The Internet has altered the way many of us live, work, and shop. It has enabled us to compare prices and purchase medications without having to leave our houses. Most insurance policies also include medication delivery by mail, with refills available online.
However, there are also bad apples on the internet, such as websites that try to avoid restrictions or defraud customers. This holds for online pharmacies as well as any other industry that embraces online medicine orders.
What Are the Advantages of Purchasing Medicines Online?
An online pharmacy can offer you a convenient and secure option to purchase prescription and over-the-counter medicine delivery, generally at a lower cost. If you live in a rural location, do not drive, or are disabled, frail, or homebound, online pharmacies are very useful.
You can also use the internet to research prescription prices and bargain hunt, and your health insurance provider may encourage you to order a three-month supply of your medication and have it delivered to your home.
Online pharmacies would keep you unidentified if you are ashamed about ordering specific prescriptions or healthcare products. One of the most commonly purchased online pharmaceuticals, for example, is Viagra (Sildenafil), which is used to treat erectile dysfunction.
If you have questions about your online medicine order, most reputable Internet pharmacies will let you chat with a qualified pharmacist from the comfort of your own home (the lack of a pharmacist who can answer your questions is one of the FDA's red flags indicating an online pharmacy isn't safe).
What Are the Risks of Purchasing Medicines Online?
Many internet pharmacies are reputable organizations, and you can use their services with the same level of confidence that you would at your local pharmacy.
Unfortunately, there are many shady or untrustworthy internet pharmacies that may sell you medications illegally, fail to follow legitimate prescription filling processes, and fail to protect your personal information.
How Can I Buy Medications Online Without Getting Scammed?
The FDA offers the following tips on how to be a smart Internet shopper:
• Use the FDA's Know Your medicine delivery to learn more about online pharmacies. You can choose your state, which will direct you to your state's regulatory office, where you can check to verify if a pharmacy is licenced and in good standing.
• Do not purchase drugs on social media.
• Do not purchase from an online pharmacy that offers to prescribe a drug without a physical exam for the first time.
• Do not purchase from an online pharmacy that promises to sell you prescription medication without a prescription from your doctor or that sells unapproved medications.
• Use only sites that allow you to contact a licensed pharmacist who can answer your queries.
• If you have health insurance, you should use a pharmacy that is part of the insurer's provider network. This ensures that you get the online medicine order at the network-negotiated price and that the pharmacy has been investigated and determined to be legitimate by your insurer.
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