Published on January 22nd, 2021 | by Bibhuranjan

Buying Prescription Medication Online: What You Need to Know

The internet has transformed so many things about our lives. From how we interact with other people, to how we work and how we buy and sell things. It allows us to compare products and prices from the comfort of our own home. While there’s nothing too risky about buying shoes online (except for getting the wrong fit), when it comes to getting your medicine over the internet, you should be wary. Some websites that sell medication aren’t safe to use, and the products they sell may not be safe for your health. In other words, the medicine can be fake, too strong or too weak, feature dangerous ingredients, is out of date or isn’t safe to use with other medication.

While many of these online pharmacies look to genuinely help people and provide them with the convenience, privacy and safeguards that come with buying prescription pills the conventional way, some of them are looking to make a quick buck and have no regard for the protocols that come with safely buying prescription medicine online, and thus, have no regard for your health and safety. Here’s what you need to pay attention to when buying prescription pills and other medication online.

Getting a Prescription Is a Must

You should only buy prescription medicine online if you’ve already been diagnosed and medication has been prescribed to treat your condition. Taking prescription medicine without an actual prescription puts you at risk for adverse reactions, dangerous drug interactions and improper treatment. When you’re getting medicine prescribed by your doctor, they consider your age, overall health, other conditions medications and supplements you’re actively taking, and your lifestyle habits, like whether you smoke or drink alcohol. All of these factors can impact how specific medication affects you.

Buy From a Reputable Site

If it’s your first time buying prescription drugs online, you may not know what to look for in an online pharmacies that makes it trustworthy and reputable. Every legitimate Australian pharmacy like Tenambit Pharmacy will require a prescription from a licensed Australian healthcare provider, and they should be a licensed pharmacy with a proven history and a licensed pharmacist to answer all your inquiries and questions. They should also only provide TGA approved medicine, and they should have clear policies that protect your card information and privacy. Any website that sells prescription drugs online without a prescription isn’t reputable, including sites that ask you to fill some sort of questionnaire instead of a sending them a prescription.

Compare Prices

Even if you find a legitimate store, you shouldn’t jump the gun and buy your medicine from them. Find a few other stores that are also reputable and compare the prices between them. One way to get the best price is to call or visit a local pharmacy and ask how much the medicine costs then compare it to the prices of the online store. This can go a long way if you have to take the medication for extended periods of time, saving you a lot of money down the road. However, don’t get too excited about the prices that you forget about all the safety standards.

Advantages of Buying Medication Online

Nowadays, more people are using the internet for health reasons than ever. In fact, it’s one of the top five reasons people go online. However, this doesn’t mean that online pharmacy will make their retail counterparts obsolete in the foreseeable future. It was predicted that about 3B prescriptions would be dispensed back in 1999, and even though there aren’t any reliable numbers to represent the number of prescription medicines today, it’s believed that the number is still relatively small.

Regardless, for many people, buying prescription medicine online provides a range of benefits that they don’t get from retail pharmacies, such as:

wider availability of prescription medicine for people living away from a pharmacy or shut-in people;
easier comparative buying from many different websites to find the most suitable medicine and prices;
greater overall convenience;
easy access to medical information and references to other relevant sources;
ordering from the privacy and comfort of your own home.

How Online Prescriptions Work

In order to shop for prescription meds online, you have to follow a few general steps. For starters, you need to open an account with the online pharmacy and you may have to submit insurance information. Then, you have to submit a prescription. The prescription can be called in by the medical professional who prescribes it, or you can send it to the pharmacy using mail or fax.

Some online pharmacies will send you the product from a centralised spot, while others will require you to pick it up at your local pharmacy. All prescriptions are typically delivered in about three days, often free of charge. For an extra shipping fee, many of them will deliver the medicine overnight. Every site usually has a mechanism for you to ask questions, either through a free number, e-mail or live chat.

Final Thoughts

With thousands of pharmacy websites in the business, how can you tell which one is a legitimate one? This is especially important nowadays when it’s easy to set up a website that looks legitimate and professional. You need to be cautious and use the same common sense you use when shopping from any type of website. Look for a reputable dealer, get recommendations from people you know, and if possible – check the place out. Avoid buying from sites that offer to prescribe you with medicine for the first time without performing any type of physical evaluation, sell prescription medicine without a prescription, or sell medicine not approved by the TGA.

Furthermore, don’t buy from a site that doesn’t provide access to a pharmacist to answer your questions. Additionally, avoid buying from sites that don’t identify who you’re dealing with and don’t have an Australian address and phone number you can call in case of a problem arising. It also goes without saying that you shouldn’t buy from sites that promise a new cure for serious illnesses or a quick cure-all for many different ailments.

Tags: online pharmacy, pharmacy

About the Author

Bibhuranjan Editorial Officer, technofaq.org I'm an avid tech enthusiast at heart. I like to mug up on new and exciting developments on science and tech and have a deep love for PC gaming. Other hobbies include writing blog posts, music and DIY projects.