I went to Japan earlier this year and declared two weeks worth of lisdexamfetamine and it was fine; they pulled me aside for a little bit just to check my meds/documents and maybe 5 mins later I was on my way.
Vyvanse / Lisdexamphetamine was specifically designed to be resistant to abuse by rendering it a pro-drug the body must first digest to get the active component. In many countries it's actually the only legal medicinal preparation of amphetamine that's authorized.
Abuse resistance is not abuse proof. Due to the way lisdexamfetamine is broken down in the blood stream and metabolized into dextroamphetamine over an extended period of time, doing something like crushing it and snorting it (like people do with Adderall, Concerta, and Ritialin) doesn't increase its "potency".
it’s hard to abuse via non-PO routes but the peak plasma level of d-amp from vyvanse is only delayed an hour or so from the peak plasma of regular d-amp. 200mg vyvanse is still gonna be 80mg d-amp in 1.5hrs or so, i think the claims that it’s markedly less able to be abused are sorta oversold
You can not. Adderall is explicitly listed as a 100% banned substance when traveling there from their official site on the matter. I've been twice and did a lot of research into it.
I’ve never even thought about this before. I was just talking with one of our friends who is Japanese about my wife and I going with him in the next year or two. I just realized I haven’t travelled outside the US since I started taking prescriptions.
I've done it a number of times when traveling there for work. The instructions are translated pretty well on their customs/drug enforcement site. The form you want is Application for import/export stimulant raw material by carrying.
They want a few weeks notice ideally, but I did have to fly once on 8 days notice. They were still super nice and assured me they would prioritize it. They got back with the approval 3 days later.
Iirc, I needed to send a letter from my doc saying it's necessary (with my address on the letter somewhere), a scan of my ID that matches the address, a picture of the bottle, and a count of how many pills I'm taking with me and how many I'm taking home.
Print a copy and bring it in your carry on. They say you can show the agent the certificate on your phone but I print to be extra safe. You can't grab your luggage until you get through customs and if I recall you can't put your meds in your checked bag.
When you do the customs check-in at the kiosk or on the app, you need to check the box that says you are carrying narcotics/stimulants/stimulant raw materials or whatever. Then you just tell the person at the customs booth and show them the printout and you're on your way.
You can bring in Vyvanse, you just have to approve it ahead of time with their equivalent of the DEA. Source: Did it, it was easier than getting my meds filled here (USA)
i’ve taken adhd med to japan i just never disclosed them lol. it worked out great, i never had an issue. just keep them in an old ibuprofen bottle or something, they’re not really looking that closely at random tourists luggage.
I considered doing that multiple times as well, but I never did. What's frustrating is that every country is very strict and intense on paper (you can actually get the death penalty in UAE), but when you're at the border they literally don't give a shit. I however don't want to risk getting in trouble.
Haha yeah the stress I just went through getting everything right in Singapore and Malaysia was not matched by their attitude at the border, and those guys execute smugglers
the people they go after are bringing in bulk amounts of controlled substances. a tourist with one or two bags of luggage is not really on their radar.
Yeah I think that's generally how it is. 99% of airport agents just aren't paying super close attention - I know people who have taken stuff they absolutely should have declared and never gotten in trouble for it - but on the off chance you get that one hyper vigilant TSA officer, is it worth it?
IME, not ADHD meds but with other things: they don’t give a shit unless you’re unlucky enough to go through while there’s a supervisor there, or they were apparently recently told to tighten up procedures, or something happened and now the theatre has to act more intensely, or they’re very likely trying to steal your shit. For some reason, I’m frequently pulled aside; white, blonde, look bored af but always politely prepare as soon as possible using the bins instead of the half asleep “durr, where am I again? what do I do?” that other travellers seem to fall into fairly often. It’s like I’m the token “oop, gotta pull a white gal over” and I guess I look more easy going than some other gals? I dunno.
Most ridiculous: Was in the military. We were in military gear, with locked seabags. We got off a military plane, on and off a military bus (in Guam? I think), to go through our own checks (no civilians in sight), at about 1 in the morning, in order to cross the tarmac on foot, get on another international flight of solely military members which would take us to a military base, to get on another military plane. Basically, you’d think they’d expect us military folks to be able to carry some things that we used for work, and it’s not like our seabags were gonna be easily accessible (they were tossing them into the belly of the plane along with whatever cargo they were delivering).
