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Online pharmacies make it easy to shop for prescription medications from the comfort of your own home. But are they safe? Making sure you are in the right hands when it comes to your health and safety is essential. Follow these 5 tips on buying prescription drugs safely online.
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Confirm the Website Requires a Prescription
When you are buying prescription drugs online, make sure the website requires a prescription to fill medications. There are a lot of reputable online pharmacies, but if the website does not have prescription requirements, it could send you counterfeit, tainted, or expired medications that could seriously harm you or your family. Research the site to ensure all of the medications are FDA approved.
Some websites that don’t ask for a prescription will ask you to fill out a health questionnaire instead. This is not a valid substitute for a prescription.
Be sure a pharmacist is filling the medications and available for questions and consultations. You want to confirm you are getting the correct medication, dosage, and strength. These are essential for online ordering.
Make Sure You Are Buying Prescription Drugs From a Legitimate Website
Confirm the website you are buying from has a license to dispense medications. If it does not, it could be a malicious website targeting you for fraud. You could be potentially scammed out of a lot of money, as prescription medications can be quite expensive.
Some red flags include:
- The website offers unrealistic low prices
- The website offers medications that can cure an incurable disease
Check to see if there are online customer reviews as well. Real customers can leave comments and reviews that can be incredibly helpful in identifying the service and validity of the site.
Confirm the Website Is Secure
The site needs SSL encryption in order to confirm the website is secure and your personal information won’t be compromised. Don’t enter credit card information unless you can validate that your payment is protected.
Buy Only From Sites Based in the United States
The United States has specific drug regulations, so check to see if the site you’re considering buying from is based in the U.S. Other countries are not regulated the same way. If you are unsure, you can contact the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, and they can advise you.
Confirm That the Site Has a Physical Address and Phone Number
The World Health Organization determined that more than half the medications dispensed from websites without a physical address or phone number are counterfeit. Without a physical address, the website and company could be run by anyone, thus increasing health and safety concerns.
Remember These Tips
Do your due diligence when buying prescription drugs online and properly vet the source using these five tips. It could literally be life or death. For more ideas on buying medications safely online, be sure to check out our section on healthcare tips!
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