Internet shopping may be a convenient way to make purchases in just one click, especially for things like apparel and household needs. But buying medicines is another story, as warned by the U.S. food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Below is part of a factsheet provided by the FDA to guide consumers so they could protect themselves from the dangers of purchasing medicines via the Internet.
Signs of an unsafe website
- It sends you drugs with unknown quality or origin.
- It gives you the wrong drug or another dangerous product for your illness.
- It doesn't provide a way to contact the website by phone.
- It offers prices that are dramatically lower than the competition.
- It may offer to sell prescription drugs without a prescription-this is against the law!
- It may not protect your personal information.
Know Your Medicines
Before you get any new medicine for the first time, talk to a health care professional such as your doctor or pharmacist about any special steps you need to take to fill your prescription.
Any time you get a prescription refilled
- check the physical appearance of the medicine (color, texture, shape, and packaging)
- check to see if it smells and tastes the same when you use it
- alert your pharmacist or whoever is providing treatment to anything that is different
Be aware that some drugs sold online
- are too old, too strong, or too weak
- aren't FDA-approved
- aren't made using safe standards
- aren't safe to use with other medicines or products
- aren't labeled, stored, or shipped correctly
- may be counterfeit
Counterfeit Drugs
Counterfeit drugs are fake or copycat products that can be difficult to identify.
The deliberate and fraudulent practice of counterfeiting can apply to both brand name and generic products, where the identity of the source is often mislabeled in a way that suggests it is the authentic approved product.
Counterfeit drugs may
- be contaminated
- not help the condition or disease the medicine is intended to treat
- lead to dangerous side effects
- contain the wrong active ingredient
- be made with the wrong amounts of ingredients
- contain no active ingredients at all or contain too much of an active ingredient
- be packaged in phony packaging that looks legitimate
Factsheet from FDA.gov