Can You Bring Trazodone to Japan? Desyrel, Reslin and the One-Month Rule
Can you bring trazodone to Japan? For most travellers carrying their own supply, yes, within one month's supply by dosage. Trazodone is an ordinary prescription antidepressant under Japan's personal-import rules, not a narcotic, stimulant or listed psychotropic. Beyond one month, you need Import Confirmation (輸入確認証) before you travel.
Quick answer
For trazodone hydrochloride tablets (Desyrel, Reslin or generics) that you carry for your own treatment: trazodone is not on the psychotropic tables, so no psychotropic carry amount applies. Under MHLW's rules for prescription medicines, up to one month's supply by dosage needs no special procedure. For more than one month, apply for Import Confirmation before you travel. The medicine must be for your own use only. Japan lists trazodone in 25 mg and 50 mg tablets and only on a doctor's prescription, so check your exact product and quantity, because the rules can change.
Not sure whether your supply is within one month for your dose and trip length? Check the ingredient, strength, daily dose and total amount before you travel.
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Can you bring trazodone to Japan? Why it follows the ordinary prescription rules
Trazodone (as trazodone hydrochloride, トラゾドン塩酸塩) is an antidepressant sold in Japan by prescription. PMDA's trazodone listing shows Desyrel デジレル 25 mg and 50 mg tablets, Reslin レスリン 25 mg and 50 mg tablets, and generic trazodone hydrochloride tablets. The Reslin and Desyrel package inserts classify it as a potent drug 劇薬 and a prescription-only medicine 処方箋医薬品 (Reslin insert, Desyrel insert).
It is not a controlled substance for travellers. Trazodone does not appear in the Narcotics Control Department (NCD) psychotropic quantity table or in the Kanto-Shinetsu psychotropic table. The NCD's English guidance names methamphetamine and amphetamine as drugs that cannot be imported, and states that the advance permission applies to narcotics and stimulants' raw materials. Trazodone is none of these.
As a result, the rules that apply are those for ordinary prescription medicines, set out on MHLW's personal-import page.
Ordinary does not mean unlimited. Quantity, personal use and documents still matter. Japan's rules follow the active ingredient, not the brand, so check the ingredient on your own pharmacy label.
Three checks before you bring trazodone to Japan
Not on the psychotropic table
Trazodone is absent from the NCD and Kanto-Shinetsu psychotropic tables, so no psychotropic carry amount or doctor certificate threshold applies.
No special procedure
MHLW says prescription medicines up to one month's supply by dosage, for personal use, need no special procedure.
Import Confirmation
For more than one month's supply, MHLW says an Import Confirmation application is required before you travel.
In addition, MHLW's Q&A states that medicines may be brought only for personal use. Reselling or passing medicines to other people, or importing a supply for someone else, is not permitted (MHLW). Our guide to how to bring medication to Japan covers the general process.
How much trazodone can you bring? The one-month calculation
MHLW measures one month by the prescribed dosage and administration. Its own worked example takes tablets per dose, multiplies by doses per day, then multiplies by 30 days: two tablets twice a day for 30 days is 120 tablets (MHLW personal-import page). Count tablets and days, not milligrams, because the limit is a supply of medicine, not a table amount.
| Example (tablets per day) | Days carried | Total tablets | Within one month? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 tablets a day | 30 | 60 | Yes |
| 4 tablets a day | 30 | 120 | Yes |
| 2 tablets a day | 45 | 90 | No: Import Confirmation needed |
| 1 tablet a day | 90 | 90 | No: Import Confirmation needed |
These figures are arithmetic only and are not dosing advice. Use the dose on your own pharmacy label.
Plan the whole trip. Count the days you will be in Japan, then compare your supply with one month before you pack. If you need more than one month, start the Import Confirmation process early, because it must be completed before you enter Japan (MHLW Q&A).
Our guide to bringing sertraline (Zoloft) shows the same ordinary-prescription logic for another antidepressant.
What to carry when you bring trazodone to Japan
- Trazodone in its original pharmacy-labelled packaging, showing your name and the dose
- A copy of your prescription or a medication list showing the active ingredient (trazodone hydrochloride), strength and daily dose
- A letter from your prescriber, in English, giving your diagnosis, the medicine and the dose
- Your Import Confirmation certificate, if you are bringing more than one month's supply
The first three items are a practical precaution suggested by MedicTranslate, not a requirement we found on MHLW's page. What MHLW does say is that customs may ask to see your Import Confirmation certificate on arrival, and that an Import Confirmation application needs a valid prescription or doctor's note showing the patient, the medicine and the doctor's name (MHLW Q&A). If your documents are not in English or Japanese, a medical translation may help the reader.
Step by step: bringing trazodone to Japan
- Read the ingredient. Confirm that your label says trazodone (hydrochloride), not a different antidepressant with a similar name.
- Count your supply. Multiply tablets per day by days carried, and compare the total with one month's supply by your dosage.
- If it is more than one month, apply for Import Confirmation before you travel, using the process described by MHLW and its Q&A.
- Pack it yourself in your own luggage, in the original labelled packaging, with the documents listed above.
- Check again before you fly. Rules and procedures can change, so confirm the current MHLW page.
