31 replies to this topic

[Steve_86]

According to IHerb: "Please Note As of October, 2009: Supplements containing DHEA, Melatonin, Egg Yolk, Bee Pollen, Banana, Hoodia, Camu Camu Powder, or Cordycepts Powder are NOT ALLOWED to be imported into Australia. Please do not order".


Has anyone had any negative experiences importing Melatonin and/or Cordyceps recently?
This really frustrates me as Cordyceps is one of my favourite supplements :(

[Ben]

Melatonin??!?!?!?!? Wtf? Will I have to get a prescription for it? I know my pharmacy doesn't stock it.

ffs. This is ridiculous.

[Steve_86]

Melatonin??!?!?!?!? Wtf? Will I have to get a prescription for it? I know my pharmacy doesn't stock it.

ffs. This is ridiculous.

I saw it a few months ago at chemists near me who priced it around $20+ :( I certainly hope we wont be needing to get prescriptions for it!


Every year more and more stuff seems to be made a scheduled substance or banned. At this rate vitamin C will be prescription only in 10 years time

Edited by Steve_86, 12 February 2010 - 05:36 PM.

[e Volution]

Oh boy does it suck to be in Australia sometimes! I was just about to give melatonin a try...

Thankfully the exchange rate has been quite close recently and I discovered iherb!

[Mind]

Anyone know what the rationale is for banning the importation of these substances? Also, is it manufactured and sold in Australia (without a prescription)?

[bosozok]

Have been ordering melatonin into Aussie for three years. So far as I'm aware its been on the schedule, so has actually been requiring a prescription since when I began ordering. I remember doing an online search through the TGA info and seeing Melatonin into Australia, prescription required 3 years ago. Can be a bit of work finding a doctor to prescribe, first 2 I tried were not helpful. The third asked me why, and what did I think it would do for me, and has been giving me a prescription ever since.

Melatonin together with L-Tryptophan, for me at least has proven to be just the best remedy for broken sleep and waking up before the full duration of beneficial Zs has been secured. Recommended and worth the search for a supplement friendly/informed doctor.

Here's an added personal thought about how best to approach the prescription business. Find a doctor who has not been through the Australian, New Zealand medical school institution. Because it appears these places convince their students that giving a patient anything not manufactured by Big Pharma is not worth the risk. Doctors trained outside of our island shores may in general take a broader view of supplements than those locally trained. Just a thought when you are looking for your 'doc in the pocket' for the prescription

[Steve_86]

Has anyone had trouble importing any of these substances yet?

[hamishm00]

If you have any trouble getting stuff, you can always buy the homoepathic stuff at the Aussie pharmacy. Should be just as effective

But seriously Australia's restrictions are ridiculous.

[Guacamolium]

Wow Australia, wow. America has the biggest Pharm vs. Supp battle going and THIS.

Bart should've never brought his frog along....

[bosozok]

Wow Australia, wow. America has the biggest Pharm vs. Supp battle going and THIS.

Bart should've never brought his frog along....

Bart and frog?

Anyway. You want the biggest Pharm vs. Supp battle in this part of the world then try NZ. Used to be NZ had a supplement lobby group with that much clout it resulted in the NZ government stepping out from under the umbrella of what was a few years back at least a much tougher TGA. That seems like only a decade ago, not sure what happened there, but now in NZ you can't even get Lugol's solution from a chemist without it being watered down to half of the effective strength. Appears NZ is much more under the control of Pharm than Australia.

Yeah. Its a real shame the people there so easily gave up those natural health remedies (and thinking for themselves) when it came to their own health.

[Esoparagon]

Cordyceps? That's just a bloody fungus.

[John Barleycorn]

According to IHerb: "Please Note As of October, 2009: Supplements containing DHEA, Melatonin, Egg Yolk, Bee Pollen, Banana, Hoodia, Camu Camu Powder, or Cordycepts Powder are NOT ALLOWED to be imported into Australia.

You shouldn't be relying upon a US supplier for advice about Australian law. Their biggest concern is not so much the law as it applies to you (not them, nb) but whether stuff gets seized and you start agitating for a refund.

The legislation is available on-line at www.comlaw.gov.au. Relevant docs are ""ComLaw Legislative Instrument Compilations - Attachment - Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956" and "ComLaw Legislative Instruments - Attachment - Poison Standards 2009". The first is a customs law, the second essentially defines what the TGA has stipulated to be prescription-only, some of which could in principle be imported. Yes, melatonin is prescription-only. Some of the other stuff could raise quarantine (customs) issues, as it is plant or animal based. However, a visit to a Chinese herbalist can be illuminating in this regard ...

