When I did my interview I was on a certain antidepressant that I had listed, which was of course brought up as a topic of discussion, and I mentioned that I was feeling better and contemplating getting off of it possibly in the near future. Maybe a month or so down the line after the interview I did just that, and had been feeling pretty fine until recently.
After getting put on the alternate list for JET and having trouble finding a job with my degree months after graduation, I was left wondering if I should get back on medication. Long story short, this month I secured a well paying but stressful job, and two days into my employment I get a call from JET asking if I want to take the upgrade, which of course I say yes to. However, I still am working at said stressful job, they have no idea of my intent to leave possibly in a month or two, and the logistics of continuing to work full time there while trying to mentally and otherwise prep for JET has been even more stressful, so much so that I am really considering getting back on medication again.
The problem is, I’m worried that starting medication again this close to potential departure will be a recipe for disaster, and I’m trying to figure out whether it’s worth trying or not. My departure is not set in stone yet, but I was told it will probably be in Sept or later, so earliest case scenario is I have about a month to prepare for this. However, I decided that I want to now try a medication that worked well for me a few years ago, not the same one I had listed and shared with JET during my interview.
I have a feeling that I can get on a stable dose of this new (former) medication given a months time, but I’m not sure how or when to communicate this news to my consulate. I haven’t started the new meds yet, and for all they know I am still on the old ones or possibly off of them, given the information they have from the interview and medical form submitted prior. I’m thinking of checking with my doc first ASAP to make sure the timeframe with the new meds is doable, then once I get my departure date in about a month (and am hopefully on a stable dose) contacting the consulate to update them on the new situation.
I feel like if I was going back on the original meds they already have on file it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but I’m worried that they might see me starting new meds just potentially a month or two before departure as a big red flag which would disqualify me. I’m also wondering if maybe I should just try to endure the stress for the time being, and find a doctor in Japan who can prescribe me said meds (apparently they are available there), but I’d much rather be on a stable dosage before I make the flight to Japan for my sake, I don’t think this is a good option.
Right now, I’m thinking the optimal path is to get on the new meds ASAP and after a month contact JET to let them know of the change, but I’m wondering if I should just contact them now before I do any of this for full transparency. I see in the Health Cert Instructions (which currently they have given me no due date) it mentions you should send a new Statement of Physician with it if there are any changes in treatment, which I guess would apply to my situation and that means I can wait to let them know until when it’s due? Has anyone else here been in a similar situation that can chime in here? Any advice would be much appreciated.
2 comments
Depends on if you need them in Japan or not.
Need = bad
Don’t need = not bad
1. The decision of whether or not to start taking your medication again should be decided by you and your doctor based on what’s best for your mental health. Talk to them about your concerns with using it and whether it will impact you before leaving.
2. It’s probably going to be easier to get your prescription continued here if you bring your existing prescription from your home doctor.
3. You’ll want to apply for the medicine import certificate (I forget the name in Japanese) so you can bring a 3 month supply to get you started. Better to start that process sooner than later if you decide to start taking your meds.
4. The certificate of health is basically just to make sure you can do the job. Update it when you talk to your doctor, it’s doubtful they will suddenly disqualify you. Plenty of JETs take medication for a variety of reasons.
5. Even on the off off OFF chance you do get disqualified, prioritize your mental health. So what’s best for that.