Job Discussion Forums

[Ai]

I came to Japan with a year's supply of birth control pills. I'm going to run out in a month and I have no plans to go back to the USA anytime soon.

I was wondering if any of you ladies out there had any experiences getting the pill here in Japan?

Are the same brands available? If not, is it easy to find pills with similar hormone doses?

How much do they cost?

Thanks a million for any info.

[Deicide]

[Ai]

[Perpetual Traveller]

Deicide, many women who take the pill do so for reasons other than birth control. Not helpful.

Ai, here's an older thread where this was discussed http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=8401&highlight=birth+control although it's possible that the information is a little out of date it's probably a reasonable starting point.

Have you considered having someone 'back home' send you more? This is an option that quite a few people I know have used.

Other than that I would suggest your best starting place is at the doctors, they should have all the latest information.

Good luck,
PT

[JimDunlop2]

Ai, I will ask my wife...


As for Deicide's opinion... Well, I don't think he realizes that many women take the pill for reasons other than birth control as well -- my wife for instance, takes birth control pills to correct a serious hormone imbalance. It would be a LOT MORE unhealthy if she were to stop taking em.....

(Ok... just asked her -- she walked into the room).

Anyway.... She says that she had to go see a (Japanese) gynecologist and it was no problem for her to get the prescription. As for the brands? She says they are (or seem to be) completely different from what we have in North America. Price: she thinks it was about 2-3000 yen for a month's supply.

On a more general note, for my own problems and prescriptions, I usually go in to see the Japanese doctor with a sample of my medicine from back home and show it to him and ask if they have the same (or similar) drug available in Japan. So far it seems to be O.K. However, strangely enough, Zantac is over-the-counter in Canada but prescription-only here in Japan.

P.S. If you need any more info, my wife said to send a PM. If you want to have a confidential talk with her (without me involved) just PM me your regular e-mail address and I'll have my wife just talk with you directly.

[Deicide]

Of course women take the pill for other reasons...my main point was that the status of the pill and steroids is identical in all but their availability...hormone altering medicine...yet steroids in most Western countries are treated as dangerous narcotics on par with crack or heroin...and they are clearly not...never mind possessign them is a criminal act in many countries...anyway that was my point...

[Apsara]

Ai, by far the easiest thing to do if someone will do it for you is to have someone call your doctor at home for a prescription, and have them send it to you. You can legally send up to 3 months' worth of prescription medicine at a time through the mail. I often do this. If you are planning a trip to Bangkok any time soon you can get many brands over the counter there.

Or go to an international clinic (like the King Clinic in Tokyo) and discuss your options with a doctor there- I hear choice is pretty limited in Japan though.

[gaijinalways]

Taiwan and Hong Kong also have freer access to the pill then here.

[Ai]

Thanks so much to those of you that have answered my questions. I don't think getting pills sent is an option since I don't really have a regular doctor in the US any more. I got my last year's supply from Planned Parenthood and I'm not sure if I can get more without going in person.

I guess I'm going to have to bite the bullet and go to a Japanese doctor. I'm just worried about the language barrier. (My Japanese is basically limited to ordering food and very simple conversation.)

[David W]

[ava77]

When I was in Toyko I went to China and got a year supply for under 100 US dollars. They sell them over the counter so you don't need a prescription. I am not sure if they carry all brands though. I got DIane35.

[Glenski]

I think this site is one you should look at (or read the book it was based on) to get more advice from females here.
http://www.being-a-broad.com/

These might also help. I am a male, so I don't have the firsthand experience you would. All I can tell you is that the pill may be difficult to get, depending on circumstances, and that it is probably a lower dose than you're used to (same goes for most other medicine here). Some of the information below is not so much about its availability now, as it is about how we got to where we are now in Japan, but I think it's important to have a background on certain mentality here.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ats/Feb25/feb25_02.html
http://www.agi-usa.org/pubs/journals/3312301.html
http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/96/0913/ed2.html

If you decide to order back home, what kind of health insurance are you going to use? Something to consider if you have switched over to a Japanese type.

[TokyoLiz]

Ai,

Glenski mentions www.being-a-broad.com, on which there is an active forum with topics which include women's health. Your question and related topics have been discussed there a lot. Very informative!

[G Cthulhu]

The pill is readily available anywhere you can find a "women's health clinic", and slightly less readily through most any GP. If you have national health insurance then it should cost around 1500 yen a month. The first time you get a presecription they may only give you one month. After that they tend to give you six months at a time. YMMV. Most doctors in Japan will have info giving the Japanese brandname equivilent to non-Japan brand names. If you take in your current prescription box where it lists the dosages then at the very least, they can match that with a Japanese brand.

If you don't want to go that route and can't get it from your home country then you can buy it online at http://www.inhousepharmacy.com/ Don't be put off by them operating over a website, they're a real outfit and will happily ship to Japan.

[Ai]

I thought I'd post an update to this incase anyone looks at it in the future. I'd like to thank everyone who gave me helpful information. In the end I decided to order the pills from the website above. For me, it was easier than getting them sent from home and less hassle than going to a doctor here for them. It also allowed me to get the brand i wanted for less than I would pay in the US (no insurance at home ). The pills came within a week of ordering them.

Thanks again!