduling (a well-established, separately-documented fact, not itself re-verified against a DEA scheduling page in this pass), Schedule II covers amphetamine/Adderall, methylphenidate/Ritalin, lisdexamfetamine/Vyvanse and oxycodone; Schedule IV covers alprazolam/Xanax, diazepam/Valium, clonazepam/Klonopin and tramadol; codeine spans Schedule II-V depending on formulation -- all fall within the II-V range this exemption covers. The regulation text itself does not name these drugs by brand, only by schedule.

  Also covers: controlled substance, narcotic medication, psychotropic medication, adderall, amphetamine, vyvanse, lisdexamfetamine, ritalin, methylphenidate, xanax, alprazolam, valium, diazepam, klonopin

  Checked 2026-09-13 — Source: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration / eCFR -- 21 CFR 1301.26, Exemption of certain persons from registration for personal use of controlled substances

• Injectable medication

  allowed, within limits

  As FDA-approved prescription drugs, GLP-1 medications (semaglutide/tirzepatide) and insulin follow the FDA's personal importation framework: foreign visitors may bring in roughly a 90-day supply, with the prescription or a doctor's letter. Separately, at TSA airport security screening, insulin is confirmed as a permitted 'medically necessary liquid' in carry-on above the standard 3.4oz limit -- travelers must tell the officer and place it in a bin separately for X-ray screening; the final decision rests with the TSA officer.

  Compounded or non-FDA-approved semaglutide/tirzepatide products are treated differently: FDA's personal importation policy only extends discretionary allowance to unapproved drugs when there's a serious condition, no domestic availability, no unreasonable risk, and written affirmation of personal use. Genuine brand-name Ozempic/Wegovy/Mounjaro/Zepbound are FDA-approved, so this stricter unapproved-drug pathway shouldn't apply to them, but a compounded version should expect more scrutiny. The TSA insulin page (https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/insulin, checked 2026-09-13) doesn't separately name GLP-1 pens, syringes specifically, or give refrigeration/ice-pack rules -- a dedicated TSA syringes/needles/ice-pack page could not be located in this pass, so treat 'same handling as insulin' as a reasonable inference rather than a directly confirmed rule.

  Also covers: ozempic, wegovy, mounjaro, zepbound, semaglutide, tirzepatide, insulin, needles, syringes, injection pen, glp-1

  Checked 2026-09-13 — Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration -- Personal Importation of Drugs

• Prescription medication

  allowed, within limits

  No more than roughly a 90-day supply for personal use, in original containers, with your prescription or a doctor's note

  FDA-unapproved medications may be refused entry even if legally prescribed abroad.

  Also covers: medication, prescription medicine, medicine, drugs (prescription)

  Checked 2026-08-10 — Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection — Traveling with Medication to the United States

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Informational only — not legal advice. Customs rules change; confirm with the official source above before you travel. See update history