It’s tempting to purchase drugs (medications) online. They can be substantially less expensive, and you don’t need to get in the car and go anywhere. A few clicks, and they are shipped to your front door. However, consumers who purchase and use drugs from the Internet are taking a chance, and putting themselves at serious risk.
There are many dangers associated with taking drugs purchased online. The primary risk being that it is dangerous to take a prescription drug without being examined in person and monitored by a health care practitioner to make sure the drug is helping the patient and not causing any problems.
Other dangers and issues that come with Internet prescription medications include:
- Lack of effective ingredients – you have no way of knowing if the active ingredient is present in the drug. It could be a placebo that you paid good money for. It could be a ‘counterfeit drug’. Then, if you are not getting the drug you need, your condition may worsen.
- Wrong or dangerous ingredients – often, dangerous or side-effect-causing additives and fillers are used to save money and increase profits of these drug companies. And/or mistakes can be made, and the wrong ingredients put into a drug that you are buying.
- Expired drugs – drugs bought online could be expired drugs that an internet company bought cheap and is reselling to you at a nice profit. You have no way of knowing the drug is expired because they repackage it.
- Misdiagnosis/Inappropriate treatment – the ability to buy drugs online causes people to self-diagnose, which can be dangerous. You may not be getting the right drug for the right illness or problem.
- No recourse if there’s a problem – Should a drug cause side effects, or cause you to get ill or have a serious problem, there is often no way to identify or reach some Internet companies. Some sites don’t give a physical address, or phone number, and even some that do could be using a phony or temporary address and phone.
- Financial loss/fraud – Last but not least, a consumer who buys drugs online could potentially lose their money. The drugs are never shipped, or the wrong drug is sent and you can’t return or get a refund. You may also become a victim of credit card fraud as some will not protect your personal information.
If you must buy medications online, then there are ways to minimize your risk. Consider these tips and guidelines for Internet drug purchases:
- Do not consume any prescription drug that has not been prescribed by a licensed physician who has examined you
- Tell your doctor any and all drugs you are taking / check with him or her to make sure it’s safe (this includes over-the-counter drugs)
- Do not do business with a website that does not give a physical address (and refuses to); will send drugs without requiring a prescription from your doctor; offers to provide a prescription based on your answers to a questionnaire; does not have a physical pharmacy or medical facility that the website represents. Check to see if the pharmacy is licensed.
And if you see “miracle cure” on a site, avoid that company. There are some natural and herbal products that have been known /proven to have some positive effects on various health conditions, but these can be discussed with a medical professional and should be highly researched before taking. And if your doctor refuses to discuss your condition and potential drugs and treatments to your satisfaction, go elsewhere/speak to a different doctor. A doctor who simply writes a prescription without questioning you and examining you is not practicing the necessary level of care.
As with any purchase, be careful and be educated, and avoid spontaneous online buys from catchy, appealing websites. Your health is too important to leave to chance, and Internet sites can be very chancy. Stick with trusted names and companies, and do your homework.
Resources:
- The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy provides information about licensing and its program to certify online pharmacies.
- The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy list of licensed pharmacies.
- U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) Report Problem Websites.
- FDA’s Imported Medicine provides information regarding foreign medication and suppliers.
- FDA’s Counterfeit Medicine provides information regarding illegal and unsafe medications
- FDA’s Generic Drugs provides information regarding generic drug medications.
- Public Citizen’s Drug Worksheet Form provides worksheet allows and your health care providers to keep an on-going record of all the drugs you are taking, the purpose for which they are being taken, adverse reactions, whether the drug is working, and other information essential to the safest and most effective use of these products.