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Buying Medicines and Medical Products Online
Tips and Warnings for Consumers
With hundreds of drug-dispensing Websites
in business, how can consumers tell which sites are legitimate
ones, especially when it is very easy to set up a site that
is very professional looking and promises deep discounts or
a minimum of hassles?
If you buy medical products online, be aware of the following
dangers:
- Purchasing a medication from an illegal Website puts
you at risk. You may receive a contaminated or counterfeit
product, the wrong product, an incorrect dose, or no product
at all.
- Taking an unsafe or inappropriate medication puts you
at risk for dangerous drug interactions and other serious
health consequences.
- Getting a prescription drug by filling out a questionnaire
without seeing a doctor poses serious health risks. A
questionnaire does not provide sufficient information
for a health-care professional to determine if that drug
is for you or safe to use, if another treatment is more
appropriate, or if you have an underlying medical condition
where using that drug may be harmful. The American Medical
Association has determined that this practice is generally
substandard medical care. FDA agrees.
FDA offers these tips to consumers who buy
health products online:
- Check with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
(www.nabp.net,
(847) 698-6227) to determine whether a Website is a licensed
pharmacy in good standing.
- Don't buy from sites that offer to prescribe a prescription
drug for the first time without a physical exam, sell
a prescription drug without a prescription, or sell drugs
not approved by FDA.
- Don't do business with sites that have no access to
a registered pharmacist to answer questions.
- Avoid sites that do not identify with whom you are dealing
and do not provide a U.S. address and phone number to
contact if there's a problem.
- Look for easy-to-find and understand privacy and security
policies. Don't provide any personally identifiable information
(social security number, credit card, and health history)
unless you are confident that the site will protect them.
Make sure the site does not share your information with
others without your permission.
- Don't purchase from foreign Websites at this time because
generally it will be illegal to import the drugs bought
from these sites, the risks are greater, and there is
very little the U.S. government can do if you get ripped
off.
- Beware of sites that advertise a "new cure"
for a serious disorder or a quick cure-all for a wide
range of ailments.
- Be careful of sites that use impressive-sounding terminology
to disguise a lack of good science or those that claim
the government, the medical profession, or research scientists
have conspired to suppress a product.
Steer clear of sites that include undocumented case histories
claiming "amazing" results.
- Talk to your health-care professional before using any
medications for the first time.
(Source:
http://www.fda.gov)
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