The TGA don't have the responsibility for screening incoming mail. There is a large body of experience suggesting that customs aren't particularly inclined to perform the TGA's job for them, at least at the moment. Apart from anything else, it is a hassle to establish whether or not the recipient possesses a prescription. There is a large body of experience suggesting that, provided stupid quantities aren't involved, customs often wave prescription-only items through. It may be that certain prescription-only items are "hotter" than others, and these tend to be those that are considered to have abuse potential. The worst that usually happens is that the order gets seized and the recipient gets a nasty letter (from customs, not from the TGA). Violating import laws OTOH is unambiguously asking for trouble, but even then there is always the issue of whether it is worth prosecuting in practice. Drop into some of the body-building forums if you want to read about Aussies pushing the envelope!

None of this should be interpreted as legal advice.

[porthose]

ive never had any issues buying melatonin from swansons and other US vendors and shipping to Australia. just 3 weeks ago i placed a very large order of a variety of supps (to last me a year) that included melatonin and it came in fine.

years ago my doctor prescribed me 10mg of melatonin caps which were made in a compounding pharmacy near my neibourhood. the retailer charged me $80 for 100 supps! so yes you can get it made but requires a script and can be expensive.

[e Volution]

ive never had any issues buying melatonin from swansons and other US vendors and shipping to Australia. just 3 weeks ago i placed a very large order of a variety of supps (to last me a year) that included melatonin and it came in fine.

May I ask who you did the order with? Thanks...

[e Volution]

Can someone explain to me why the f@#K I can't order anything with Xylitol in it!? I have just been told by iHerb my toothpaste and chewing gum cannot be shipped to Australia lol bloody backwards country

[niner]

Can someone explain to me why the f@#K I can't order anything with Xylitol in it!? I have just been told by iHerb my toothpaste and chewing gum cannot be shipped to Australia lol bloody backwards country

WTF? This is really getting ridiculous. iHerb is a little paranoid about this, I think. I would try ordering from one of the other supps companies (Swanson, vitacost...) and it will probably be fine. Might as well pick up some melatonin while you're at it. Sheesh, I can buy it off the shelf here for next to nothing. This is making me appreciate how good I have it here. I don't know if it's still this way, but 15 years ago you could buy anything over the counter in Mexico. Antibiotics, Valium, Steroids, you name it. (Getting it back into the states was a different story.) These things certainly do vary.

[bobdrake12]

According to IHerb: "Please Note As of October, 2009: Supplements containing DHEA, Melatonin, Egg Yolk, Bee Pollen, Banana, Hoodia, Camu Camu Powder, or Cordycepts Powder are NOT ALLOWED to be imported into Australia. Please do not order".


Has anyone had any negative experiences importing Melatonin and/or Cordyceps recently?
This really frustrates me as Cordyceps is one of my favourite supplements :(

I've taken Melatonin for years when all I could get was 3-4 hours of sleep. I use 3 mg and normally use it twice a week. It works great for me.

I've also used DHEA for years and it also works fine.

But then I do *not* use prescription drugs. I do not know if there would be any negative side effects with certain prescription drugs.

[bosozok]

ive never had any issues buying melatonin from swansons and other US vendors and shipping to Australia. just 3 weeks ago i placed a very large order of a variety of supps (to last me a year) that included melatonin and it came in fine.

May I ask who you did the order with? Thanks...

There are any number of well known legit companies to order through.You should go ahead and send email queries to them to see if they will send what ever to Australia. Don't bother with iherb if that is their new policy. They must be happy with their domestic market.

Melatonin is not a problem so long as you have a prescription. It really is not so difficult to get a prescription for it in Aussie. If you want to get supps not on the list of prescribed medicines you might have more difficulty with doctors who don't want to step outside of the legal protections or whatever afforded to them by prescribing only Big Pharma. You can always ask them to write a letter to the effect it is for your own use, on the clinic letterhead paper of course. That is good enough for customs.

Mind.
Melotonin is made in Australia at any compounding chemist. Costs too much that way though.

[dehbleh]

I bought some Melatonin over 6 months ago, two bottles of LEF 300mcg sustained release. No issues even when the packages were inspected by customs.

