I ordered 6 months worth of minoxidil from the states. And my package is held at customs, they said they require a Yunyu Kakyuinsho. I looked at the application and it asks for a prescription, but it’s not a prescription drug, it’s over the counter.
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And it’s not illegal in Japan.
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I’m beyond getting a certificate at this point because I hear it takes 2 weeks to obtain and FedEx charges 1000yen per day the package is held in storage. So I am asking if it’s possible to return it from there.
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Like from customs, is that possible?
4 comments
Hm, minoxidil 5% for men is sold on Japanese Amazon with no prescription.
Sorry, can’t help with your question – I think if customs don’t allow it in and it’s sent back, you should get a refund automatically? Happened to me once.
Maybe call fedex?
>I looked at the application and it asks for a prescription, but it’s not a prescription drug, it’s over the counter.
I think this is the misunderstanding. There are actually three types of drugs:
* Prescription
* Restricted OTC
* Non-restricted OTC
Restricted OTC are the ones you see “behind the counter” at pharmacies. They don’t require a doctor’s prescription but you have to ask a pharmacist for them. Often these are medicine that require specific instructions on how to safely use, or have a high potential for abuse, or are sensitive in nature (like emergency contraceptives).
I bet minoxidil falls under “restricted OTC” in Japan.
Anyway, I read you can get Yunyu Kakyuinsho in less than a week so depending on how much you paid for your shipment maybe it’s still worth the effort to get.
FedEx charges a large fee to dispose of it as well, more than the minoxidil costs. And they will NOT send back the package since they will first ask if the sender will pay the fees (which obviously they won’t).
If you still have the chance, say the package is not yours and you are not expecting anything like that, then they are forced to send back or dispose of it by themselves. If you already confirmed it’s yours, not much to do. I called different clinics and they all refused to give me a Yunyu Kakuninsho (because they want to sell their own overpriced minoxidil).
The limit for minoxidil is 2 months dosage (up to 5%, if more, only 1 month). Source: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/web/t_doc?dataId=00tb9332&dataType=1&pageNo=2
That’s why many sellers started selling packages of 2 minoxidil. From now on, order 2 at a time (and avoid FedEx).
Always get minoxidil from Osakado