Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Dangers when Buying Medicines Online

Online pharmacies are already rampant in the vast expanse of the internet world. With this, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a fiercer challenge to know which of these hundreds of pharmacies are legitimate. 

According to the research of the Peterson Group, an online community against the illegal manufacture, importation, exportation and distribution of counterfeit drugs, these drugs contain little to almost nothing of the healing ingredient. Instead, it is composed of absurd mixture of chalk, bird feces, paint and ordinary things used in daily activities. These medicines may also be proven fatal to human condition and can induce ailments to worsen. Warnings and cautions are being campaigned worldwide to prevent civilians from being scammed by these websites. 

Signs of a trustworthy website

• It has a physical address and should be visible to any search engine directories and citations. Video reviews or testimonials can help boost the website’s credentials although it cannot be a hundred percent assurance. 
• It’s licensed by the state board of pharmacy where the website is operating. A list of these boards is available at the website of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.
• It has a licensed pharmacist available to answer your questions.
• It requires a prescription for prescription medicines from your doctor or another health care professional who is licensed to prescribe medicines.
• It provides contact information and allows you to talk to a person if you have problems or questions.

Signs of an unsafe website

• It sends you drugs with unknown quality or origin. Cases of these include that of a Canadian website selling medicines in Jakarta, Indonesia. When the package was received, the return address was in Beijing, China. Beware of websites having vague addresses and unfamiliar manufacture name.
• It gives you the wrong drug or another dangerous product for your illness.
• It doesn’t provide a way to contact the website by phone.
• It offers prices that are dramatically lower than the competition.
• It may offer to sell prescription drugs without a prescription—this is against the law!
• It may not protect your personal information.

Before you get any new medicine for the first time, talk to a health care professional such as your doctor or pharmacist about any special steps you need to take to fill your prescription. 

Any time you get a prescription refilled:
• check the physical appearance of the medicine (color, texture, shape, and packaging)
• check to see if it smells and tastes the same when you use it
• alert your pharmacist or whoever is providing treatment to anything that is different

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