Our customs departments are definitely not a consistant lot.

ive never had any issues buying melatonin from swansons and other US vendors and shipping to Australia. just 3 weeks ago i placed a very large order of a variety of supps (to last me a year) that included melatonin and it came in fine.

May I ask who you did the order with? Thanks...

There are any number of well known legit companies to order through.You should go ahead and send email queries to them to see if they will send what ever to Australia. Don't bother with iherb if that is their new policy. They must be happy with their domestic market.

Melatonin is not a problem so long as you have a prescription. It really is not so difficult to get a prescription for it in Aussie. If you want to get supps not on the list of prescribed medicines you might have more difficulty with doctors who don't want to step outside of the legal protections or whatever afforded to them by prescribing only Big Pharma. You can always ask them to write a letter to the effect it is for your own use, on the clinic letterhead paper of course. That is good enough for customs.

Mind.
Melotonin is made in Australia at any compounding chemist. Costs too much that way though.

[SATANICAT]

According to IHerb: "Please Note As of October, 2009: Supplements containing DHEA, Melatonin, Egg Yolk, Bee Pollen, Banana, Hoodia, Camu Camu Powder, or Cordycepts Powder are NOT ALLOWED to be imported into Australia. Please do not order".


Has anyone had any negative experiences importing Melatonin and/or Cordyceps recently?
This really frustrates me as Cordyceps is one of my favourite supplements :(

Of all things, bananas? I've lost hope in Australia's policies.

[tommix]

If you have any trouble getting stuff, you can always buy the homoepathic stuff at the Aussie pharmacy. Should be just as effective <img src='http://www.imminst.o..._DIR#>/tung.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':p' />

But seriously Australia's restrictions are ridiculous.

Why just Australia? WHOLE Europe is the same and much longer than Australia
Just buy few bottles and it should not be checked so you'll get it without any problems Nobody checks 200grams of package

[Arata]

Well, that might explain why my recent Lions Mane mushroom supplement order from a US company was recently inspected by customs, to check it wasn't Cordyceps, or 3 months personnal supply.
My reading of the Federal govt requirements, is that 3 months worth of personal supplies of Cordyceps can be imported in professionally packaged therapeutic form:

Importing Therapeutic Substances, Foods and Dietary Supplements

All therapeutic substances, foods and dietary supplements

must be declared

on arrival in Australia. Many of these products must be accompanied by an Import Permit. Further certification or endorsements may also be necessary and the Import Permit will outline these additional requirements. For specific details, please refer to AQIS's Import Conditions Database prior to import.

• Foods derived from animals, micro-organisms or partly processed plant materials, such as dairy drinks and muscle-building drinks, are a quarantine concern and can only be imported if they meet specific import conditions.
• Oriental herbs and medicines may contain prohibited materials. These substances generally require an Import Permit.
• In general, any synthetic substances - that is, completely man-made substances such as aspirin - are not a quarantine concern. Sufficient documentation should be available to prove the synthetic nature of the material.
• Commercially manufactured and packaged therapeutics are permitted entry without an Import Permit if they meet the following requirements:
  
• the article is for human therapeutic use only, and
• the product is imported into Australia (whether personally or by post) by a person who intends to use it for their own personal use, and
• the product is commercially prepared and packaged (eg. capsules, tablets, vials for injection, liquid, powder*, ointment, etc). This includes commercially packaged probiotics eg Lactobacillus andBifidobacterium spp., and
• the product is imported in a quantity to provide no more than three months supply.

Three months supply can be determined by:

• the label dosage advice, or
• a letter in English from a medical practitioner, naturopath or alternative health provider, or
• a statutory declaration by the importer stating that the product is for personal use only and is less than three months supply.

* Consignments of products containing ganoderma, bee pollen or slippery elm bark must be in capsules, tablets, vials for injection, liquid or ointment form to be exempt from the requirement for an Import Permit. Products containing ganoderma powder, bee pollen powder or slippery elm bark powder must be accompanied by a valid Import Permit.

• Commercially prepared vitamins, minerals and amino acids are permitted but must be declared on arrival. These goods may be inspected.

All of these goods must be declared and will be inspected by Australian quarantine officers.
More information about importing therapeutic substances can be obtained from the Therapeutic Goods Administration. There are limits to the amount of foods and dietary supplements which can be imported for personal use. The Australian Customs Service can supply information on banned substances.




