For context, I just had an appointment today from my home country via online consultation and gave me prescriptions for the improvement of my mental health. I choose to consult in my home country via online consultation because I cannot speak Japanese fluently. I cannot buy this from over the counter pharmacy since I needed a doctor’s note to buy it.
Have you tried to use prescription from your home country and buy it here in Japan?
Thank you very much.
9 comments
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Don’t shoot the messenger, I don’t think that’s going to work. You’ll need a prescription from a doctor from within the Japanese health care system. And you probably won’t be able to get the foreign one filled abroad and shipped here. You can try but you’re rolling the dice with customs.
No I’ve never tried that, I wouldn’t waste my time, it won’t work. Can you imagine a prescription in Japanese from a Japanese doctor working in your home country?
Like it or not you need to see the appropriate doctor here in Japan, there are plenty of English speaking doctors, show him your overseas issued prescription by all means and let him/her prescribe a suitable (maybe the same) medicine for you.
Your embassy may be able to advise on English speaking doctors or just ask away here, someone will know I’m sure.
If you make an appointment with a Japanese mental health professional, I’d focus on telling them your current doctor wants to write a prescription for ABC, let them contact each other with your permission, then Japanese doctor should write your prescription for pick up in Japan.
It’s an extra step, but it’s necessary for your health.
What medication do you need? PM me if you don’t want to mention it here.
If the medication isn’t illegal in Japan, you can import 1 month prescription from abroad. I do it myself for gout related medicine that is approved within Japan.
Nope, luckily they have the exact same medication and dosage I need for my diabetes here💪
Go see a doctor in Japan and bring the prescription from your home doctor. They should give it to you with no issues. That said, if you need something like Adderall then too bad. If it’s illegal in Japan then you can’t import it either.
Do you have family in your home country that can pick it up and ship it to you? If you only ship a months worth per package you don’t need to fill out any paperwork.