I apologise if the title is confusing. My situation is, I have a monthly oral chemotherapy drug I need to bring in. In total, it’s 15 tablets per month, to be eaten 3 per day for five days only. The thing is, I’m technically bringing in more than a month’s supply (30 tablets total).
Associated with that I have prescribed low-dose xanax–I’m planning to bring in only 3 strips of 10, since I only use it when I’m feeling particularly anxious.
I’m having trouble getting the supporting letter from the doctor needed for the Yunyu Kakunin-sho, and just in case, I wanted to ask, does 1 month’s supply generally looks like 30 tablets? If I have issues submitting the Yunyu Kakunin-sho, would it be alright to enter (residing for the next couple of years) with these supplies? I’d like to clarify I am not trying to smuggle anything illegally, just frustrated at my doctor’s lack of response and would like to understand what to expect in the worst case scenario.
Thank you kindly in advance.
3 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**What to do about rule re. “one month’s supply” prescription medicine when only 5 days’ worth?**
I apologise if the title is confusing. My situation is, I have a monthly oral chemotherapy drug I need to bring in. In total, it’s 15 tablets per month, to be eaten 3 per day for five days only. The thing is, I’m technically bringing in more than a month’s supply (30 tablets total).
Associated with that I have prescribed low-dose xanax–I’m planning to bring in only 3 strips of 10, since I only use it when I’m feeling particularly anxious.
I’m having trouble getting the supporting letter from the doctor needed for the Yunyu Kakunin-sho, and just in case, I wanted to ask, does 1 month’s supply generally looks like 30 tablets? If I have issues submitting the Yunyu Kakunin-sho, would it be alright to enter (residing for the next couple of years) with these supplies? I’d like to clarify I am not trying to smuggle anything illegally, just frustrated at my doctor’s lack of response and would like to understand what to expect in the worst case scenario.
Thank you kindly in advance.
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I would say this comes down to your risk tolerance. IANAL, and I could see a case being made that you’re bringing in a 10 day supply, or a case being made you’re bringing in a 2 month supply. Most of the time you can walk through and no one checks anything. And if they do check, then it comes down to how they interpret your prescription. But if you want to be completely safe, then you need to do the paperwork.
It looks like the only thing you need from your doctor for the Yunyu Kakunin-sho is the prescription. You should have that already. The Explanation of Product you should have in a pamphlet that came with the medication, or you can usually download from the manufacturer or the US FDA.
[https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/health-medical/pharmaceuticals/dl/qa2.pdf](https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/health-medical/pharmaceuticals/dl/qa2.pdf)
If you can’t get a doctor’s note, try asking your pharmacy. They can give you a printout of the prescriptions they have on record for you. Be honest with customs, and tell them it’s two months’ worth; they shouldn’t give you a particularly hard time since it’s only 30 total tablets.
That being said, make sure these drugs are available here if you’re moving here. If you need chemotherapy drugs, I’m willing to bet that going without them would be bad, to say the least. I have no idea what the wait time would be to see a specialist that could re-diagnose you and prescribe you those drugs. I’d imagine not too long, but I really have no experience in this field.
Xanax is legal here, and 30 tablets could easily count as one month. I wouldn’t be too worried about that one, but like the above medication, you’ll have to find a Japanese doctor to re-diagnose you and re-prescribe the medication to you if you wish to buy it here.