Ordering things through the mail is nothing new and in fact has been around for well over 100 years. I still have a vivid memory of my first mail order item from a Boy’s Life magazine. It was advertised as a bat that would fly effortlessly around the room at your command as if by remote control. Every day I ran to the mail box with great anticipation that today would be the day I would watch my new bat fly effortlessly at my command around the room. After many disappointing trips to the mail box my wonder bat finally arrived. I was so excited I could hardly get the box open for the anticipation of the wonderment waiting inside. What a surprise -it was a rubber bat on a string, boy was I disappointed. To my dismay I had bought a four inch rubber bat on a three inch rubber string, its flight path was about four inches from my hand.
Over the years I have purchased many things through the mail, Sea Monkey’s, rubber bats and trick chewing gum. However, there is nothing more important than items that affect our health. I will admit my selection of online purchases has become more refined over the years, and I am a little more selective with where I shop. We all have seen and heard the rhetoric of some online pharmacies offering medications without a prescription and daunting huge savings.
Many national pharmacy chains now offer online prescription services as well as their walk in counter service. This type of service comes in handy if you are admitted to the hospital and your healthcare team needs to verify your medications. This type of pharmacy allows you to utilize online savings while still allowing you to build a personal relationship with your pharmacist. It’s important to use only one pharmacy when possible, so they are able to monitor your drug list for contraindications and keep you safe.
Some of the better online pharmacies do offer 24 hour access to a licensed pharmacist and they do a good job keeping track of your medications and notifying you of any potential problems. However, it is difficult to verify your medication list if you are admitted to the hospital.
Selecting a pharmacy is just as important as choosing a healthcare provider, make sure to use only licensed pharmacies. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy can verify if a pharmacy is licensed and in good standing, contact them at: www.nabp.net or by calling 847-391-4406.
Insist on reputable pharmacies that offer toll free access to a pharmacist 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Make sure to read your pharmacy’s privacy and security policies before placing an order to assure your credit card and personal health information is kept secure and confidential.
Compare prices, you may find great deals online that could save you money. But don’t forget your neighborhood pharmacy, many offer competitive pricing with personalized service and attention online pharmacies cannot. If an online pharmacy makes promises that sound too good to be true, you should question if the site is legitimate. Beware, there are counterfeit drugs being sold online that do not contain any active ingredient or in some cases contain the wrong medication.
Be careful and do not get lured into online pharmacies that dispense medications without a valid prescription. It is also illegal to import unapproved medications into the United States that do not have FDA approval, and these medications can have life-threatening consequences. If an online company states claims that sound too good to be true with “miracle cures”, there is a good chance their claims are false. Be sure to report any online pharmacy to the FDA www.fda.gov if your order does not arrive, you find suspicious charges on your credit card or any problems with an online pharmacy.
I know in these hard economic times it is wise to shop smart and save every penny you can. Do your research, don’t forget your neighborhood pharmacist and make them compete for your business. After all it’s your money, but most importantly it’s your health.
Howard Baker, RN BSN
For questions, comments, or suggestions on topics you want to read about please email me at: howard@howardsbaker.com
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