5 Risks to Avoid When Purchasing Discount Medicines Online Published by Emily Clark Submitted: 18 June,2005 With the increasing price of prescription medications, many consumers are finding it more difficult to afford the price of prescriptions. Due to this, a large number of such consumers are looking for alternate ways to find affordable medications. One of theses avenues is purchasing medicines online. While there is no doubt that it is possible to save a good bit of money by purchasing medicines online, consumers should be aware of all the facts; including risks, before proceeding. Among the number one risks related to purchasing medicines online the possibility that you make receive medication that is not good quality. Even worse, the medication you receive could possibly be contaminated. In other cases, products that have been marketed on the internet have been eventually discovered to either contain no medicine at all or either a different medicine than the name under which it was marketed. In other cases, medication was sold stating that it contained a dosage that it did not. For example, it might have been marketed as a 500 mg dose when in reality, it only contained 100 mg. All of these possibilities pose a particular danger if you a reliant on a medication. Another danger related to purchasing medications online involves the possibility of obtaining a medication without a prescription. Many medications are regulated by prescription for a number of very good reasons. First, most medications have properties which may interact adversely with other medicines. If you obtain medication online without a valid prescription and are unaware of the interactions it may have with other medications you are taking or conditions you may have; this can create a serious and life-threatening situation. Some websites offer to sell medications that have not yet been approved by the FDA. While it can be a lengthy and time consuming process to wait for the FDA to approve a drug, the process is in place with good reason. Taking medications that have not yet been approved by the FDA can expose you to all sorts of health risks. In some cases you have no way of knowing if the medications you are buying online are actually coming from foreign countries. It is actually illegal to import medications into the US from foreign countries. One of the reasons this is illegal is because medications that have been produced outside the United States have been manufactured without quality assurance guidelines. This means they may be unsafe and dangerous. By purchasing medications online from a foreign country you may be putting yourself at risk for health issues as wealth as legal problems. These warnings are not to say that you should never purchase medicines online. There are some companies which are perfectly legitimate and provide safe products at a reasonable price. In order to make sure that you are dealing with a legitimate company and not a company that is merely trying to run a scam by offering unsafe products, there are a few things you can do. First, make sure that the company you are dealing with online is a licensed pharmacy. Don’t just take their word for it. Check with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy at their website to find out if the company you are interested in is a member. Avoid dealing with companies that do not appear to be based in the US, offer to sell you medications without a prescription or to write you a ‘prescription.’ This is a recipe for disaster. The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any health care program. About the Author Emily Clark is editor at Lifestyle Health News and Medical Health News where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information on many medical, health and lifestyle topics.