Jane Fern's Pharmacists Guide
Sunday, November 22, 2009
A Need For Cheaper Medicine
People are becoming more and more practical in the way they spend money. We always try to look for ways to save as much money as we can. This is the reason why there are stores coming out left and right selling clothes at discounted prices, fast food chains being set up selling huge servings of food at low prices as compared to home-cooked meals, and most recently drugstores setting up shop on the Internet selling prescription medications at very cheap prices. But are they safe?
A lot of people want to know where to buy cheap medicine online. Senior citizens need it because most health care plans do not cover the cost of medication. People who live in tight budget could use the savings to help them with other expenses. In both cases, the extra money saved in the cost of the prescription will help them a lot.
But with the thousands of Internet pharmacies currently in operation, how can you distinguish a good online drugstore from a bad one. Here are some things to watch out for:
· A good Internet-based drugstore is licensed by your local pharmacy board to operate in and/or sell medications to your state. Every pharmacy, be it land-based or on the web, needs to be inspected and certified by the local board before they can start selling medicines.
· A legal pharmacy doing business in the World Wide Web should be accredited by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy or NABP. This means that they have passed the organization’s inspection and have met the necessary standards required from an online drugstore. Also, being accredited by the NABP means that the web-based drugstore company is a part of the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites or VIPPS.
· An honest Internet pharmacy should ask you for a proper prescription before they sell you medications. This is in accordance to pharmacy policies that prescription drugs can only be dispensed to people with prescription notes. The prescription note serves as a confirmation that a buyer had sought the consult of a physician and was indeed endorsed to take the prescription drug he wants to buy.
· In cases of online pharmacies that do not require a prescription note, some of them offer an online consultation service with a licensed doctor through voice chatting and webcam. This is beneficial to people who are unable to leave home to see a doctor. But customers must be cautious in dealing with web-based drugstores that offer to sell prescription medicines without requiring a prescription or offering a consult service, this may be an indication that the drugstore company is illegal.
· An Internet drugstore that does not hide anything from its consumers will not hide its stand on protecting your privacy. Look for an online pharmacy that has a clear privacy procedure to protect all the information you submit to their website.
To protect your privacy and your health, do not make transactions with online pharmacy websites that you feel are suspicious. Contact your local pharmacy board to report these kinds of companies to protect your rights as a consumer.
A lot of people want to know where to buy cheap medicine online. Senior citizens need it because most health care plans do not cover the cost of medication. People who live in tight budget could use the savings to help them with other expenses. In both cases, the extra money saved in the cost of the prescription will help them a lot.
But with the thousands of Internet pharmacies currently in operation, how can you distinguish a good online drugstore from a bad one. Here are some things to watch out for:
· A good Internet-based drugstore is licensed by your local pharmacy board to operate in and/or sell medications to your state. Every pharmacy, be it land-based or on the web, needs to be inspected and certified by the local board before they can start selling medicines.
· A legal pharmacy doing business in the World Wide Web should be accredited by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy or NABP. This means that they have passed the organization’s inspection and have met the necessary standards required from an online drugstore. Also, being accredited by the NABP means that the web-based drugstore company is a part of the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites or VIPPS.
· An honest Internet pharmacy should ask you for a proper prescription before they sell you medications. This is in accordance to pharmacy policies that prescription drugs can only be dispensed to people with prescription notes. The prescription note serves as a confirmation that a buyer had sought the consult of a physician and was indeed endorsed to take the prescription drug he wants to buy.
· In cases of online pharmacies that do not require a prescription note, some of them offer an online consultation service with a licensed doctor through voice chatting and webcam. This is beneficial to people who are unable to leave home to see a doctor. But customers must be cautious in dealing with web-based drugstores that offer to sell prescription medicines without requiring a prescription or offering a consult service, this may be an indication that the drugstore company is illegal.
· An Internet drugstore that does not hide anything from its consumers will not hide its stand on protecting your privacy. Look for an online pharmacy that has a clear privacy procedure to protect all the information you submit to their website.
To protect your privacy and your health, do not make transactions with online pharmacy websites that you feel are suspicious. Contact your local pharmacy board to report these kinds of companies to protect your rights as a consumer.
Labels: cheap medicine, internet pharmacy, online drugstore
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Internet Pharmacies: Are They For Real?
