Frequently Asked Questions for Pill Pod

Q: Does Pill Pod 7 Day Secure medication lock box comply with state laws requiring safe storage devices to be available in pharmacies?

A. Yes. Several states now have legislation that requires pharmacies that dispense Schedule II, III, or IV controlled substances to display and have available medication lock boxes. Pill Pod 7 Day Secure™ is child-resistant and qualifies as a locking storage container / drug lock box that can be offered to meet this requirement.

Q: Can I carry my pills around in any unlabeled combination locking vials/pill bottles?

A.  State laws vary, but most require that controlled substances, obtained through a prescription, be kept in the original labeled vial/bottle when traveling outside of the home. If not using the organizer, Pill Pod allows you to safely store several of your medications in their original labeled vials without needing to transfer your pills.

Q: Can it be broken into being plastic? Can’t the whole thing be stolen? How secure is it?

A: Pill Pod 7-Day Secure™, locking pill organizer / medication lock box is a deterrent and is not intended to be a high security drug safe. Its purpose is to restrict and keep others out of your medications and provide peace of mind knowing that you are being responsible in preventing accidental child poisoning or Rx drug addiction from initiating. It strikes the right balance in providing you with safety, convenience, and ease of access so you can adhere to your medication schedule. The tray and cover are produced in an impact resistant plastic, but just like any locking device, with the use of tools or significant force, it can be broken into. It is “tamper-evident” meaning that anyone attempting to break in would need to destroy it which would be easily noticed. If someone with an addiction is intent on stealing drugs, nothing, outside of a heavy-duty floor mounted steel safe, will prevent them from breaking in.

Q: What about other drug lock boxes and locking pill bottles being sold, how secure are those?

A: Consumer Alert: A number of “locking” products being promoted, marketed, and sold have little no security and should be avoided. Before you purchase anything, carefully read through the product reviews on Amazon or elsewhere. Know that some of the “glowing five star reviews” are fake – planted there by friends or insiders working for the manufacturer.

!WARNING! THESE PRODUCTS, SAFER LOCK AND SAFER LOCK BOX, ARE DANGEROUS. A CHILD CAN GAIN ACCESS WITHOUT ANY STRENGTH, TOOLS OR SPECIAL SKILLS. IT CAN NOT EVEN QUALIFY AS A DETERRENT. The first video below, created by another Rx lock box company, shows this serious product design defect of this combination locking pill bottle. The second video beneath, made by an independent product reviewer, also shows the same deficiency. Safer Lock by Gatekeeper Innovation, Inc. now RxGuardian is a facade, something posing to be secure, but is anything but safe or innovative. It is intended to be a locking pill bottle with a cap that has combination locking tumblers. As the videos below illustrate, regardless of the combination, it can easily be opened in its “locked” state by anyone – child or adult. The premise of the design is that in the “locked” condition, the cap will free spin, or be disengaged and not be able to be unscrewed from the bottle. Many consumers have also reported the defective design in Amazon product reviews. We ourselves have verified that if one just pushes down on the cap, with just a slight bit of pressure while unscrewing the cap counterclockwise, it will easily come right off. This is the identical operation one uses when opening a child-resistant safety cap -push down & rotate counter-clockwise. What is even worse is that pills can be stolen and the cap put back on – showing no signs of a break in or damage. The prescribed patient might never discover that their pills are being routinely stolen! Even if just pulled upon, the cap will pop right off from the bottle, as plastic bottle neck easily flexes/collapses and it can be put back on. This is a defective, ill-conceived, non-engineered, concept at its worst. The company continues to stand up in the cause to promote Rx drug prevention – in front of a product that is unsafe. They have also expanded this flawed concept and placed it onto a plastic case to create yet another unsafe product -the Safer Lock Box. Same as the bottle, it can be broken into by anyone, without any strength, special skills, or use of tools. It can be closed again and function, showing no signs of tampering. These products are unsafe for anyone trying to secure medications. Good intentions do not outweigh a dangerous defective consumer product which should taken off the market.

