{"id":1277,"date":"2013-01-15T07:28:29","date_gmt":"2013-01-15T07:28:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/personalpolishing.wordpress.com\/?p=1277"},"modified":"2014-08-23T16:35:59","modified_gmt":"2014-08-23T16:35:59","slug":"when-buying-meds-onlinebeware","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/when-buying-meds-onlinebeware\/","title":{"rendered":"When Buying Meds Online\u00e2\u0080\u00a6Beware"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Carole Jackson><\/strong>, Bottom Line Health<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Have you ever bought a prescription medication online? If you have, you\u00e2\u0080\u0099re in good company. A recent FDA survey showed that almost one-quarter of Internet users have. The majority of these respondents used an online service associated with their health insurance.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u0080\u0099s easy to see why many people go online\u00e2\u0080\u0094it\u00e2\u0080\u0099s convenient. You press a few buttons on your computer, and without having to leave your home, your prescription is delivered to your doorstep.<\/p>\n

But if you\u00e2\u0080\u0099re thinking about purchasing prescription medications from an online source that isn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t affiliated with your health insurance or a local pharmacy, there are many unregulated, fraudulent, illegal companies that want you to think that they are legitimate, legal pharmacies\u00e2\u0080\u0094and they may even have Web sites that look very professional. But if you use one, you may not receive what you paid for. There\u00e2\u0080\u0099s no way to know for sure whether the product that you receive contains the right amount (or any) of the active ingredient. Plus, the medicine could be contaminated or expired. So I spoke to an expert for tips on how to safely buy prescription medications online\u00e2\u0080\u00a6<\/p>\n

RED FLAGS<\/h4>\n

Many people don\u00e2\u0080\u0099t realize how important it is to research an online pharmacy before using it. For example, the FDA survey showed that 15% of the respondents said that they would consider buying medication from an online pharmacy based outside the US. But the FDA doesn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t regulate pharmacies that are located outside the US. So the first rule of thumb is to make sure that an online pharmacy is licensed in the US state where it is operating, said Connie Jung, RPh, PhD, acting associate director for policy and communication at the FDA in the Office of Drug Security, Integrity and Recalls, who analyzed the survey results. This ensures that the pharmacy will be held to following state laws. To find out whether your Internet pharmacy is licensed by the state that it\u00e2\u0080\u0099s operating in, don\u00e2\u0080\u0099t just go by a statement on the site (because that could be fake). Check with your state\u00e2\u0080\u0099s licensing organization by\u00c2\u00a0clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here are more questions to ask yourself before you commit to using a particular online pharmacy, from Dr. Jung\u00e2\u0080\u00a6<\/p>\n