Medication, Generic V Brand medication.

[Bubblegun]

Generic are the cheapest so make sure you ask for generic if you want that. It can be a very big saving depending on the medication.Generic drugs are only available if the drug has passed its 20 year date. That's so the developer can recoup its investment in research and development. I went to a new drug store, and they basically wanted double the price 14,000 yen even though i asked for the generic brand, they said they didn't have it.I even asked them to order it and they said they couldn't. I then went to my usual drug store for the same drug ( not manufacturer) and the price was 7500 ish for the prescription. If you have a points card take that and collect your points too.

Over the counter Medication from the drug stores.
Most of the drugs in the store are over priced and are also over hyped. If you look at the back of the box, the active ingrediants are the same. check the Mgs. Some might have a bit extra so they can say they are gentle of the tummy( because it is enteric coated) or it gives you an energy boost, cause there is some caffeine but the active ingredient is basically the same but you can be paying double or even triple the price for the same active ingredient.

Be wairy of the word Premium,or they will say on the box its for period pain,for headaches, but it is clever marketing.

[Deep Blue]

For stuff like painkillers I buy generic ibuprofen or paracetamol when I am in the UK, as little as 20p a pack… and the dosage is stronger than you get here in Japan too. Never buy OTC drugs in Japan if you can avoid it.

Edit; just checked the prices and they’ve doubled! But still a fraction of the price here

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/p ... /257107498

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/p ... /254434587

[smalldog]

Never buy OTC drugs in Japan if you can avoid it.

Agree OTC drugs in Japan are horrifically expensive, but a least you can include them as part of medical expenses in your tax return, which can cut the net cost up to around 50%. That makes a massive box of some 100+ ibuprofen tablets ¥300-400. Not too bad…

[adamu]

massive box of some 100+ ibuprofen tablets

Be careful about taking ibuprofen habitually.

The most concerning of these involves the heart. Studies have found that high doses of NSAIDs increased risk for heart attack and other heart problems by one third; ibuprofen, in particular, more than doubled the risk of a major heart event. [...] Because NSAIDs are available without a prescription, it’s easy to assume that they don’t pose a health risk. The drugs’ over-the-counter status has led to complacency about their potential adverse effects.

My doc says it shouldn't be available over the counter and recommends paracetamol (and will happily prescribe a years supply of 500mg tablets )

[Bubblegun]

For stuff like painkillers I buy generic ibuprofen or paracetamol when I am in the UK, as little as 20p a pack… and the dosage is stronger than you get here in Japan too. Never buy OTC drugs in Japan if you can avoid it.

Edit; just checked the prices and they’ve doubled! But still a fraction of the price here

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/p ... /257107498

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/p ... /254434587

I am not sure where people get this DOSAGE IS stronger in the UK than Japan.(because the dosage is written on the back) and they are comparable.I think it's just people THINK something they have taken for years appears to be better. Or the person hasn't read the back of the box to check the dosage. Here is a typical cheap packet of Brufen from boots the chemist. and here is the very same drug in Japan.

If you look at the actual back of the pack you can see that a pack of Ibuprofen in the UK is 200 mg.
The exact same drug in the local drug store in Japan is, well you can see for yourself.
Also while this has been going around for years, that somehow Western drugs ( even though it is the same) is weaker is a rumour, and not based on pharmacology. If you want to confirm the dosage look at the back of the pack.
EG some drugs are 2.4 grams per day. and the doctor will prescribe 2.4 mg per day. The active drug is the same. Not any different.
The (Japanese drugs are weaker and American drugs are better) is probably based on Body mass and prescribing traditions/doctors' experience.

Here is how some other drugs are prescribed. EG. 1-2.5mgs per kilo. So if you're a person of a larger persuasion, then the doctor may give you something based on his experience. Which is probably based on the Japanese population. a person who is 100 Kg may be undermedicated if the doctor prescribes medication based on the person who is 75 kg.
Look at the back of the pack, and compare it to your favourite brand back home.
I might say that docs in Japan may be less aggressive, and start off with a lower dosage, and that maybe due to the size of the patient and the docs experience of treating people who are of lesser weight. I hope that makes sense.

Basically 200mgs in the UK/US is the same as 200mgs in Japan. But the effect might be different based on your BMI.
https://www.nibiohn.go.jp/eiken/kenkoun ... _en_02.pdf

[Bubblegun]

massive box of some 100+ ibuprofen tablets

Be careful about taking ibuprofen habitually.

The most concerning of these involves the heart. Studies have found that high doses of NSAIDs increased risk for heart attack and other heart problems by one third; ibuprofen, in particular, more than doubled the risk of a major heart event. [...] Because NSAIDs are available without a prescription, it’s easy to assume that they don’t pose a health risk. The drugs’ over-the-counter status has led to complacency about their potential adverse effects.

