We know it isn’t safe to step outside when this deadly Coronavirus is taking millions of precious lives every day. We can buy almost everything online while being in the comfort of our homes but when it comes to medicines the question, “is it safe to buy medicines online?” comes into our minds.
Not all online pharmacies are trustworthy and it’s also not good to put your health and life at stake. The U.S Food and Drug Administration warns people about the dangers of buying medicines from not legally recognized pharmacy websites. But fortunately, some online pharmacies are licensed and delivering standardized medicines across the country.
The reason why buying medicines from such websites is unsafe is that the medicines you get can probably be fake, diluted, expired. So, for safer medicine shopping you have to look for a licensed website.
Now how do you know if the website is safe or not?
It’s safe to shop from the website if
- It does not agree on selling medicines without any doctor’s or health care professional’s prescription.
- It is licensed by the state board of pharmacy or an equivalent state agency.
- It resides in the United States and provides its complete street address.
- It can show the U.S state-licensed pharmacist certificate on demand.
In short, the website needs to be licensed and is only willing to sell medicines after checking the doctor’s prescription.
How can you check if the website is licensed or not?
There are several ways but the most common and very well known one is that the website must contain the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy’s VIPPS seal. To play extra safe, you can go to the VIPPS website to check which online pharmacies are safe to shop.
It’s safe (but even better than to step outside in this Coronavirus outbreak) to buy medicines online from the VIPPS websites by showing the doctor’s prescription. Since there are a lot of fake online pharmacies running smoothly.There are some legit pharmacies in the United States, United Kingdom and canada.Canada drugs direct is a famous and licensed canadian pharmacy.
Besides the license, they are some other important things as well that should not go unnoticed. Do not shop from pharmacies
- That doesn’t demand a prescription.
- that are offering medicine at cheaper rates.
- That are advertising their medicines by sending unsolicited emails claiming they are offering medicines at discount.
- That ships worldwide.
- Those are located outside the United States.
Summary
Buying medicines online is a great threat to your health and life as medicines can be expired, diluted, or fake. It is always better to go buy medicines in person but since the coronavirus has made it unsafe to go outside so you can shop from online pharmacies that are licensed by the state board of pharmacy or an equivalent state agency. To confirm if the website is safe or not, you can check the VIPPS’ seal. You can also go to the VIPPS official website to get the list of online pharmacies that are delivering standardized medicines across the United States. Be aware of the websites that don’t demand prescription or selling medicines at discounted prices.