Aluminum lock boxes with briefcase style latches produced by a number of companies such as Lockmed and Vaultz,  likewise have little to no security and can be opened in their “locked” state simply by pushing and applying force to the release button. Additionally, the hasp can easily be “popped open” by inserting a small screw driver or similar. Several videos on YouTube (see below) document just how flawed the security on these products are. Their metal appearance gives a false impression that these lock boxes are strong and secure. In actuality, anyone can easily open them in just seconds, steal some of the drugs inside, and then close it again. The theft can go on undetected, as the product will continue to function normally without any signs of tampering or a break in!

RxLocker promoted by Dr. Drew Pinsky, was recalled in 2012 by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found it to have no security. Completely defective. Just rapping it on a table would cause the metal hasp to spring open.

Any product intended to secure medications, where locking can easily be bypassed, drugs stolen, show no signs of tampering or damage, and still remain functional – is unsafe and a liability risk for consumers and should be avoided.

Pill Pod was designed and developed in response to researching this product area and seeing a need for a more secure solution that could be made affordable to any family.

Q: Why is there no reset feature for the combination? Why can’t you set your own code?

A: In development, several prototype variations were and tested and evaluated. We consciously decided to forgo this option. First, it would have been more complicated for end users to have to follow instructions to assign there own code. Second, and more importantly, we did not want to compromise the security – which would have been the case with a re-settable combination design.

Q: Are there limitations on the bottle sizes it can accept?

A: Most typical prescriptions for medications come in 30 to 60 pill counts. Vial sizes used for dispensing can vary – there is no set standard. It’s really at the pharmacist’s discretion in terms of what vial to use. Sometimes you’ll get a small one. The next time, the same prescription might come in a larger vial. The tray and cover can accommodate vials up to 2-1/4” in diameter. This allows a wide range of standard vials to fit. For smaller vials (typical 13 dram) a maximum of six will fit inside. It can also accept some liquid medication / cough syrup bottles as well.

Q: How secure is the locking mechanism, can the tumblers be easily picked?

A: The product was designed and developed by an licensed mechanical engineer with a number of years of experience in the hardware/lock industry. Security features include pick resistant tumblers.  Without knowledge of the combination, there is little chance for someone to bypass security, open and steal some of your pills, and then close it up again. Breaking in means destroying the product – which would be immediately noticed. The product is protected by two US utility patents.

Q: Why don’t the tumblers detent, index, click beneath the marker?

A: Resistance in rotating the large tumblers has been kept to a minimum, which makes it easier to use for those who might have an arthritic condition or limitations with hand/finger strength/dexterity. Likewise the numerals on tumblers are high contrast, large, and easy to read for those who may have vision impairment.

Q: I’ve lost or can’t remember my combination. Is there a default bypass code?

A: We recommend that you to cut off the tab with the assigned unlocking code provided and keep it in a secure location that only you or another responsible person will have knowledge of. As part of its security, there is no backdoor or default code to get in, other than to break it open. If you find yourself in this situation, needing to break in, the easiest way is to use a pair of pliers – twist and break off the blue retaining cap, above the tumblers, then remove the tumblers.

Q: Is it big enough for insulin, syringes, and supplies? Can it be refrigerated?

A: Yes, there should be sufficient space capacity for this purpose and it can be kept refrigerated.

Q: How child-resistant is it?

A: Vials, blister packs, or any packaging into which medications are dispensed  need to meet child-resistant packaging safety standards per ISO 13127. Because medications are not directly dispensed in Pill Pod (being an auxiliary locking device), it is not subject to these standards. US Consumer Product Safety Commission has stated that they do not intend to establish a child-resistant packaging standard or compliance for pill organizers. That being said, with its durable construction and being a child-resistant pill organizer system, it is not possible to easily bypass its security and break in – without physically destroying it. CPSC frowns on any product descriptions using the term “child-proof,” however it is substantially child-resistant.

Q: What plastic material is the pill organizer made from, is it safe?

A: The pill organizer is produced in food grade polypropylene plastic. Lab tested, it is free from lead, BPA, Phthalates, or other harmful substances.  When cleaning is required, we recommend gentle hand washing with a mild liquid soap and sponge.