Posted on: April 7, 2018 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Buying medicines online is so easy and convenient that sometimes you wonder how you managed to buy them at the retail pharmacies earlier. An added attraction of online pharmacies is that the drugs are usually far cheaper. Although, everyone buying medicines online must have wondered about how safe it is and whether it is legal at all to buy from an Internet drugstore that has only a virtual existence. Some aspects that you need to be alert about:

Legality of Buying Prescription Drugs Online

A prescription drug is so called because it is supposed to be sold only against a prescription from a qualified and registered medical practitioner. These drugs are dangerous to consume and may have side effects that can have severe repercussions when taken without professional medical advice. Even though drug licensing differs from one country to another, you should be very careful of buying from international online stores that promise to process orders for prescription drugs without the need for a doctor’s prescription. If you intend to buy online, do so from a pharmacy in your own country that is registered and subject to national laws. If you are in any doubt make sure to ask a professional.

Don’t Be Swayed by Persuasive Marketing

Online pharmacies, especially those that are operating in an illegal manner, often engage in high decibel advertising to establish their reputation and lure customers. Click here for more information on pharmaceutical industry advertising standards. Make it a point to avoid the offers that you receive in unsolicited mail; legitimate online pharmacies don’t send spam mail; if at all you are receiving any mail from them, it is because you have specifically signed up. Resist the temptation to believe in advertisements even on sites with high credibility; most of the online advertising is served by advertising agencies and the site that you are seeing them on has generally little or no control over the content. Never trust the appearance of the site; fraudulent sites invariably look very professional.

Product Quality May Be a Cause for Concern

Any online pharmacy that lacks the credentials but offers deals that are way too good to be believed could be pushing products that may have problems. Most of these rogue stores may actually be supplying medicines that are expired, which would just be a complete waste of your money and also risk your health. Some pharmacies also resort to diluting the products or supplying less quantity than what was ordered. You may even get the wrong drug or something that is counterfeit manufactured from cheap or useless substances. With an unknown pharmacy, you can never be sure if the medicines have been stored properly; drugs that are supposed to be kept cold may become useless or even hazardous if not stored suitably.

Conclusion

Keeping in mind the various hazards of buying from online pharmacies, you should be really careful and order only from retailers with an established track record. Apart from getting prescription drugs that are authentic, you can also be confident that your personal and credit card data will remain secure and will not be used to scam you.

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