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4 Risks To Avoid When Buying Medications From Online
Pharmacies
With the increasing price of prescription
medications, many consumers are finding it more difficult
to afford the price of prescriptions. Due to this, many
such consumers are looking for alternate ways to find
affordable medications. One of these avenues are purchasing
medicines online. While doubtless it is possible to
save a good bit of money by purchasing medicines online,
consumers should be aware of all the facts; including
risks, before buying online.
Risk # 1 - Inferior Quality Medications
One risk related to purchasing medicines
online, is the possibility that you may receive medication
that is not good quality. Even worse, the medication
you receive could possibly be contaminated.
Sometimes, the products that have been
marketed on the internet have been eventually discovered
to either contain no medicine at all or a different
medicine than the name under which it was marketed.
In other cases, medication was sold stating that it
contained a dosage that it did not. For example, it
might have been marketed as a 500 mg dose when in reality,
it only contained 100 mg. All these possibilities pose
a particular danger if you are reliant on a medication.
Risk # 2 - Interactions With Other Medications
Another danger related to purchasing
medications online involves the possibility of obtaining
a medication without a prescription. Many medications
are regulated by prescription for several very good
reasons. First, most medications have properties which
may react adversely with other medicines.
If you obtain medication online without
a valid prescription and are unaware of the interactions
it may have with other medications you are taking or
conditions you may have; this may create a serious and
life threatening situation.
Risk # 3 - Medications Not Approved
by The FDA
Some websites offer to sell medications
that have not yet been approved by the FDA. While it
can be a lengthy and time consuming process to wait
for the FDA to approve a drug, the process is in place
with good reason. Taking medications that have not yet
been approved by the FDA may expose you to all sorts
of health risks.
Risk # 4 - Illegal Foreign Drugs
Sometimes you have no way of knowing
if the medications you are buying online are actually
coming from foreign countries. It is actually illegal
to import medications into the United States from foreign
countries. One reason this is illegal is because medications
that have been produced outside the United States have
been manufactured without quality assurance guidelines.
This means they may be unsafe and dangerous. By purchasing
medications online from a foreign country you may be
putting yourself at risk for health issues as well as
legal problems.
These warnings are not to say that you
should never purchase medicines online. There are some
companies which are perfectly legitimate and provide
safe products at a reasonable price. To make sure that
you are purchasing from a legitimate company and not
a company that is merely trying to run a scam by offering
unsafe products, there are a few things you can do.
First, make sure that the online company
you are purchasing from is a licensed pharmacy. Do not
just take their word for it. Check with the National
Association of Boards of Pharmacy at their website to
find out if the company you are interested in is a member.
Avoid buying from companies that do
not appear to be based in the United States and offer
to sell you medications without a prescription or to
write you a prescription. This is a recipe for disaster.
By taking heed of the pitfalls detailed
above, you can purchase medications online with confidence
and save on your medication expenses.
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