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How to Safely Purchase Prescription Drugs From Foreign, Online Pharmacies

On average Americans spend $1200 per year on prescription drugs. No other country globally spends as much on medication. But despite this apparent high costs of drugs, the American population is getting sicker by the day.

So how can you navigate the high costs of prescription medicine without compromising on quality? Well, over the internet, prescription drug vendors are bridging this gap. The emergence of foreign internet pharmacies has challenged the narrative around the cost and availability of prescription drugs in the United States.

Have you been wondering how to order prescription drugs from online pharmacies safely? Here’s how to ensure safety when ordering prescription drugs over the internet.

1. Always Counter Check Licensing

Just as in all online transactions, fraudsters and scammers abound in the online pharmacies sector. Before you lose your hard-earned money to swindles, you need to ensure that your potential pharmacist is licensed. Your state’s boards of pharmacy regulate all pharmacies.

But in the case of online pharmacies, the Federal and State governments are working with the FDA to ensure the licensing and registration of these online vendors.

You can utilize the pharmacychecker.com site to verify the licensing and registration status of your online prescription drug vendor. Most state pharmacy boards have been keen to register and gazette genuine pharmacies in a bid to curb cons and duplicitous online pharmacies. You only need to undertake due diligence to minimize the possibility of dealing with a dishonest pharmacy.

2. Verify Registration

The FDA encourages Americans to visit the National Association Board of Pharmacy’s (NABP) website to verify the authenticity of such online pharmacies. The website captures the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites Seal (VIPPS), which every verified online pharmacy must have. You only need to visit the VIPPS website to verify the authenticity of your prospective dealer.

All legitimate online pharmacies must have a valid seal. If you are about to transact with an internet prescription drugs vendor, pause for a moment and check their website for this critical information. If not available, be careful.

3. If a Doctor’s Prescription Is a Prerequisite

A legitimate physical pharmacist will demand a prescription from a licensed doctor. Online pharmacies are not an exception. Your request for prescription drugs should raise eyebrows if the online pharmacist proceeds to present the drugs without prescription.

As a requirement, online pharmacists must conduct due diligence before providing patients with medication on demand. But fake online pharmacies are keener on sales and will rarely question the purpose of such prescription drugs.

Don’t be irritated if the online pharmacy requests for proof of a doctor’s prescription. It’s a mark of good practice and due care when dealing with clients.

4. They Must Have State-Licensed Pharmacist Available in the United States

Most people don’t know this, but online pharmacies should have a state-licensed pharmacist available at all times. Such an arrangement seeks to ensure that any query or concern you may have is answered in real-time. For good practice, such pharmacists should be available physically in the United States.

If you realize that your prospective online pharmacy doesn’t have a state-licensed pharmacist available and doesn’t also have a physical office, then there’s a problem. Ensure that you probe further to reduce the risk of dealing with a rogue pharmacist.

5. Price Can be A Red Flag

While you are keen on saving on costs, be careful when the value of prescription drugs is extremely low. Some online pharmacies quote prices for prescription drugs that are too low to be true. Realistically, a 20% discount makes business sense considering that these online pharmacies don’t incur significant operating costs.

But if the discount reduces below the actual buying price by up to 60-80%, then there may be a problem. It would help if you considered such factors before deciding on purchases. While saving on costs is imperative, you don’t want to end up with questionable medication.

6. If they Keep Sending Spam E-Mail and Social Media Posts

A legitimate online pharmacy will never send unsolicited emails your way. They recognize the fact that drugs can only be requested on prescription, which means there’s no need to keep spamming your mailbox. But if you keep receiving emails from online pharmacies purporting to have cheap priced drugs, then such should be a red flag.

Legitimate online pharmacies will only respond to your queries through e-mail or other avenues of communication. If you notice, recurrent spam emails from a purported online pharmacy with ridiculously low prices, you ought to be extra careful.

7. If the Site Offers Shipping Internationally

As noted, online pharmacies should have a physical presence in the United States. Such an arrangement discourages the possibility of mailing prescription drugs from overseas. The restrictions work to limit the likelihood of such medications ending up in the United States without proper regulation.

Apart from the primary mail services recognized by the United States, there are many other options that online pharmacies may use. But you run the risk of receiving counterfeit or unregulated prescription drugs when you buy unregulated medicine online.

Are There Genuine Online Pharmacies?

Not everything online is illegitimate. There are authentic online pharmacies where you can access drug store services without scripts. If you’re wondering how to access such options, then you only need to go online and consider all the above concerns. The good thing about genuine online pharmacies is that they offer price ranges that are extremely pocket-friendly.

You only need to pay attention to the prescription price and make a comparison with most other physical pharmacies. Based on such an assessment, you’ll notice that there are massive cuts on the pricing of medications online. Apart from this fact, online pharmacies also guarantee you instant access to prescription drugs on request.

You, therefore, don’t need to queue for long in physical walk-in stores to access medication. But as you consider this option, you must be keen enough to avoid any possible risk of falling prey to fraudsters.

With The Skyrocketing Costs of Health Care, Online Pharmacies Can Offer Relief

Health care is expensive in the United States. Even worse, affording medication poses a significant financial burden for most Americans. But online pharmacies are providing critical relief on most of your prescription drug needs.

All you need to do is to ensure you work with a reputable online pharmacy. With the right information and considering these guidelines, your transactions online will be safe and secure.

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