If you see a medication advertised online from a different country you may be tempted to order it online if the price is a lot cheaper than you traditionally pay. It can seem like a great way of saving money when you may be used to paying a high price to secure the medications that you need.
Of course price is only one reason that you may be looking to an overseas pharmacy to buy your medications. You may be able to get a product that isn’t available in the US, or you may be able to get a drug without a prescription. It should be noted that buying medication online from an overseas pharmacy is actually illegal according to federal law.
This is because the drugs that are being purchased are not FDA approved, so you cannot be sure what standard of medication you’re actually getting. That being said many transactions are processed every day, and many packages proceed successfully through US customs.
So what are the real problems?
Aside from the legal issues you need to be aware that there is no guarantee of the safety of the medication that’s being sold. Some countries such as Canada do require medication to be prescribed and regulated to be sold online but in Mexico there is no such regulation of the drugs that are being sold. There is also the financial consideration.
Aside from the fact that you’re not saving any money if the medication you’re getting is below par, there is also the possibility that you will lose your money altogether. If your package is intercepted at customs it will be confiscated and it’s unlikely you will ever get the cost of your purchase returned.
Another important thing to bear in mind is that the ability to purchase medication from abroad online often gives people the opportunity to buy drugs which have not actually been prescribed. This is a very dangerous thing to happen. There are good reasons why physicians are trained to look after your health. It’s best not take the risk & purchase your medication from somewhere reputable.
They know if you are ill and they are taught to know what type of medication you should be taking. If you start to diagnose your problems yourself there is a very good chance you’ll make mistakes and take medication that isn’t required and is even potentially damaging to your health. Obviously this can never be a good thing.
So are all mediations from foreign pharmacies not to be trusted?
This is not necessarily the case. The drugs are not regulated by the FDA as they are being sold outside of the country so by that standard you cannot guarantee that you’re getting the same quality of product that you would at the local pharmacy. That doesn’t mean that all medications from overseas are substandard or dangerous, many are of similar quality to what is sold in the US. But the fact remains that it’s not legal to purchase your medications from overseas.