Trazodone in Japan: brands, strengths and what a Japanese doctor can prescribe
If you will stay beyond your supply, it helps to know what is marketed in Japan.
| Product in Japan | Company | Strengths listed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desyrel デジレル | Pfizer | 25 mg, 50 mg tablets | PMDA insert (March 2025) |
| Reslin レスリン | Organon | 25 mg, 50 mg tablets | PMDA insert (March 2025) |
| Generic trazodone hydrochloride | Generic makers | 25 mg, 50 mg tablets | PMDA listing |
Both Japanese package inserts list depression and depressive states うつ病・うつ状態 as the indication. For adults, they give a usual starting dose of 75 to 100 mg a day, increased to up to 200 mg a day in divided doses. This is shown only to explain what a Japanese doctor works from. It is not dosing advice.
Consequently, your home strength may not exist in Japan. A doctor in Japan decides whether to prescribe trazodone, which strength, and how many tablets. They are not obliged to match your current regimen.
What to do if trazodone cannot come in, or you run out
If the quantity is more than a month and you cannot obtain Import Confirmation in time, or your supply runs out, plan for a prescription in Japan rather than going without.
- Speak to your prescriber before you travel. Ask for an English letter with your diagnosis, the medicine and your dose, and discuss any gap or change in advance.
- See a doctor in Japan early. Trazodone is prescription-only in Japan, so a doctor must prescribe it. Book before your supply is nearly finished.
- Find a clinic you can communicate with. Use our guide to finding a doctor or clinic that can communicate in English.
- Book an interpreter if language is a barrier. A medical interpreter helps you and the doctor understand each other. Interpreters do not give medical advice or diagnose.
Do not stop or change your antidepressant because of travel paperwork. Talk to your prescriber well before you travel if you think your supply might not last.
Want your exact medicine and quantity checked?
We review the ingredient, strength, dosage form and total quantity against the current published NCD and MHLW guidance and explain the likely next step, including whether you are within one month's supply or need Import Confirmation.
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Frequently asked questions
Can you bring trazodone to Japan?
Usually yes, for your own use. Trazodone hydrochloride tablets are an ordinary prescription medicine under Japan's personal-import rules, because trazodone does not appear in the psychotropic quantity tables. MHLW says prescription medicines can be brought in without special procedures if they are for personal use and up to one month's supply by dosage. For more than one month's supply, an Import Confirmation application is needed before you travel.
Is trazodone banned or controlled in Japan?
No. Trazodone is sold in Japan as a prescription antidepressant under brand names such as Desyrel and Reslin, and as generics. It is classified as a potent drug (gekiyaku) and a prescription-only medicine. It does not appear in the Narcotics Control Department psychotropic table or the Kanto-Shinetsu psychotropic table, so the psychotropic carry amounts do not apply to it.
How much trazodone can I bring to Japan?
Up to one month's supply, counted from your prescribed dosage, without special procedures. MHLW's own example multiplies tablets per dose by doses per day by 30 days. For more than one month, apply for Import Confirmation before you travel. Medicines must be for your personal use only and cannot be passed to other people.
Do I need a doctor certificate or advance permission from the Narcotics Control Department for trazodone?
No advance permission from the Narcotics Control Department is needed, because that application applies to narcotics and stimulants' raw materials, and the doctor-certificate rule applies to psychotropics above their table amount. Trazodone is none of these. If you do apply for Import Confirmation, MHLW's Q&A asks for a valid prescription or doctor's note showing the patient, the medicine and the doctor's name.
What is trazodone called in Japan?
The ingredient is trazodone hydrochloride (トラゾドン塩酸塩). PMDA lists Desyrel (デジレル) from Pfizer, Reslin (レスリン) from Organon, and generic trazodone hydrochloride tablets. Japan's rules follow the active ingredient, so check the ingredient on your own label rather than the brand name.
Will I find the same strength in Japan?
PMDA lists trazodone tablets in 25 mg and 50 mg strengths only. If your home supply is a different strength, a Japanese doctor decides what to prescribe. Japanese labels list depression and depressive states as the indication, and a doctor in Japan may not match your current regimen.
Can I post trazodone to Japan?
MHLW's Q&A says only psychotropics, narcotics and stimulants' raw materials cannot be sent, so trazodone is not excluded on that ground. However, the same conditions apply as for carrying, and packages stopped at customs need extra documents. Carrying it with you in your luggage is simpler.
What if I run out of trazodone or cannot bring it?
Do not stop or change your medicine without speaking to your prescriber. See a Japanese doctor early, bring a letter from your prescriber and your medicine list, and use an interpreter if needed. In Japan, trazodone is available only on a doctor's prescription, and the doctor decides what to prescribe.
Can MedicTranslate check my trazodone quantity and documents?
Yes. Our from US$59 medication assessment reviews your ingredient, strength, dosage form and quantity against the published MHLW guidance and explains the likely next step. We do not give medical advice or guarantee customs approval; the final decision rests with the Japanese authorities.
This article provides general information reviewed on 4 October 2026. It is not medical, pharmaceutical or legal advice. Classifications, quantity limits and import procedures change. Confirm current requirements with MHLW before you travel, and do not stop or change your antidepressant without advice from your doctor. MedicTranslate provides translation and coordination services.
- MHLW: Personal import of medicines
- MHLW: Q&A for those importing medicines into Japan (PDF)
- Narcotics Control Department: Procedures for import/export of controlled drugs by carrying
- Narcotics Control Department: Carrying narcotics, psychotropics and stimulants' raw materials (Japanese)
- Narcotics Control Department: Psychotropic quantity table (PDF)
- Kanto-Shinetsu Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare: Psychotropic carrying limits (Japanese)
- PMDA: Trazodone hydrochloride products (general-name listing)
- PMDA: Reslin tablets 25/50 package insert (March 2025)
- PMDA: Desyrel tablets 25/50 package insert (March 2025)