Everything is going online, from shopping to consulting a doctor to entertainment. However, when it comes to medicines, it is no child’s play. These should be taken only under a doctor’s prescription and purchased from certified, legal, and trustworthy pharmacies. However, recently there has been a mushrooming of online pharmacies claiming to provide safe and effective medications to the customers in a convenient and hassle-free delivery mechanism.
Purchasing medications from online pharmacies is a personal choice that might be influenced by the several conveniences that these pharmacies offer. But the repercussions of consuming the wrong medicines from dubious sources can be fatal. A word of caution on buying from these online pharmacies is always – ‘buyer beware’.
Read on to understand more about the benefits and drawbacks of online pharmacies. We have also collated information on the precautions that you should take while purchasing from online pharmacies.
What are the benefits you get from an online pharmacy?
People are in fact making bulk purchases from online pharmacies and this is only due to the benefits they see in it.
- Privacy – Online pharmacies offer personal privacy while ordering pills for embarrassing ailments like erectile dysfunction. Walking to a local store and buying a sexual medication might not be preferred by many.
- Convenient – Buying online is convenient and time-saving. You can browse from the comfort of your home or even place an order during a lunch break at work and have the medicines delivered at your doorstep.
- Cost-saving – Most of the online pharmacies pass on their reduced overhead expenses to the customers by offering them huge discounts and attractive offers on their purchases.
- Disabled friendly – Elderly or disabled people might find it challenging to order from a local store and online pharmacies with their doorstep delivery is a blessing for them.
What are the drawbacks of an online pharmacy?
Keep in mind these issues that are common with online pharmacies while placing your order.
- Quality of medications – Most of the online pharmacies are unregulated and there is no proper control system to check on the quality of medications that they sell. FDA is having a tough time cracking down on the spurious agencies selling substandard medicines which are usually procured from untrustworthy sources.
- The unhygienic manufacturing process – Many of the online medications are manufactured under unhygienic conditions and do not follow the necessary quality standards.
- Dangerous medication – there is no way that the innocent customer can know about the safety of medications. False labeling and dangerous combinations are becoming common with online purchases.
Buy medicines safely from online pharmacies
You can order your medicines from online pharmacies safely by taking certain precautionary measures.
- Do thorough reviews of the online pharmacy before you buy. Go through the forums, discussions and available reviews to make the right decision.
- Examine the website and ensure that it looks professional. A shabby looking website might be a sign of an illegal pharmacy.
- Read the terms and conditions and the privacy policy to satisfy yourself with the credibility of the pharmacy.
- Also, ensure that the payment gateway is safe and secure with SSL certifications.
So before you place an order, do your homework to avoid getting cheated. Buying from legal and approved pharmacies is always safe provided you have a doctor’s prescription as well.
