Tips for Using an e-Drugstore – Buying Prescription Drugs Online
Legitimate online drug stores offer customers health products with the benefits of convenience, privacy, and cheaper prices.
Thinking of buying prescription drugs online to save time and money? Consumers have lots of choices for buying prescription drugs these days.
One indisputable benefit of shopping online: It’s more convenient to compare prices among Internet pharmacies than among the brick-and-mortar drug stores. Because of the centralized warehousing for fulfilling orders and the efficiencies of scale, some online drugstores can save their customers 20% to 30% on most prescriptions. A 1999 Consumer Reports study found that buying prescription drugs online typically saves shoppers 10% compared with the prices at national drugstore chains and neighborhood supermarkets.
For those whose biggest concern is privacy, there’s a clear advantage to buying prescription drugs online instead of having to deal with a pharmacist face to face. “The benefit of getting their medications over the Internet is simply that sometimes there are certain things you don’t want people to know you have,” says Bob Forsythe, a spokesman for Discount Prescriptions. “Some people don’t even want their own doctor to know.”
Even with the advantages afforded by online pharmacies, consumers should beware – counterfeit drugs are on the rise. You might throw your money away on ineffective drugs, or even worse, you could be harmed by taking drugs that aren’t what they pretend to be.
Phony Generics – A Deal Too Good to be True
According to the World Health Organization, “Since January 2006, customs officials around the world have seized more than 3 million counterfeit or suspected counterfeit tablets, in more than 1,000 separate actions.” In 2004 a woman with mild anemia was fatally poisoned after taking a highly toxic counterfeit. Another woman died after taking fake drugs she bought online that were contaminated with deadly metals.
Also in 2004, an overseas pharmacy based in India was caught selling counterfeit contraceptive patches containing no active ingredients. Women using these products, which were promoted as being the Ortho Evra transdermal patch manufactured by Ortho-McNeill, actually had no protection against becoming pregnant.
In May 2007, the FDA uncovered a ring of 24 online pharmacies selling fake Viagra, the erectile dysfunction treatment manufactured by Pfizer Inc. According an analysis conducted by Pfizer and submitted to the FDA, none of the capsules ordered off the web sites contained sildenafil citrate, the active ingredient in authentic Viagra. An FDA analysis showed that other “prescription drugs” from the bogus pharmacy sites contained only talc and starch.
An online pharmacy can look very sophisticated and legitimate, but actually be an illegal operation. Consumers should be especially wary if:
- the online pharmacy doesn’t list an address or toll-free phone number to contact in case of a problem
- prices are dramatically lower than the competition
- the pharmacy offers generic versions of popular drugs such as Cialis or Viagra
- the pharmacy claims to be FDA approved
A Word of Caution Before You Buy Prescriptions Online
- Purchasing a medication from an illegal website puts you at risk for receiving a contaminated or counterfeit product, an incorrect dose, or no product at all.
- Taking the wrong medication could put you at risk for serious drug interactions or other health consequences.
- Don’t buy from online pharmacies which sell drugs that are not FDA approved.
- Don’t use online pharmacies which do not offer access to a registered pharmacist to answer your questions.
- Don’t purchase drugs from foreign websites.
- Beware of websites that make outrageous claims or offering quick cure-alls.
- Always consult your healthcare professional prior to taking a drug for the first time.
Buying prescription drugs online saves you a trip to the pharmacy, could save you money, and affords you better privacy than placing an order at a retail pharmacy. If you choose to buy prescription drugs online, do so from a reputable online pharmacy, and recognize the risks involved in purchasing medication from questionable “rogue” sites.