My doc says it shouldn't be available over the counter and recommends paracetamol (and will happily prescribe a years supply of 500mg tablets )

Agree. No medication should be taken habitually unless it is for a chronic condition and is essential to remain in remission. EG, arthritis, eczema, inflammatory conditions , endocrine conditions. But the news does have a habit of blowing things out of proportion and the benefits should always outweigh the risk.
EG aspirin has been shown to cut the risk of bowel cancer in a certain group, but with that comes the risk of bleeding issues and stomach irritation.
Should everyone take it every day? No! Should some people take aspirin every day? YES. So it depends on the patient and the condition.
Even your humble paracetamol/aspirin has side effects, we don't want. But these are rare.

[Roger Van Zant]

For stuff like painkillers I buy generic ibuprofen or paracetamol when I am in the UK, as little as 20p a pack… and the dosage is stronger than you get here in Japan too. Never buy OTC drugs in Japan if you can avoid it.

Edit; just checked the prices and they’ve doubled! But still a fraction of the price here

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/p ... /257107498

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/p ... /254434587

I am not sure where people get this DOSAGE IS stronger in the UK than Japan.(because the dosage is written on the back) and they are comparable.I think it's just people THINK something they have taken for years appears to be better. Or the person hasn't read the back of the box to check the dosage. Here is a typical cheap packet of Brufen from boots the chemist. and here is the very same drug in Japan.

If you look at the actual back of the pack you can see that a pack of Ibuprofen in the UK is 200 mg.
The exact same drug in the local drug store in Japan is, well you can see for yourself.
Also while this has been going around for years, that somehow Western drugs ( even though it is the same) is weaker is a rumour, and not based on pharmacology. If you want to confirm the dosage look at the back of the pack.
EG some drugs are 2.4 grams per day. and the doctor will prescribe 2.4 mg per day. The active drug is the same. Not any different.
The (Japanese drugs are weaker and American drugs are better) is probably based on Body mass and prescribing traditions/doctors' experience.

Here is how some other drugs are prescribed. EG. 1-2.5mgs per kilo. So if you're a person of a larger persuasion, then the doctor may give you something based on his experience. Which is probably based on the Japanese population. a person who is 100 Kg may be undermedicated if the doctor prescribes medication based on the person who is 75 kg.
Look at the back of the pack, and compare it to your favourite brand back home.
I might say that docs in Japan may be less aggressive, and start off with a lower dosage, and that maybe due to the size of the patient and the docs experience of treating people who are of lesser weight. I hope that makes sense.

Basically 200mgs in the UK/US is the same as 200mgs in Japan. But the effect might be different based on your BMI.

You need SIX of those weak-ass Japanese tablets to make 450mg. You need just two of the UK ones to make 400mg.
Japanese medicines suck for both weakness and price.

[AreTheyTheLemmings?]

I have no comment on efficacy of drugs in one nation or another, but the translator in me is compelled to clarify...

The picture of the Japanese "paracetamol" states:
「1錠中 アセトアミノフェン 300mg」
"300mg of acetaminofen per tablet"

The picture of the Japanese "ibuprofen" states:
「6錠中 イブプロフェン 450mg」
"450mg of ibuprofen per 6 tablets"

[cocacola]

Agree OTC drugs in Japan are horrifically expensive, but a least you can include them as part of medical expenses in your tax return...

Woah, wait, you can claim medical expenses on a tax return?

I had been seishain up until last month (started my own company since), so I am pretty unaware of what can/can't be claimed. Did not know that medical expenses are claimable!

Is there a list or guide for items that can be claimed? I asked my accountant, but she just gave a few vague/general items... and didn't include medical expenses! Would be helpful if there was a list somewhere.

[TokyoWart]

I work in the pharmaceutical industry here in Japan. For what it's worth, there are some consumer and prescriber preferences here in Japan that create some of the differences you are discussing.

Regarding dosages and formulation delivery doses, there is a stronger preference in Japan than other countries to prescribe and use the lowest efficacious dose than you typically see in the EU or US. Two of the prescription drugs that my company invented and marketed worldwide had the most common marketed doses outside Japan as 10 mg (for drug A) and 20 mg (for drug B) while in Japan the most commonly prescribed doses were 5 mg and 10 mg. Sometimes that higher dose available overseas is not even approved in Japan but the prescriber/consumer preference is a bigger factor in my opinion.

In addition there is a preference for smaller pill sizes in Japan. Japan has some unusual formulation preferences, including the "dry syrup" granule formulations, but the small pill size can mean that a company uses a smaller pill size in Japan than elsewhere even when the dose delivered is identical. For most drugs you can put a lot of medicine in a small pill (100 mg of an active drug substance would look like the dust on the tip of your finger; most of any tablet is inactive incipients) but because of that desire to use smaller doses it doesn't surprise me that you found 6 tablets making 450 mg of ibuprofen in that example.

Regarding the availability of generic drugs, Japan has been in a serious generic drug supply crisis in recent years. There were widespread manufactuing standard (what we call "GMP") violations by a few of the prominent manufacturers (https://resource-allocation.biomedcentr ... 23-00441-z) and the industry still struggles. The generic drug business is not really profitable anywhere but the problem has been especially severe here. That is not so much an issue for ibuprofen or acetaminophen (paracetamol to you Europeans) but has been a problem for prescription drugs.