In any case, the AQIS documents specifically refer to heightened Corcyceps risk for Chinese New Year. I'd be very interested to know if the concern resulting in quarantine risk actually is applicable to Cordyceps produced in the USA.

Edited by Quedin, 14 July 2012 - 08:29 AM.

[Kahnetic]

I imported some Melatonin without problem not long ago, the package was checked by customs but nothing was removed.

[elforn01]

I'm on Circadin, which is prescription only sustained release Melatonin. People close to me have imported DHEA and a bunch of others for personal use on a semi-ongoing basis. When customs seized one shipment AQIS just sent a warning letter and removed the offending products - no fine, no charges (unless it happens again). The person just made future orders in family members names instead (with their consent of course).

[YOLF]

I wonder what the Aussie DEA would be thinking reading this forum. I know melatonin generally gets banned because it can be a drug of abuse (though I've taken fairly high doses to fight ROS and the most I get are nightmares where I'm chain smoking cigarettes, I was a smoker some time ago). The dreams are truly surreal, but I hardly think they are worth abusing the supplement and being that it's good for you(my skin looks considerably younger, I wake up with more energy, my back doesn't hurt, I get the best sleep of my life).

So I can't help but imagine an Aussie DEA agent looking at this thread and thinking to himself with burning self-righteousness in his veins that this law is protecting anyone from significant harm.

I'm also somewhat surprised to find that it's banned in Japan seeing that Melatonin is TMK the strongest anti-radiation supplement around besides the recently discovered C60/OO. Really? the country that got nuked twice is going to prevent their citizens from getting the best thing for them? Is it that Pharma wants more sick people to sell their drugs to? What the hell is going on?

[gray.bot]

According to IHerb: "Please Note As of October, 2009: Supplements containing DHEA, Melatonin, Egg Yolk, Bee Pollen, Banana, Hoodia, Camu Camu Powder, or Cordycepts Powder are NOT ALLOWED to be imported into Australia. Please do not order".

Anyone know what the rationale is for banning the importation of these substances? Also, is it manufactured and sold in Australia (without a prescription)?

Cordyceps? That's just a bloody fungus.

Of all things, bananas? I've lost hope in Australia's policies.

Guys, it's got something to do with the plant/animal constituents and protecting our flora and faunu.

Banana's from Asia have some fungus that screws them up and we don't have it here. They are protecting the agricultural interests.
Bee Pollen - if it cross contaminates our bees pollens and supply our whole honey industry is changed forever. High quality Blue Gum honey etc are only available in Australia.
Cordyceps - yeah it's a bloody fungus that'll screw up our shiz!

This'll be the reason. It's not some crazy conspiracy to stop us from having a good nights sleep!

P.S. If you are buying from the right places they just mail it to you, no questions asked

[koala_muncher]

you can get in melatonin easily, have brought in about about 30 bottles over the last 10 years including recently from the usa, never once have been queried by customs

 

you can buy it on prescription but it is around 1000x dearer than buying from amazon.com

[tolerant]

I just bought melatonin from iherb. Before it wouldn't allow me to buy it, but now something has changed. I don't know whether it's their policies or Australian customs laws.

[koala_muncher]

Australian customs law prohibits the importation of human hormones.  However, over the last eight years I've never had a melatonin supply stopped and I've hand dozens of bottles.  They regard melatonin as benign.  You won't be so lucky with DHEA or other androgens if intercepted.  If intercepted you need to supply a doctor's letter.  If Iherb doesn't ship pick another supplier, try amazon.com.

[blood]

I just bought melatonin from iherb. Before it wouldn't allow me to buy it, but now something has changed. I don't know whether it's their policies or Australian customs laws.

It's iherb's policy on selling melatonin to Australians that changed. It's always been legal to import melatonin into Australia for personal use. Nevertheless, iherb refused to sell melatonin to Australians for a time. Presumably customers complained (I certainly did), and they have changed their policy.

Other products which iherb currently won't sell to Australians, but which *are* in fact quite legal to import into Australia for personal use, include pregnenolone and whey protein products.

Note: while pregnenolone can be characterised as a hormone, it is harmless, and it is quite legal to import small quantities for personal use (I've confirmed this in correspondence with the TGA).

DHEA is one of the very few dietary supplements which cannot legally be imported into Australia (presumably due to its mild androgenic effects when taken in very high doses by women).