Want to buy medication online?
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 11:34 amThe online medication market is a multi-million dollar industry. That simple fact has attracted hordes of legitimate and shady companies to compete for your business. We estimate that thousands of people get lured into paying for medication they will never receive.
There are some things you should consider to minimize your risk if you choose to buy medication online:
1. Licensing- most legit online pharmacy websites are licensed by quality control licensers including Pharmacy Checker, Trusted Purchase, and Vipps among others.
2. Advertising- Google, MSN and Yahoo are the only search engines we know of that will only allow licensed pharmacy websites to purchase advertising space on their search engines. If you see sponsored ads on these engines, chances are good that the sites you see advertising carry some form of licensing.
3. Contact Info- If you do not see any way to contact support personnel, we suggest going elsewhere.
4. Prescriptions- Most legitimate pharmacy websites will require that you have a prescription from your doctor when ordering. There are many online pharmacies that operate in a 'grey area'. They allow people to order without a prescription from offshore pharmacies. Be aware that the DEA has cracked down on these kinds of pharmacies. If your order gets seized, you may be out of luck. In addition, you may be exposing yourself to potential legal problems.
5. Controlled Substances- These include pain medication (hydrocodone, vicodin, etc), diet pills (phentermine, adipex, etc), certain anti-anxiety drugs including xanax, or other controlled substances. The law states that these medications cannot be shipped into the US from another country. It is only legal if these drugs are shipped from a licensed US pharmacy into a state that allows it. Always consult the laws in your state before ordering. Doing business with any online pharmacy that is willing to break the law puts you at serious risk.
6. Foreign Pharmacies- There are many, many pharmacies online that are based all over the world. Although many may be legitimate, I am more apt to trust those that are based in non third-world countries (the US).
With the price of medication on the rise; and our economy in such sad shape, it is no wonder why many people turn to the web. In the coming months, we will do our best to research different online pharmacies to help you make a choice that is right for you and your family. I invite you to participate in this forum.
There are some things you should consider to minimize your risk if you choose to buy medication online:
1. Licensing- most legit online pharmacy websites are licensed by quality control licensers including Pharmacy Checker, Trusted Purchase, and Vipps among others.
2. Advertising- Google, MSN and Yahoo are the only search engines we know of that will only allow licensed pharmacy websites to purchase advertising space on their search engines. If you see sponsored ads on these engines, chances are good that the sites you see advertising carry some form of licensing.
3. Contact Info- If you do not see any way to contact support personnel, we suggest going elsewhere.
4. Prescriptions- Most legitimate pharmacy websites will require that you have a prescription from your doctor when ordering. There are many online pharmacies that operate in a 'grey area'. They allow people to order without a prescription from offshore pharmacies. Be aware that the DEA has cracked down on these kinds of pharmacies. If your order gets seized, you may be out of luck. In addition, you may be exposing yourself to potential legal problems.
5. Controlled Substances- These include pain medication (hydrocodone, vicodin, etc), diet pills (phentermine, adipex, etc), certain anti-anxiety drugs including xanax, or other controlled substances. The law states that these medications cannot be shipped into the US from another country. It is only legal if these drugs are shipped from a licensed US pharmacy into a state that allows it. Always consult the laws in your state before ordering. Doing business with any online pharmacy that is willing to break the law puts you at serious risk.
6. Foreign Pharmacies- There are many, many pharmacies online that are based all over the world. Although many may be legitimate, I am more apt to trust those that are based in non third-world countries (the US).
With the price of medication on the rise; and our economy in such sad shape, it is no wonder why many people turn to the web. In the coming months, we will do our best to research different online pharmacies to help you make a choice that is right for you and your family. I invite you to participate in this forum.