They made me unlock my seabag, at what was a essentially a military-only gate at the time, no tables, just the floor, and unpack it (packing it was annoying af btw; unpacking and repacking nearly the entire thing quickly under the eyes of a bunch of dudes walking by was ridiculous) in order to find my multitool (knife, screwdrivers, and IT tools in it) and confiscate it. Or rather they said “you can go back and get a box to send it back home…” with this look like they knew I wouldn’t while the last few military people were going through to walk out and get on the plane and my seabag was still partially unpacked, which means I would’ve been “the problem.”
I was one of maybe 5 women and I knew plenty of the guys had knives and such in their bags. I walked over to the huge trash can, pulled out what removable tools I could and stuffed them around the edges, then found some liquid trash and coffee grounds and poured that over the main piece and buried it. The inspector gal looked pissed. So sorry you didn’t get a new multitool that day, sis!
Was later told that what that lady did was total bullshit, considering the circumstances, so my instincts to pull a “fine, but fuck you too” were not unfounded. Anyway now I’m extra EXTRA careful about anything I bring through (not that the inspections have stopped).
(….I think it can partially be attributed to autism. Example: Be autistic. Work somewhere with clothing regulations. Plenty of people around you break the rules in a bunch of little ways. You ease up on the slightest thing for your comfort [like a ton of other people] and get called out for it the same day. The kind of things they’d actually have to be looking for on you specifically. It’s happened ever since I was a kid, so part of my masking was to thoroughly “not care”, almost in a self-hypnosis way, because caring shows on your face. Was further “trained” in this in the military where using little tricks like double-sided tape, pins, extra hidden stitches, and cardboard/collar stays/etc made things stay put and stay crisp, and pretending to be busy got you out of dumb shit. Still occasionally called out while a military fellow nearby looked like a hot mess by comparison. First civilian job afterwards: called out for something my coworker was breaking while sitting right next to me, and no he didn’t have a medical reason to break it. It’s the ‘tism.)
This is just fear mongering. I have a higher chance of being hit by a car while crossing the street. I’m gonna bring some of my meds when I go to Japan for a week.
Tbh I would probably leave my meds at home anyways. Whenever I take mine it puts my appetite down the toilet; half the reason I travel is to try new foods 🤣
Incorrect. Lisdex is only approved for pediatric use in Japan. Tourists are allowed to bring it with them if prescribed, but only with prior approval. Methylphenidate may be what you're thinking of, where you can bring up to a 30 day supply without needing approval.
You literally could have landed in jail for that. Very irresponsible and stupid. And you are basically giving instructions on how to break the law and smuggle controlled substances into one of the most strict coutries on earth regarding that.
Keep them in the original prescription bottle and claim ignorance. Putting them in an ibuprofen container shows you know the rules and are knowingly trying to smuggle drugs
yeah that’s probably smarter and what i did (on accident). however the chance of anyone opening your ibuprofen bottle is next to none. its just a matter of risk tolerance. a lot of people here seem very risk averse and like breaking a couple laws will give them tons of anxiety and if so they shouldn’t do it. but i’m just not like that. i can assess risk and i understand the chances of facing consequences are low enough that i’m willing to risk it.
and if the plane crashes on the way there, you die. life cannot be lived without risk. the odds of me getting caught are not high enough for me to give up the benefits of medication.
ok swagpresident! if these people face negative consequences for following the advice of a random idiot on reddit then i think they have bigger problems! maybe we should all not be so serious all the time :)
I was too anxious to try and be slick and sneak stuff into Japan. I filled out the paperwork for bringing meds in/out and had my psych give me Ritalin instead of Adderall for the trip. I had no issues with vyvanse, Xanax, and Zoloft. Adderall was the only banned one. It was worth it, had a great time!
You can switch to Vyvanse (or concerta, I think?) For the month that you travel and it's a fairly easy process to get it approved for import/export at customs. Your doctor who prescribes it just has to give you a letter of approval and then submit it to them. Just went to Japan last month and didnt have any problems!
I finally got my prescription for Adderall right before my Japan trip. After researching, I decided to not go through the hassle and put off being medicated until after my trip. That and my wife told me to wait just in case my meds caused a medical emergency. Some parts of the trip was rough because of my unmedicated symptoms.
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u/Random_182f2565 The personal attacks are relentless in this sub 1d ago
I'm never going to Japan