Epicurious

This is a continuation of the thread http://britishexpats.com/forum/malay...llegal-855782/ which is now closed. I hope I'm not breaking any rules by bringing up the subject again.

I just received the same warning as Beauregard mentions in the old thread. Copy attached.

I phoned the Pharmaceutical Services Division and it was confirmed to me that the law applies even to importation for personal use of non-drug vitamins. Even vitamin C cannot be imported. Every health supplement used in Malaysia must have been approved by the Ministry of Health.

Well, Vitamin C can be bought at any pharmacy, but there are many fairly obscure vitamins that cannot be purchased in Malaysia, such as 5-methytetrahydrofolate for example. Exasperating!

I wonder if it also applies to food items, such as protein powder?

Anyway I was warned that if my next consignment of vitamins is detected at Customs then they would be seized.

Gunnar45

Regarding http://www.dietvsdisease.org/l-methylfolate-5-mthf/, I don't know if you can buy through Metabolic Maintenance MTHF Capsules, 90 Count | 11street Malaysia - Nutrition & Vitamin, maybe their items are approved?

Here is another one, is this maybe it?
Thorne Research, 5-MTHF, 1 mg, 60 Veggie Caps - iHerb.com

Epicurious

Thanks for the input Gunnar45, but both the 11street and iherb items are overseas and would need to be imported and cleared by customs, so they would fall foul of the MOH Malaysia ban on importation of health supplements etc.

(5-MTHF is just an example of a somewhat exotic supplement that one can't buy OTC in Malaysia - I may not need it myself. It can be very important for expectant mothers that have a genetic defect which means their dietary intake of folic acid cannot be converted into the active form, which is 5-MTHF. Infant neural tube defects can be the result of too little active folate, but that is just BTW, NOT the subject at hand.)

Hovite

I take Vit C and Q10 (prescribed by my wife! a retired nurse) but these are easily available in Malaysia so no need to travel with these. Slightly off topic but my doctor in Japan has prescribed 15.5 pills a day! but relieved to note these should be OK so long as I keep them in the original packaging and bring a copy of the prescription.

Epicurious

Hovite, you should be fine because tourists are allowed to bring in one month's supply in their luggage when they arrrive.

Gunnar45

Only one month supply when a tourist visa entitles you tho three months stay?

Epicurious

Can tourists bring medicines into Malaysia? | Pharmaceutical Services Divisions

"Any tourist can bring in medicines for his personal use in a quantity not exceeding that which reasonably required for one month's use. They need to make a declaration to customs officials upon arrival."

I imagine the requirement for declaration is widely flouted.

Hovite

Thanks all. Sadly I can only spare 10 days away from Japan and have a LTSVP to boot so need to keep my nose clean. I will bring a copy of the Japanese prescription just in case but good luck to them if they try to read it!

OriginalSunshine

They generally don't care about what are obviously personal usages if you bring them through the airport. I regularly bring back ADHD medication for months, without issue. But the tablets have prescription stickers on the pavakaging.