Drugs, such as the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra and the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor, are frequently sold cheaply online and without a GP prescription. But this is dangerous, as medications must be received under the supervision of a health professional. Their guidance on whether the drug is right for you, the dosage, possible side effects and any damaging interactions with other medications is critical.
Drugs from an unregistered site could also be harmful to your health because they might be out-of-date, diluted or fake. Also read why do medications have brand names and generic names? For more information.
An ONLINE MEDICATIONS pharmacy should take a legally valid prescription before supplying medicines. This means you would need either a paper prescription or an electronic prescription via the electronic prescription service from your GP or another health expert. You can post the prescription yourself if you want to, but an email prescription is not enough. Once the prescription has been taken, the medicine can be supplied or sent to you.
ONLINE MEDICATION Self-Diagnosing
Issues come when people who diagnose their own condition, then take prescription medicine online without a prescription. The site distributing this medicine is acting unlawfully.
Here are some of the points to look out for:
Always take your medicine from a pharmacy or a reputable outlet.
It’s never a great idea to get a prescription medicine without a valid prescription. The medicine might not be right for you and could result in horrible side effects or serious health dangers.
Medicines must not be seen as regular consumer products. Fake medicines can really cause real damage to your health.
Don't be attracted by "spam" emails advertising inexpensive medicine. When something looks too great to be true, it usually is.
You can see the registration status of the pharmacist by checking the name and address of the pharmacy operating the site, as it must be connected to a "bricks and mortar" pharmacy.
Medicine sold from infamous sites can be of poor quality at best and risky at worst. Whatever you get in the post could be fake, poor or unapproved new drugs, which can lead your health to danger.
