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Tips For Consumers
Tips and Warnings for Consumers
With hundreds of drug-dispensed through websites,
how can consumers tell which sites are legitimate ones, especially
when it is very easy to set up a site that is very professional
looking and promises deep discounts or a minimum of hassles?
If you buy medical products online, be aware of the following dangers:
- Purchasing a medication from an illegal Website puts you at
risk. You may receive a contaminated or counterfeit product,
the wrong product, an incorrect dose, or no product at all.
- Taking an unsafe or inappropriate medication puts you at risk
for dangerous drug interactions and other serious health consequences.
- Getting a prescription drug by filling out a questionnaire
without seeing a doctor poses serious health risks. A questionnaire
does not provide sufficient information for a health-care professional
to determine if that drug is for you or safe to use, if another
treatment is more appropriate, or if you have an underlying
medical condition where using that drug may be harmful.
These tips are important to consumers who
buy health products online:
- Check to determine whether a Website is a licensed pharmacy
in good standing.
- Don't buy from sites that offer to prescribe a prescription
drug for the first time without a physical exam, sell a prescription
drug without a prescription.
- Don't do business with sites that have no access to a registered
pharmacist to answer questions.
- Avoid sites that do not identify with whom you are dealing
and do not provide the address and phone number to contact if
there's a problem.
- Look for easy-to-find and understand privacy and security
policies. Don't provide any personally identifiable information
(social security number, credit card, and health history) unless
you are confident that the site will protect them. Make sure
the site does not share your information with others without
your permission.
- Beware of sites that advertise a "new cure" for
a serious disorder or a quick cure-all for a wide range of ailments.
- 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.
- Steer clear of sites that include undocumented case histories
claiming "amazing" results.
- Talk to your health-care professional before using any medications
for the first time.
Tips for Consumers | Terms
and Conditions | Patient
Declaration | Pharmacy
Responsibility
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