Your Health
By Lacey Von Lanken
Health Educator
A growing number of people are ordering prescription drugs online. People are increasingly replacing a trip to the drugstore with a click on the Internet.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, “Many of these sites are lawful enterprises that genuinely offer convenience, privacy and the safeguards of traditional procedures for prescribing drugs…But (consumers) must be wary of others who are using the Internet as an outlet for products or practices that are already illegal in the offline world. These so called ‘rogue sites’ either sell unapproved products, or if they deal in approved ones, often sidestep established procedures meant to protect consumers.”
Some sites allow customers to get around personal interactions with a health professional by requiring them only to fill out a questionnaire before ordering the prescription drugs, the FDA said.
This practice weakens the protection of direct medical supervision and a physical evaluation performed by a licensed health professional. It is a safety net that buying prescriptions online disregards. Bypassing the system this way can introduce problems, including dangerous drug interactions and harm from contaminated, counterfeit or outdated drugs.
In addition, completing a health questionnaire online and prescribing medication based on the information provided is risky because the patient forfeits the opportunity for an accurate diagnosis or the detection of a factor that renders the administration of a drug and/or the carrying out of a medical procedure not recommended to the drug.
In addition to health-related issues, buying medications from the Internet can also put a dent in your wallet. Research shows that information related to products sold is often misleading, incomplete and inaccurate; prices may be higher than at retail pharmacies. Shipping costs can run up to $38 in addition to the cost of the medication, making the products far more expensive than buying from a retail pharmacy store.
The FDA has launched a public education campaign to increase consumer awareness of the risks and benefits of buying prescription drugs online. Additionally the FDA is cracking down on illegal Internet web sites offering prescriptions.
If consumers do choose to purchase prescriptions online, the FDA offers the following tips:
• Check with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy to determine if the site is a licensed pharmacy in good standing, online at www.nabp.net or call (847) 698-6227.
• Do not buy from sites that offer to prescribe a prescription-only drug for the first time without a physical exam, sell a prescription drug without a prescription, or sell drugs not approved by the FDA.
• Use sites that provide convenient access to a licensed pharmacist who can answer your 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 is a problem.
• 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.
It is important that we educate ourselves about the risks of buying prescription drugs online so we can remain vigilant.
Submitted March 25, 2004
