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BY now it's widely known Rush Limbaugh was stopped on his return from the Dominican Republic because he was carrying a bottle of Viagra that had another person's name on it. The label indicated the drug was for Limbaugh's doctor, a move made to protect Limbaugh's privacy, his doctor reportedly told authorities.

So far no charges have been filed against Limbaugh, but "the bottom line is, every prescription drug requires the drug be made out to the person taking it," says Lucille Cirillo, supervisory officer for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in New York.

But many travelers don't follow the letter of the law. Traveling with your medications in the original container, with the original labels with your name, can be impractical, especially if the medication comes in a big bottle or you are taking several prescription pills a day.

Between them, Duane Cody, 63, and his wife, Jane, 59, of Northridge, take half a dozen prescription pills each day. On a recent trip to Phoenix, they stowed them — unlabeled — in pill minders, plastic segmented boxes that allow you to put in pills for each day.

Helen Graham, 81, of Corona, also uses the pill minders to remember her four daily prescription medicines. Taking along individual pill bottles for all four prescriptions is inconvenient, she says. "They put 100 pills in a bottle that is 4 inches high," she says, about twice as much container as is needed.

Neither the Codys nor Graham has ever been stopped for not having pills in the original containers. And the reality is, most travelers probably won't be, says Marv Shepherd, director of the Center for Pharmacoeconomic Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

He doesn't always transport medicine in its original containers, he says. "I am not going to take six large bottles to go on a two-day trip," he says. "I put them in a smaller vial."

He's never had a problem, he says, even though he is diabetic and must take along insulin and syringes. He was asked about three years ago while going through an airport security line whether he was diabetic. He said he was, and that was the end of it, he says.

But if the medication is a controlled substance, such as narcotic painkillers, it is especially wise to keep the medicine in the original container with the label, Shepherd says. "The label on the vial is proof you have a prescription for the drug," he says. "You don't need the prescription [form] too."

Although the day-of-the-week pill boxes are handy, mixing medications in a single container is a bad idea, says Sharon Brigner, a registered nurse and senior director of clinical medical policy for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. The Washington, D.C., industry group represents pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies.

"Medications can rub together and decompose," and that could make them less effective, she says.

The possibility of an accident is another good reason to keep medications in the original, labeled container, Brigner says. "Hospital personnel need to see quickly what medications you are on," she says. "And they can't with the day-of-the-week carriers." If you use them, take along a list of each medication's name, dose and why you take it, she suggests.

An alternative to traveling with pill minders: Ask your pharmacist when you order the medicine to divide it up into two smaller bottles and put a label on each, says Dr. Peter Galier, an internist at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and associate professor of medicine at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine.

Or ask for a special supply in a smaller bottle to take on vacation, says Robert Gillies, a pharmacist for United Healthcare, a Minneapolis-based health plan. "Most health plans will allow you a vacation fill," he says, even if it's not time to reorder.

Policies vary. For instance, for Kaiser Permanente members, "it's possible to ask your pharmacist to give you a labeled, smaller bottle," says Michelle Ponte, a spokeswoman. Members who order medications by mail may have to ask their doctor to help them do this, she says. If the refill date for a medicine occurs while a member is due to be on vacation, the individual can request the medicine early, she says.

Another plan, WellPoint, does not have a vacation fill program, but a "prescription override" is possible so you can fill it early if you would run out while gone, says Leslie Porras, a representative. Travelers should check with their health plan's member services department to find out its policies.

What if you are returning to the United States with drugs that require a prescription here but not in the country where you're traveling?

"So long as it is not a controlled substance and is meant for personal use, there really is no issue with that," says the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Cirillo.

But for controlled substances, such as the tranquilizer Valium or the painkiller OxyContin (oxycodone), "You need a prescription. The bottle has to be labeled and made out to that traveler," she says.

The FDA has a policy for "personal importation" of drugs that "provides an avenue for patients with serious medical conditions, for which effective treatment may not be available in the United States, to import products available in other countries," according to a document released June 6. Among other conditions, the traveler must attest that the drug is for his or her own use, generally no more than a three-month supply, and give the treating physician's contact information.

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