Is Prozac Available in Japan?

No, fluoxetine (Prozac) is not available in Japan: it is not approved or sold here. No pharmacy in Japan stocks it, and Japanese doctors do not normally prescribe it. It is not banned, though: a personal supply can be brought in within the import rules.

What should you do if you take Prozac?

Switch to an SSRI that is available in Japan. Japan has four other SSRIs: sertraline, escitalopram, paroxetine, and fluvoxamine, as well as the SNRIs and other antidepressants (our guide to antidepressants in Japan lists them). Which one replaces fluoxetine depends on your history, so bring documentation: your diagnosis, doses, what worked, and what did not.

Fluoxetine leaves the body slowly because of its long half-life, which may make withdrawal symptoms less likely. It also keeps affecting some other medicines for several weeks after the last dose, so your doctor plans the overlap; do not improvise it alone.

How do you sequence the move?

1. Do not stop before you fly. Continue as prescribed; stopping before the move raises the risk of relapse.
2. Carry a legal supply. Up to one month of a prescription drug for your own use needs no procedure, according to the Ministry of Health's personal-import rules; more than that needs an import certificate applied for in advance (the rules for bringing medication into Japan).
3. Book a psychiatrist for your first weeks. With your records in hand, the switch is made here before your supply runs out. English-speaking clinics can have a wait of weeks, so book before you land if you can.

Some people switch before moving, with their current prescriber, and arrive already stable on a medicine that is available in Japan. Either order works; what causes trouble is running out of medicine with no appointment booked.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Can I keep importing it long-term instead of switching?

Q. Is there a "closest" SSRI to fluoxetine?

Q. What about Prozac for my child or teen?