Over the past couple of years, prices of basic necessities like food, shelter, and clothing have gone up. The cost of health care services was not spared. Its prices started to follow the lead of the other commodities and went up. But even with assurances of high quality services and the latest in modern technology, to the regular Joe, it still meant that keeping healthy now costs more than what it used to be.
Because of the increase in medicine prices imposed by pharmaceutical companies and their retailers, health insurance providers have started adjusting their own terms and have cut out medication costs from the health care plan’s coverage. This did not bode well for senior citizens who were relying on their health care insurances.
And then came online drugstores. They came like a godsend from heaven, answering the consumer’s prayers for an alternative solution to highly priced prescription drugs that are becoming more and more difficult to obtain.
Are web-based pharmacies for real?
People can’t believe the advantages they can get from using Internet-based drugstores. Below are some of the benefits featured by online pharmacies:
· It is very convenient to use. There’s no need to leave the house to buy prescriptions any longer. All you need is a good computer, an Internet connection, and a credit card and you’re all set. With just a few click of the mouse buttons, you’re order is archived for processing. It also saves consumers the hassle of traveling to and from the drugstore to get the medicine.
· It is cost-efficient. Most online drugstores are discount pharmacies that offer prescription drugs at almost half its regular price. Aside from saving on medication costs, it also helps save money on traveling fare as there is no longer a need to leave the house to go to the pharmacy and back.
· It lets consumers order prescription drugs online without a prescription. Although this feature is much debated, people who are unable to afford or physically seek consult from a licensed physician benefit most from this feature.
The other side of the coin
Using Internet pharmacies comes with potential risks. Especially since the transactions are made over the Internet and there running after hoax companies may be more difficult. Here are some of the possible dangers of buying medications online:
· You expose yourself to possible identity theft and credit card fraud. The information you entered through the online drugstore’s medical questionnaire can be used by anomalous individuals to assume your identity and use your information to make purchases or close transactions without your permission.
· You may receive counterfeit medications. Copy-cat drugs are dangerous to use because they might contain hidden ingredients that may trigger a fatal drug interaction or a severe allergic reaction.
Now that you know the good and the bad side of using Internet pharmacies, the decision to buy from them is entirely up to you. Make sure you check the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy website to see a complete list of accredited online drugstores that are currently in operation.
Because of the increase in medicine prices imposed by pharmaceutical companies and their retailers, health insurance providers have started adjusting their own terms and have cut out medication costs from the health care plan’s coverage. This did not bode well for senior citizens who were relying on their health care insurances.
And then came online drugstores. They came like a godsend from heaven, answering the consumer’s prayers for an alternative solution to highly priced prescription drugs that are becoming more and more difficult to obtain.
Are web-based pharmacies for real?
People can’t believe the advantages they can get from using Internet-based drugstores. Below are some of the benefits featured by online pharmacies:
· It is very convenient to use. There’s no need to leave the house to buy prescriptions any longer. All you need is a good computer, an Internet connection, and a credit card and you’re all set. With just a few click of the mouse buttons, you’re order is archived for processing. It also saves consumers the hassle of traveling to and from the drugstore to get the medicine.
· It is cost-efficient. Most online drugstores are discount pharmacies that offer prescription drugs at almost half its regular price. Aside from saving on medication costs, it also helps save money on traveling fare as there is no longer a need to leave the house to go to the pharmacy and back.
· It lets consumers order prescription drugs online without a prescription. Although this feature is much debated, people who are unable to afford or physically seek consult from a licensed physician benefit most from this feature.
The other side of the coin
Using Internet pharmacies comes with potential risks. Especially since the transactions are made over the Internet and there running after hoax companies may be more difficult. Here are some of the possible dangers of buying medications online:
· You expose yourself to possible identity theft and credit card fraud. The information you entered through the online drugstore’s medical questionnaire can be used by anomalous individuals to assume your identity and use your information to make purchases or close transactions without your permission.
· You may receive counterfeit medications. Copy-cat drugs are dangerous to use because they might contain hidden ingredients that may trigger a fatal drug interaction or a severe allergic reaction.
Now that you know the good and the bad side of using Internet pharmacies, the decision to buy from them is entirely up to you. Make sure you check the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy website to see a complete list of accredited online drugstores that are currently in operation.
Labels: internet pharmacies, online drugstore, prescription drugs online, web-based pharmacies
