FDA (Food and Drug Administration) always warns customers about the risks of buying medicines online. Many online pharmacies sell over-the-counter and prescription drugs that are not non-toxic to use and can put patient health at risk.
How can you save yourself? The Food and Drug Administration says that people must know how to trace a legal online pharmacy and how to purchase drug over the internet safely.
Don’t Be Cheated
The purchase of drugs online from a firm you may not know means you are unfamiliar what you are buying. There are different websites that offer convenience, safeguards, and privacy for the medicine purchase. There are also some rogue sites that sell potentially risky medicines that have not been examined for effectiveness and safety. Though a rogue website may look legitimate and professional, it can be an illegal activity. All these drugs sell unapproved medicines that contain unsafe ingredients and contain the too much active ingredient.
Instead of getting the medicine they ordered, many consumers got drugs containing what was found as haloperidol (foreign versions of Haldol), a highly powerful anti-psychotic medicine. Consequently, these consumers required emergency treatment for different symptoms including muscle stiffness, muscle spasms, difficulty in breathing all other issues that may occur with haloperidol. Some site sells counterfeit medicine that looks same like FDA-approved drugs, but their safety and quality are unknown.
Signs of a trusted site
- It should have licensed by the state pharmacy board where the site is working. You can view the list of these boards online at the official site of the national association of board of pharmacy.
- It is operating in the USA
- It should have the services of licensed pharmacist available for customer support.
- It provides information of its offline location and permits you to talk a pharmacist if you have any question.
- It requires a prescription for medicine from your health care professional or a doctor who has the licensed for medicine prescribing.
Signs of an untrusted site
- It gives you wrong medicine or another dangerous drug for your sickness.
- It sends medicine with unknown origin or quality.
- It does not provide contact information.
- It gives you wrong medicine or risky item for your sickness.
- It offers lower prices than their competitors.
- It sells prescription medicines without prescription it is unlawful.
- It may not secure your personal details.
Know Your Drugs
Before you get a new drug from the online pharmacy, talk to your doctor about any special step you may require to fill your prescription.
Once, you get a refilled prescription:
- Check the medicine physical appearance (packaging, shape, colour, texture).
- Check if its tastes and smells the same whenever you use it.
- Inform your pharmacist about the treatment
Be alert that some medicine sold over the Internet
- are not approved by FDA
- are too strong, too weak or too old
- are not safe to use
- may be counterfeit
- are not stored, shipped or labelled correctly
These are some simple precautions you should keep in mind while buying drugs from any online pharmacy.
