Pros and Cons of Buying Prescription Drugs from Online Pharmacies
Online pharmacies operate over the Internet by dispensing medications and sending to customers. Also known as mail order pharmacies, e-pharmacy or an Internet pharmacy, they facilitate the process of selling prescriptions online by use of patients’ medicine. The Internet has made it possible to get almost anything online. Clothes, music, movies, electronics, and even food are just a click away. Pharmacies are not left behind in this e-commerce revolution, and many of them even take measures to adopt the use of technology in their business. Recent trends have shown that e-pharmacies are appear every day. Many people have also embraced this change and are now getting their prescription drugs online.
Online pharmacies make it possible to get medications at a lower cost, as well as provide more variety than walk-indrugstores. However, drugs are not groceries,and significant health problems can occur if the buyer is not cautious. Despite the cost saving benefit, there are disadvantages such as the wrong dosage, mislabelledprescription, or a cheap alternative. So before you buy your next prescription drugs online, you need to understand the pros and cons of online pharmacies.
What are the Pros of Purchasing Medications from Online Drug Stores?
- Cost:As stated above,theprice is the primary benefit when using online pharmacy stores which makes them a great alternative to walk-in The majority of the online pharmacies offer deals on medications which can help you cost your costs significantly. Besides, online pharmacies often offer free shipping. Lower prices, in addition to free shipping, makes an e-pharmacy more appealing to those on a budget. Online drug storescan dispense prescriptions online directly to consumers by eliminating the middleman. They also have fewer overhead costs which enable them to pass on some savings to the buyers. Thismakesthem attract more customers since people are always on the lookout for low prices.
- Convenience: Purchasing prescriptions fromonline pharmacies comes with ease and convenience. You do not have to go out to drive to adrug store to pick up the prescription or wait long lines at the register. You can order prescriptions online or over the phone and have them delivered to you at home. Whether you live nearatown or not, or you are not able to go out, you can still take advantage of the ease and convenience that online pharmacies offer. That makes itespecially suitable for those suffering from a chronic condition, saving them multiple trips to the pharmacy. They can have their drugs delivered to them on a monthly basis.
- Information and Range of Choices: Asidesgetting many standard prescriptions on online pharmacies, you can get much information about specific medications or diseases, at this moment helping you keep-up-to-date on facts and medications, which can enable you to make an informed decision.Besides, online drug stores offer an excellent variety of options. They have larger stocks of drugs than conventional pharmacies, which guarantee you will find any medication you need.
- Privacy: When you buy from an online pharmacy, you will not have to reveal your problems,and you can have the needed privacy on your health condition. So, any information you provide in the Internet is usually reserved, and your anonymity is guaranteed. Also, you can ask questions about your health privately or anonymously,and you will not be embarrassed. Therefore, people who feel that their condition is embarrassing or shameful can have the needed privacy. For instance STD’s, acne, erectile dysfunction and more. They can buy their medications online without any shame.
- The VIPPS Program: Consumers can confirm if an online pharmacy is legitimate by checking the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice (VIPPS) online. If you are not sure if your pharmacy is formally licensed to dispense drugs over the Internet, you can verify it on VIPPS website. An E- Pharmacy that is approved for the accreditation is authorized to display the VIPPS seal on its website. The VIPPS program is a program that verifies license information for online pharmacies that needs certification. Also, any online store that has the VIPPS seal of approval is endorsed by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Cons of Online Pharmacies
Purchasing prescriptions also come with its downsides, despite its many advantages. One of the most popular e-pharmacy scams is unlicensed online drug stores that ship medications from filthy warehouses in Asia or South America. Another disadvantage is the high possibility of getting incorrect dosage or mislabelled prescription. Endeavour to find legitimate online pharmacies online, before you placeanorder for any medication. Here some negatives before choosing an online pharmacy:
- Prescribing Drugs without Knowledge of the Patient’s Past History: Another disadvantage of mail order drug stores is that some of the prescribed drugs to customers that they have no genuine knowledge of their health status, except for what is filled in a questionnaire. There is the danger of harmful drug, improper dosage, contraindications and adverse drug interaction when physicians issue prescriptions to consumers in this manner. The ethical thing is that the doctor sees a patient before writing prescriptions for him. However, some e-pharmacies for example meds4sure or pharmacy2u etcemploy doctors to issue medications for patients based on the information that the patients provided online, which may not be reliable.
- Risk of Fake Drugs: While advancement in technology has made it possible for online trade, it has created an opportunity for illegalpharmacies to exploit unsuspecting buyers. It is therefore essential to verify if an online drug-store is verified by the necessary regulatory bodies before purchasing medications from there. You can check their site for the certifications, and also take a look at pharmacy review websites to verify the authenticity of any e-pharmacy. Also, note that an authorized site will ask for your doctor’s recommendation before they dispense any drug to you. Any e-pharmacy that agrees to marketany medications to you without verifying your prescription is probably not licensed. Moreover, buy with caution when transacting with foreign online pharmacies. Most of them sell expired or contaminated drugs atlow The issue of fake drugs is very urgent thus it is a big mistake to treat it with ease because it could lead to serious health problems.
- Your Financial Information or Privacy Might be at Risk: Mail order pharmacies will usually ask for the information for payment. But severale-pharmacies are illegitimate and may use the information in a wrong way. There have been reports of some dubious sites selling financial and personal information of their customers. Moreover, some of these sites are susceptible to hackers since they don’t have appropriate security measures in place.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, online pharmacies have many pros, and the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.Nevertheless, it is vital that you ascertain whether the online drugstore you are transacting with is authorized or not. Some safety precaution will go a long way as it would be quite unfortunate to lose a beloved person or encounter health problems as a result of fake drugs.
