A pharmacist said, "That's an American habit" — and he froze at the counter

Chen Liqun spent twelve years in the American Midwest, and only moved back to Taichung with his wife and two children at the end of last year. In the U.S., he had a regular family doctor who gave him an annual adult health check—cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, all the numbers that needed checking—and if anything was off, the doctor handled it directly. He was used to that rhythm: "if something's wrong, see the doctor; whatever the doctor says, do it." After returning to Taiwan, he had to relearn a lot of things.

While unpacking, he came across an old folder in his study. Inside were a few medical records from his time in the U.S. and a medication list from back then. One line on the list caught his eye, and he stared at it for a long time. It was a prescription his family doctor had written before he left the U.S. He recognized the medication, but after returning to Taiwan, he wasn't sure whether that piece of paper still counted here. He wasn't planning to do anything right away—he just had a question in his mind: if it's a prescription written by a doctor, does the process stay the same when you switch to another country's healthcare system?

He first asked his cousin, who lived next door and had spent most of his life in Taiwan. After hearing him out, his cousin said with certainty, "A prescription is a prescription. Just take it to a pharmacy and fill it. How could it matter which country it's from?" Chen Liqun was skeptical, because he remembered that in the U.S., that piece of paper was tied to a specific pharmacy, had an expiration date, and carried a doctor's signature—not just any store could handle it. He searched online, and the answers he found were even more confusing: some said he needed to register again, some said he needed the original packaging, some said he needed to bring his passport. The more he read, the more muddled he became. He decided to stop guessing and just take the question to someone in person.

He walked into a community pharmacy near his home, put the folder on the counter, and told the pharmacist that he had lived in the U.S. for a long time and had just moved back, and wanted to clear up one thing: could a prescription obtained in the U.S. be used directly after returning to Taiwan? The pharmacist didn't answer right away. Instead, he asked, "What was this prescription written for? Are you still taking it? Do you have a list of any other medications or supplements you're currently taking?" Chen Liqun answered one question at a time, and only then realized he couldn't even fully explain what he was currently taking.

The pharmacist looked through the materials, then looked up and said something that made him freeze: "That's an American habit." The pharmacist explained that in Taiwan, obtaining prescription medication has its own rules. You can't just bring a foreign paper prescription and fill it directly. The same medication that a family doctor in the U.S. might prescribe long-term has to be evaluated and prescribed by a doctor here in Taiwan before it can be dispensed at a pharmacy. The pharmacist also reminded him that many people, after returning to Taiwan, search online for keywords like Viagra from the U.S. to figure out where to even start asking, but the information they find is often a mix of personal experiences and sellers of unknown origin, which makes it even harder to judge.

Only then did Chen Liqun realize that he had been applying "how it's done in the U.S." directly to "how it's done in Taiwan." His original assumption was: as long as the prescription is real, it can be used anywhere. The pharmacist's answer was: the prescription is real, but the system is different. He remembered that when he first returned to Taiwan, he had to ask twice how to use the national health insurance card. Medical matters aren't something you can just pick up again from memory. He noted a few key points from the pharmacist on his phone: first confirm whether this medication is a prescription drug in Taiwan; check the packaging labels and source; if in doubt, bring a list of the medications and supplements you're currently using and ask a doctor or pharmacist—don't just compare prices online and place an order yourself.

After returning home, he put the old list in a drawer and stopped rushing to deal with it. He told his wife that the answer to this question wasn't "can I buy it" but "who should I ask." He also told the story to a friend who had just returned to Taiwan from Canada. After hearing it, the friend said he too had once assumed foreign prescriptions were universally usable, and only later learned that every place has its own rules. Chen Liqun felt that settling back in Taiwan involved more relearning than he had imagined, and medical procedures were just one part of it. But at least now he knew that when something is uncertain, asking the right person is more useful than reading a hundred articles.