All About Online Pharmacy You Must Know Before Ordering
How can you make sure that a pharmacy is legitimate before you buy from them? What are some of the things to consider when buying medicines online?
All of these questions and more will be answered in this article.
It’s important to know what you’re getting yourself into before ordering anything.
Read on to learn about the benefits, risks, and safety precautions for ordering medication from an online pharmacy!
How are Medicines Regulated?
Buying medicines and other therapeutic goods from an online pharmacy has advantages, but you must exercise caution.
Medicines are also known as “therapeutic goods” legally. The licensing of pharmacies and/or pharmacists in Canada is regulated by provincial and territorial pharmacy regulatory authorities who are members of the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA).
The NAPRA verifies the quality of therapeutic goods, ensuring that they are both safe and effective.
What are the Benefits of Buying Prescription Medicines Online?
Buying medicines online may sometimes be less expensive and more convenient than obtaining them from a local pharmacy.
You can save time and money when you buy prescription medicines online. You may also be able to avoid lines at your local pharmacy, which will save you some hassle.
Is it Safe to Buy Medication from an Online Pharmacy?
The internet has made it easy for people to buy medication without ever leaving their homes.
All you need is a computer and an internet connection, then you can order any drug that your doctor prescribes.
This convenience comes with risks though, so before ordering from an online pharmacy there are some things that you should know first.
Dangers of Buying from a Fraudulent Pharmacy
It is important to ensure the online pharmacy you are working with is safe and legitimate. Here are the dangers you might face when buying from a fraudulent pharmacy:
Health risk
- There have been many cases of people ordering medication through an online pharmacy that was not getting their meds or they were getting actual medication but it was not the right dosage.
- There are many people who have reported that they never received their medication or they were receiving pills of different sizes, shapes, and colors than what is listed on the bottle.
- You might end up getting a drug that doesn’t have the ingredients it’s supposed to. It might also not have any medicinal ingredients in it at all.
- You may continue to suffer from your condition or it may get worse.
- You could get an unfavorable reaction to the drug.
- Getting drugs that are past their expiration date
- You might not even know when the expiration date on our food has passed.
- Certain medicines that can be administered by mouth or by injection must be kept at the proper temperature. Medicine sold from illegal online pharmacies may not be stored or transported correctly.
Lose Money in the Process
- Unauthorized online pharmacies will charge you for shipping.
- Your personal and financial information could be compromised.
What are the Things to Consider When Buying Medicines Online?
1) Check the Legitimacy of the Online Pharmacy
Buying your medications from an online pharmacy can be risky.
If you buy from a fraudulent pharmacy, then your medications might not be safe or they may even contain harmful substances or no medicinal ingredients at all.
When buying online, make sure that you are working with a legitimate pharmacy by checking their accreditation status and the license number for verification purposes. This can usually be found in small print somewhere on their website under “About Us”.
Check if the website is secure and encrypted with SSL (look for “s” after the “HTTPS”)
Look for the pharmacy’s contact information and address.
Check to see if they have a phone number at which you can speak with someone directly. All legitimate pharmacies should also be able to provide you with an email and physical mailing address as well.
Signs of a Fraudulent Online Pharmacy
- Requires no prescription or medical authorization.
- Offers medicines at extremely low discounted prices.
- Ship medicines to any country in the world.
- Does not provide a physical location for its operations.
- Offers medications that promise to have a “miraculous cure” for serious diseases.
- It is located outside of Canada
There are a few things that make an online pharmacy legitimate:
- Licensed by the Canada Regulatory Authority
- Requires a healthcare provider’s prescription from a licensed physician or other authorized health practitioners in Canada.
- They should have a licensed pharmacist who is available for consultation and can answer any questions you might have about their services or products.
- Can provide a street address in Canada
In addition, check to see if there is a privacy policy as well as any guarantees that they offer for their services and products.
If you notice anything suspicious or unclear then this might not be the right pharmacy for you!
To make sure that your medications are coming from a legitimate pharmacy, it’s best to research the pharmacy first.
2) Shipping medications across the border
If you are looking for an overseas website that sells medications, make sure to know the laws about importing them. There are limitations when it comes to transporting medicines across the border.
You may not import a prescription drug unless the following applies:
- You are a licensed practitioner
- You are a drug manufacturer (produces/distributes medication themselves)
- Registered wholesale druggist (wholesale drug distributors who buy medicines directly from manufacturers)
- You are a clinical pharmacist (registered pharmacist)
- A foreign national who is a visitor to Canada
Also, it’s best to consider how it will affect you if your prescription is delayed and you don’t receive your medication on time.
How Can You Safely Buy Medicines Online?
Here are the steps to consider before buying
- Before purchasing medications online, make sure to contact your doctor or pharmacist.
- Don’t do transactions with companies that don’t have a licensed pharmacist on hand to answer your queries.
- Be skeptical of wild claims. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
- A Canadian company is the best place to buy medicines online. Make sure you do your research and find a legitimate one!
The Canadian pharmacy companies are some of the most reputable in North America. This is because they have intense drug testing processes to ensure quality control and safety for their customers, as well as strict laws regarding online shipping which prohibits them from selling counterfeit products or medicine without a prescription so this will guarantee your order isn’t fraudulent.