Online Pharmacies: A Revolutionary Way to Buy Medication

Buying medicine from online pharmacies is gradually picking up, and for good reasons. There are many reputable such pharmacies serving their online patients diligently because they have a reputation and a business to protect. The beauty about the internet is that, poor service is not condoned by users; they will easily post reviews online that can kill the business in days.

Prescription Vs Over-the-Counter Medicine

Most online pharmacies sell both prescription and over-the-counter medicine. Even though prescription medicine should only be dispensed based on a doctor’s prescription, very few pharmacies pay attention to that. It is therefore the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that they have the right prescription from their doctors before ordering medicine.

Legal Vs Illegal Online Pharmacies

Ordering prescription medication from online pharmacists is efficient and affordable. However, this must be done with utmost care because some of these pharmacies operate illegally and you risk buying drugs containing harmful ingredients or wrong dosage instructions. Also, some online scammers can possibly set up websites and claim to sell legit drugs online to swindle unsuspecting internet users without delivering the ordered medicine. How then do you determine that the online pharmacy is trustworthy?

Most countries have put in place measures to lock out the illegitimate online pharmacies, especially those whose operations risks the lives of their customers. Unfortunately, it is not easy for the government to control what everyone sells and purchases online. It is therefore your responsibility to weed out the fake online pharmacies from the legitimate ones before ordering any drugs.

Attributes of a Trustworthy Online Pharmacy

1. Licensed

It is a legal requirement that all pharmacies, whether online or offline be licensed by the relevant authorities. The main reason why this is important is that, prior to the issuance of a practising license, these pharmacies undergo a rigorous phase of inspections to ensure that they confirm to the standards set. Legit pharmacies don’t mind complying with these requirements because it is only through that they are assured of safeguarding public safety. On the other hand, the fraudulent pharmacies avoid being checked because they are only interested in making money the easy way. Before buying from any company, demand to be shown scanned copies of relevant licenses and proceed to confirm their authenticity.

1. Professionally Designed Website

There are some ecommerce sites that are not professionally designed and can be singled out as being suspicious. Ideally, online pharmacies should have a physical location and working contact details. If that one is missing, then there is no way you can trace them in case you end up the wrong medicine or they fail to deliver. One page websites or those that list only a handful of drugs can be suspicious as well.

• Qualified Staff

The main advantage of buying drugs from a licensed Meds4sure.com online pharmacy is that, you can trust that their staff are well trained to dispense the right medication. While most pharmacies are “click and buy” type, you should feel to interact with the person on the other side freely and professionally. Doing this ensures that you get the right drugs and inaccurate dosage. You must however read the dosage instruction on the drug’s package when they are delivered to be sure.

1. Show Concern

Your health comes first. Some pharmacies are concerned about the medication they sell online and want to ensure that they are meant to strictly treat the intended condition. To realize this, they might ask you to fill an online questionnaire or ask for a doctor’s recommendation. The complex nature of this however makes it not possible for all drugs since most pharmacies assume that you already know what precisely you would like to buy from the onset.

Benefits of Online Pharmacies

With a pharmacy on the next block, is it really necessary to purchase drugs from an online pharmacy? Well, here are some reasons why you might want to consider:

1. Affordable: Purchasing medication from an online pharmacy saves you money. Medicine in some countries is more expensive than others. With online pharmacies, you can purchase these drugs from any country and they will be shipped to your doorsteps. This way, you get same drugs, from reputable drug manufacturers all over the world at a much lower price than the current retailing price in your local pharmacy. You can also compare prices from various online pharmacies and opt for the best quality and affordable one.
2. Broad Variety of Medication: Other than the cost-saving benefit, you also have access to a wide variety of various medicines, some that might not be available in your local pharmacy. This is especially important for conditions that require regular but long time update of special medicines.

• Flexible Payment Options: There are many payment options that are supported when shopping online. You can choose a method that is favourable to you so long as it is supported by the pharmacy and is secure.

Are there Any Dangers of Buying Drugs from Online Pharmacies?

Just like any other e-commerce business, there are many rogue players in the online pharmacy sector. Purchasing over-the-counter medication online requires a lot of caution and ability to detect and avoid the illegally-run pharmacies. Some people will not even blink an eye before selling harmful drugs in as much they might have a professionally designed website. It has been noted that some so-called pharmacies sell drugs that entirely lack the active ingredients required.

You must therefore be very specific on what you are looking for before eventually making an order. Note that some people are taking advantage of the internet to dispose of unsafe medicine that are;

• Expired, exceedingly weak or strong for your body.
• Are not approved by the relevant authorities and are smuggled out of their countries.
• Don’t meet the set standards.
• Are unsafe when used with other products or drugs but the information might not be disclosed.
• They are not properly labelled, safely kept or shipped.

How to Protect Yourself from Rogue Online Pharmacies

The surest way to cushion yourself from rogue pharmacies is to understand your medicine. Ideally, you must always consult your doctor before ordering any medicine online. This information is important when filing the prescription online. Whenever you refill the prescription, consider the following;

• Carefully scrutinize the appearance of the drugs. Pay close attention to the shape, texture, color and packaging. They must resemble the previous order. If not, there are chances that they are counterfeits or equally different medicine.
• Does the medicine taste and smell the same? In case you don’t find any connection, don’t take it before seeking clarification from the seller or your doctor.
• To be safe, take the new order to your doctor or pharmacist for inspection before consuming.
• Don’t disclose personal information such as credit card information to anyone online.

The Future of Online Pharmacies

The future of online pharmacies is bright. The strict rules governing the sale of high complex medicine by speciality pharmacists might be adjusted to allow access to such important drugs to those who need them. Discount online pharmacies are bound to increase as they buy in bulk from the manufacturers at discounted rates and sell the same to buyers at fair prices. With more regulations and information, the days of illegal online pharmacies are numbered.Online pharmacies will be embraced globally,just the same way other e-commerce businesses have grown.