Is it Safe to Buy Medications Online?

With hundreds of drug-dispensing websites in business, how can consumers tell which sites are legitimate ones, especially when it’s easy to set up a site that looks very professional and promises deep discounts or an easy way to purchase medicine?

Potential Dangers
If you do decide to buy medical products online, be aware of the following dangers:

1. 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.

2. Taking an unsafe or inappropriate medication puts you at risk for dangerous drug interactions and other serious health consequences.

3. 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. The American Medical Association has determined that this practice is generally substandard medical care, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agrees.

Consumer Guidelines
Consumers who buy health products online should follow these guidelines from the FDA:

• Check with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy 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, or sell drugs not approved by FDA.
• Don't do business with sites that have no access to a registered pharmacist to answer questions.
• Avoid sites that do not identify who you are dealing with or those that do not provide a US address and phone number to contact if there's a problem.
• Don't purchase from foreign websites; it is often illegal to import the drugs bought from these sites.
• 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.

If You Think a Site is Illegal
Consumers who suspect that a site is illegal can report it to the FDA. If you find a website you think is illegally selling human drugs, animal drugs, medical devices, biological products, foods, dietary supplements or cosmetics over the Internet you can report the site to the FDA by using one of the following options:

1. If your report involves a life-threatening situation that occurred due to an FDA-regulated product you purchased from a website, call 301-443-1240 immediately (after receiving medical care).

2. If your report involves a serious reaction or problem that occurred with an FDA-regulated product, you can fill out the FDA’s MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting Form 3500 (after receiving medical care if needed).

3. For problem websites that do not involve a life-threatening or otherwise serious reaction, you can fill out an online form at the FDA's Reporting Unlawful Sales of Medical Products on the Internet site.

To report e-mails promoting medical products that you think might be illegal, forward the email to webcomplaints@ora.fda.gov.

Each year, Medical College of Wisconsin physicians care for more than 180,000 patients, representing nearly 500,000 patient visits. Medical College physicians practice at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, and many other hospitals and clinics in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.