Like many people, perhaps you read your morning news on your smartphone. Need a new outfit? Go online. If you need to fill the fridge, that’s just a click away, too. And maybe you’re one of the estimated 35% of Americans who've used an online pharmacy to get prescriptions filled.
But unlike visiting an online news outlet, buying medicines on the internet can be risky. While legitimate online pharmacies are as safe as any other online merchant, experts warn that many sites that sell medications don't meet common safety standards.
To keep yourself safe, it's important to do some research before ordering drugs from a site you're not familiar with.
Why Use an Online Pharmacy?
If you’re looking to save a few bucks where you can, one of the draws of online pharmacies is that they can be less expensive than retail outlets. You can also compare prices easily among different sellers.
Often, you won’t need to stand in line or waste gas idling at the drive-thru window either. Many online pharmacies will ship directly to your front door. That can be especially important if you live in a rural area or have an illness or injury that makes it tough for you to leave your home.
How Online Pharmacies Work
There are several types of online pharmacies. Many national pharmacy chains, and other vendors like Amazon, sell medications through their websites. Others are small independent operations. Some are partnerships between more than one pharmacy.
To use one, you usually create an account on the website. Your doctor may call in your prescription, or send it in electronically.
Then, you either pick up your prescription from a local pharmacy or have it delivered to your home. Some online pharmacists offer same-day or overnight delivery.
Some Sites Don't Measure Up
The COVID-19 pandemic spurred many people to order meds online. One estimate shows that among people who bought prescription medication online, more than 30% did so for the first time in 2020. And of those, more than 70% plan to do it again in the future.
Unfortunately, federal agencies say that some online sellers took advantage of consumer fears during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of websites sprung up peddling fake medicines and cures. Even before the pandemic, you could find iffy websites selling drugs supposed to promote weight loss, stop hair loss, or fix erection problems.
A few years ago, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) looked at 11,688 sites that sold prescription medications to people in the U.S. It found that more than 95% didn't comply with state and federal laws and/or recommendations of the NABP for patient safety and good pharmacy practices.
Most sold prescription drugs without a valid prescription, sometimes using only an online patient questionnaire. Many offered drugs that were not FDA-approved or were foreign-made. These drugs could be counterfeit or fail to meet manufacturing standards.
When you take a drug that’s been approved by the FDA, it's usually been shown to have benefits for people with your condition that are greater than its safety risks. Other countries may have different standards.
Even minor changes in a medication or its ingredients could harm your health. You could get new side effects or resistance to your medicine. If you take other prescription medications, it could interact with them.
Not only that, but nonreputable sites may lack security to protect your financial data and other personal information. Some might even infect your computer with malware or sell your personal information to other sites. You could be charged for something you didn’t purchase or never received.
How to Use Online Pharmacies Safely
To keep yourself safe, only use online pharmacies that require a doctor’s prescription. If you live in the U.S., the pharmacy should have an actual physical address and phone number here.
In case you have questions, the online pharmacy should have a pharmacist on staff to assist you. Most importantly, make sure the pharmacy is licensed with a state board of pharmacy.
Many tools to help you make sure an online pharmacy is safe are just a click away. For example, the NABP keeps a running list of digital pharmacies that meet their standards.
To get on that list, online pharmacies must have strict rules that safeguard your privacy. They must also have methods to ensure your prescription is authentic and secure. And they need to have strong quality assurance standards and allow you to consult with a pharmacist.
The FDA's "Locate a State-Licensed Online Pharmacy" page has a tool that allows you to check whether your online pharmacy is licensed by your state. Their advice: If a pharmacy isn’t listed, don’t use it.
You can also check out digital pharmacies whose websites end in .pharmacy. Those pharmacies have been specially approved by the NABP. Online pharmacies that end in .com don’t have that approval. But a pharmacy may be legitimate even if its site doesn’t end in .pharmacy.
You can also look for a blue-and-red Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Site seal from the NABP on a pharmacy’s website.
Things to Consider
No one can dispute the convenience digital pharmacies provide. And they can offer big cost savings. But they may not be right for every person or every prescription.
Not all of them carry a full range of medications. You may have to shop around to find one that sells the drug you need.
Also, people who use flexible spending accounts (FSAs) or health savings accounts (HSAs) to pay for prescriptions sometimes find it harder to use these benefits online. You may need to pay for your drugs up front, then apply for reimbursement with your FSA or HSA.
If you have lots of different prescriptions, or if your meds require a tricky dosage schedule, you may be better off visiting a pharmacy in person. Talking with a pharmacist, or getting all your medicactions from one pharmacy, could help you avoid medication mistakes and interactions.
Online pharmacies also might not be your best bet if you need a medication quickly (like with an antibiotic) or if your medication needs refrigeration (like insulin). Same-day shipping may add to your costs.
Show Sources
Photo Credit: Sam Edwards/Getty Images
SOURCES:
Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies: "2020 National Survey on American Perceptions of Online Pharmacies."
FDA: “Considering an Online Pharmacy,” “Locate A State-Licensed Online Pharmacy,” “Know The Risks.”
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy: “Accredited Digital Pharmacies,” “Internet Drug Outlet Identification Program.”
Michigan.gov: “Prescription Drugs – How To Safely Save Money.”
Consumer Reports: “Online Pharmacies Can Help You Save Big on Prescription Drugs."
University of Rochester Medical Center: "Buying Medicines Online: It's Convenient and Private, but Beware of Unsafe Websites."