How can I find out if my medications will be available in Japan?

Question

I take two medications Mestinon (Pyridostigmine Bromide) and Prednisone. How can I find out if these two are available in Japan? And is it possible to get my meds shipped to me, in Japan, or is that illegal?

Answer 1

The site below will ship to Japan.

http://www.internationalpharmacy.com/en/home

You will have to pay a LOT more money if you do it this way unless you are being relocated as an expat and your company will continue your US-based health care coverage. Japanese health care will not.

Mestinon is available but is clased as a controlled substance. You'll need a Japanese doctor to presribe it and get a new prescription every 30 days.

http://www.tokyokasei.co.jp/catalog/P1339.html

Prednisone is also available:
http://www.tokyokasei.co.jp/catalog/P1276.html

Answer 2

You can have a 30 day supply shipped to you as long as you have a perscription. It's probably best to pay into the Japanese health care system and let it subsidize your costs though. Cholinesterase inhibitors are something Japanese doctors tend to know quite a bit about. That's what saved lives the day of the Sarin subway attack.

Answer 3

I took my prescription meds bottle for allergies to my local doctor. He did a lookup for the equivalent pharmecuetical available in Japan. The pharmacy provided me the meds.