Moving to Japan - Medications also moving?

[danarch]

I am on a five different maintenance medications right now (yeah, I know...) I am moving in June and wanted any advice/notes/whatever on what others have done in terms of transitioning their medication regime to Japan.

I am going to get 90 day supplies of all my medication so that I won't run out immediately after landing, but I've heard that (a) you can bring up to six months of drugs in with no issue and (b) you need to fill out special paperwork to do so. I also heard that there are quite a few drugs that you cannot even legally possess in Japan (although I don't believe I'm on any of them).

I can keep my doctors here in the States and just have them send medication to me (although our Japan Securities Industry Health Insurance I don't think covers medications I have sent from the States), but am I worrying about nothing and it turns out you can get a lot of medications in Japan with no issue.

dana

 

[Glenski]

Depending on what meds you need, you obviously have what will be labeled by Japanese insurance as a pre-existing condition. So, you just need to get an "initial" diagnosis here and then hope they prescribe similar meds.

Or you can just get your own meds mailed to you.