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nobuko · Joined: 14 Oct 2007 Posts: 17 Location: Canada

Call me paranoid but I would like to stock up on my good ol' Canadian Cold and Flu medicines before I leave. I hear the Japanese OTCs are quite weak in comparison. I'm looking for a list of medicines that are allowed to pass Japanese borders and which are not. There is some information on this matter however its not specific. I need brand names! So if you have went through this trouble can you please shed some light?

No stimulants
No narcotics - did I even have to add this to the list

Anything else?

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

You will be able to find Bufferin, Tylenol, and a few other pain relievers here, as well as Contac. An ingredient in Sudafed is prohibited because it can be used to make more serious (illegal) drugs here, but you'd really have to stock a lot to be such a meth lab proponent, so if you just pack one box and stay quiet about it, customs will likely not even ask about such things. You could also just get family to send it later and label the package as something less eye-catching than "drugs".

wabisabi365 · Joined: 04 Feb 2007 Posts: 111 Location: japan

If you use Ibuprofin, stock up. What they sell here, under the name "Eve" or "Ringl" will cost between 850 to 1000 yen for 12 tablets. On top of that, each tablet contains only 150 mg of Ibuprofin (compared to 200 mg in the stuff from N. America). I stock up on the generic bottles of 500 tablets ($15.00 Cnd) when I visit Canada, and it lasts the year.

ws365

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Pseudoephedrine is the banned ingredient in Sudafed. I don't really get sick so haven't taken any Japanese OTC medicine except the occasional Bufferin to help with the pain from a shoulder injury- I found it worked fine.

David W · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 457 Location: Japan

Bring codeine for pain if you use it, can only get ibuprofen or paracetamol here. Some will tell you it's illegal, perhaps so but customs will not give a tinkers unless you are obviously taking the proverbial.
Tablet for tablet the OTC meds here aren't as strong generally as back home, just take more and you'll be OK. Don't be shy about hitting up the quacks for the good stuff too, usually they'll fix you up pretty good here if you ask nicely.

David W · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 457 Location: Japan

gaijinalways · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279

I personally find the stomach medicine weak here, so I bring alka seltzer as well as sudafeds. My father also mails them, customs hasn,t pulled them out yet.

nobuko · Joined: 14 Oct 2007 Posts: 17 Location: Canada

wabisabi365 · Joined: 04 Feb 2007 Posts: 111 Location: japan

Things I stock up on when I visit Canada (either for price, lack of availability in Japan, or strength):

Ibuprofin (MUCH cheaper, stronger in Canada)
Neo Citron (or generic) (has full 500 mg dose of acetominophen in one dose, considered strong in Japan)
1000mg fizzy caps of Vitamin C (cheaper in Canada)
Daily Multi-vitamin (cheaper in Canada)
Tums or Rolaids (cheaper and easier to come by in Canada)
Echinacia (sp?) (cheaper and easier to come by in Canada)
OB tampons (easier to come by in Canada, otherwise, feminine products here are the same price and availability as in Canada)
Oral Contraceptives; CHEAPER in Canada

All of the above I have both brought in my suitcase or had sent in a package without any difficulty.

Hope this helps. Stay healthy! I find that many newcomers suffer terrible colds and flus in their first year here. Bulk up on the vitamin C.

ws365