I moved to Japan from the US a little over 2 months ago on a spouse visa with my wife and son. I had been taking Vyvanse for ADHD for about 4 years until the move, but had to stop because Vyvanse is only prescribable to children here. I got a prescription for Concerta within a couple weeks after arriving (thank you r/japanlife for the Kayabacho clinic recommendation) but it just doesn’t work like Vyvanse.
To put it bluntly, without Vyvanse I’m unable to function at the level necessary for my existing work/life commitments. At this point my options are
(1) give up on my career aspirations and lower my expectations, which probably won’t help much anyway because the intractable depression that plagued me prior to getting medicated will likely return, or
(2) get my son diagnosed with ADHD (totally plausible) and then take his meds or find a shady doctor who would be complicit in this medication misdirection, or
(3) return to the US without my family which would be tantamount to divorce, or
(4) periodically travel back to the US, fill a prescription, and bring it into Japan with a yakkan shoumei.
Needless to say, option (4) is looking like the least shitty at this point in time. Thanks to this [helpful post](https://www.reddit.com/r/movingtojapan/comments/u1tm24/getting_lisdexamfetamine_prescribed_in_japan/) by u/ronjaidaweia I’m clear on what is required to import Vyvanse, but I’d need to be repeating this process several times per year if I want to avoid long stretches without medication. Fortunately I wasn’t taking the maximum dose so I could stretch it to last a while.
So anyway, here’s the question: **Has anyone been successfully importing Vyvanse (legally, through the yakkan shoumei process) repeatedly for an extended period of time?** It would be nice to get confirmation that I can actually continue this for a while before attempting it–it would suck to get my hopes up and then have the permit denied after a few trips.
5 comments
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You are a big fan of extreme outcomes
Can you search for a doctor who can personally import it?
According to this ( link below ) doctor can import for their patients.
https://kouseikyoku.mhlw.go.jp/kinki/iji/ishitou.html
Crazy to see so many Americans with ADHD problems. I have barely heard about it back in France. I wonder why there are so many cases in the US.
“Opium, cannabis and stimulant drugs (Amphetamines, methamphetamines), including certain medicines for the treatment of ADD/ADHD (such as Adderall, Vyvanse and Dexedrine) are strictly prohibited and illegal to bring into Japan”
Technically, Vyvanse is one of the FEW Rx you are not allowed to bring even in personal use quantities even with a valid Rx.
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I don’t mean to be insensitive, cause I have severe ADHD too (learned to adapt), but maybe if you were going to make a massive life change like moving to a new country, you should have checked to see that a daily life-altering medicine that you seem to 100% need would be available or legal or be able to import with an Rx.
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My advice is give Concerta a better try. How much were you on? 18? 36mg? You can also ask, for example, 18×2 instead and take one in the morning and one around noon. I find it doesn’t last all day like they claim sometimes like to space out the doses. (I don’t really take it… but was able to nab an Rx for it, which is rather hard, so go back and grab a refill every few months. I take it more like a coffee or diet pill every now and then more than anything else)
Or… try Strattera. Available in Japan. It’s not a stimulant, it’s a weird newish type of drug for ADHD. Works fucking wonders for some. I fucking hated it, couldn’t cum.
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Also, just a word of advice, you are going to experience culture shock. For months, if not years. The meds we are talking about are serious drugs that WILL effect your state of mind, while the move itself it doing its fair share of affecting the state of your mind. What you see as working or not working could simply be culture shock or you adjusting to your new environment.