my friend is visiting me in japan from the US for about 10 days and is taking medication for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. she tells me she brought her meds with her but they’ve gone missing as of two days ago. she assured me that there would probably be enough in her system to get her through the trip but as of today it’s looking she’s going to have to take them soon. is there anyway i would be able to take her to a mental clinic and explain the situation and get her a prescription within a day?
given that theres still about 3 days left of the trip and that she’s expressing violent thoughts, im worried that if she doesn’t take her medication soon she could put me or herself or other people in danger
for additional context i speak japanese fluently and would be able to translate for her
6 comments
Japan has different standards as to what can be prescribed, particularly for psychological disorders. I don’t know where in Japan you are but google a hospital with a mental health ward and go from there.
[Here’s a government website](https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/health-medical/pharmaceuticals/01.html) with contact at the bottom. You can email and ask if your specific drug is legal in Japan.
In my case, I take Concerta, which is legal but can only be prescribed by certain doctors. I had to go to a clinic for a referral to a hospital who turned out not able to prescribe it, who then in turn referred me to another clinic who could prescribe it. I got quite the run around so I’d advise you to start looking now.
Ya I’d be more focusing on being far away from her.
Did you see her take her pills at any point in the trip or is this an ‘I don’t need these pills anymore’ episode?
Where in Japan are you? Bi-polar people stop taking their meds, lie, and so on. Not their fault.
If you are in Tokyo I can give some advice.
Best thing, regardless, is to call an ambulance explain the situation 双極性 and then the docs will probably sedate her and possibly tie her up. The real problem is a lot of hospitals with psych wards may turn her away as she doesn’t speak Japanese—you can’t be with her the whole time. A normal clinic may throw their hands up and try to get her to a hospital.
Your friend may need to return home as soon as possible. Missing essential medicine is a good reason to change medical plans. She needs to prioritize her health.
Getting an emergency prescription for the same medication may be difficult or impossible. Especially over the next few days. You need to visit a clinic or hospital tomorrow morning.
Depending on the doctors advice, you need to make plans to get your friends the medication within 24 hours OR get her to the airport. If the medication cannot be replaced quickly, you should help her get her ticket changed as soon as possible. She may need to buy another ticket. While expensive, this may be less expensive than a medical episode in a Japanese hospital in addition to missing her original flight.
Yes, she can.
I don’t know about psychiatric drugs but imho it’s worth a try. I take sleeping pills (benzodiazepines) but had run out during my trip to japan and was losing my mind with not sleeping. Everyone told me I had 0 hope of finding a doctor to prescribe and I was far in the inaka with 0 English speaking doctors I could find. Ryokan i was staying at actually helped me find the one English speaking doctor in town and he was very kind and compassionate to me and was able to help me. He told me normally he couldn’t prescribe those meds to Japanese ppl but had some leeway for tourists, so it’s worth a try imho. He was very nice and helpful to me.