Are Drugs on the Net Safe?

The internet provides convenient shopping with anonymity and sometimes with significant discounts. These traits have led many people to choose the internet for their medicine needs. Some sites, though, are more interested in profits than the safety and efficacy of their products. For some products it may simply cause buyer’s remorse, but for others it can have serious health consequences.

Watchdogs

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for the safety of drugs in the US. The FDA oversees medicine through research and production, and provides prescription guidelines and continuous monitoring for unknown side effects. If a drug does not perform as it should or is made in a poor manner, the FDA can ban medicine sales in the US. Companies face serious consequences if the guidelines are not met. Medicines produced in other countries also need to meet the FDA standards to be legally available in the US.

These strict policies ensure that the medicine:

• Does what it says on the label
• Is consistently produced so you know exactly what you get in each dose
• Is prescribed properly

While there are some online medicine companies that follow FDA standards, not all do. People may also choose to work around these safety standards to save money or get medicines without a prescription. With millions of transactions occuring, it is impossible for the FDA to monitor every online sale. Consumers need to be aware of the potential dangers of online medicines so they can make the best decisions for them.

Drug Quality and Dosage

Medicines are carefully regulated in production. This means that each time you receive a dose you can expect the same amounts of each medicine. Medicines that are not regulated can have too much or too little of the promised ingredient and the amounts may vary from dose to dose. The variation in doses can not only affect its benefits, but can also cause serious side effects. For example, even if you take the recommended number of pills, you can overdose because the medicine was poorly made . On the other hand, you may be taking the recommended number of pills but the medicine is too weak and not able to produce the results you need.

Online sales may also include medicines that have been banned from the US because of risks or poor performance. The drug may not have been banned in other countries and, therefore, is still available. It is important to understand why the drug may have been banned from the US. Most often, the harmful aspects of the drug were greater than the benefits. Keep in mind that there are most likely safer and legal alternatives.

Counterfeit Medicine

The number of counterfeit products increases online drug dangers, as well. Counterfeit products are packaged to look like a legitimate product but may have the wrong dose, altered active ingredients, or may be a completely different product. The unregulated producers sell the drug under its legitimate name, and it is difficult for the average consumer to know the difference.

In one FDA case, people ordered common sleep and anxiety medicines on the Internet. Instead of the expected medicine, they were given haloperidol, a powerful antipsychotic drug. Some had to get immediate medical care due to severe side effects. When you cannot be certain of what drug is in the package, you cannot be certain of what the effects will be. And you put your health at risk taking unknown medicines.

Prescription Bypass

Some people choose to use the Internet to bypass a doctor’s prescription. Some may not have a doctor and others may be embarrassed to discuss a topic with their doctor. But all drugs have side effects. Some of these can be deadly. There are several factors which could make a drug the wrong one for you, such as:

• Your current health
• Other medicines, herbs, or supplements that you may be taking since they could interact with the new medicine
• Amount of active ingredients in each dose
• Whether you need medical tracking, like regular blood screening, while taking the medicine

Regulated websites will require and confirm a doctor’s prescription before dispensing medicines. There is no guarantee that unregulated websites will do the same. Some websites may even go so far as to have an online doctor that can give you a prescription. But, this is illegal and ineffective. A doctor has to see you before prescribing the first dose of a new medicine.

Online Safety

Purchasing medicine may require you to enter private information including a social security number, medical history, or a credit card number. Read the website’s privacy policy before filling in any information. Check for their security policies, as well as a guarantee that your information will not be sold to a third party.

When Considering Medications Online