Analysis of Online Pharmacies  An Alternative Approach to Medical Care Using the Web

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The internet pharmacy is one of the many inventions of the world wide web.
What are internet pharmacies? Do they make any sense? Are they even legal?

An internet pharmacy is a store that sells prescription drugs like Prozac and Viagra.
If you belong to a good HMO with drug coverage, it's probably cheaper to visit your
doctor and buy prescriptions at your local pharmacy, avoiding the internet altogether.
With good insurance, you will spend half a day for the visit and $40 in copayments.
An internet pharmacy would be more expensive and offer an advantage only if you
didn't want to give up your time or speak about an embarrassing health problem.

If your insurance is lousy or has been cancelled, the internet may be a better option.
To use an internet pharmacy, you must know what is appropriate for you medical problem.
You may know this from experience with an ongoing condition and many previous doctor visits.
Or if your condition is not serious, you may have done the research and know what you need.
As such, an internet pharmacy may save you an appointment, half a day and the doctor's fee.
If you have recurring medical problems such as strep throat, sinus or ear infections,
having medicine on hand can shorten your recovery and improve your health.

So, are they legal? The internet stores that sell drugs can be divided into 4 classes:
US or Canadian "prescription required" and US or foreign "no prescription required".
If a prescription is required, you usually must fax a copy to the store.  If a US pharmacy
fills the prescription, it is perfectly legal. Of course, the prices are not much different from
your neighborhood pharmacy and your neighborhood pharmacy might even be online.
If the prescription is sent to Canada, by Canadian law a Canadian doctor must review
the prescription and write a similar one that is valid in Canada before shipping to you.
From a medical standpoint, no rules are bent but shipping may violate US import laws.
From a practical standpoint, FDA guidelines allow for the importation of 90 day supplies
for personal use if the drugs are thought to pose no risk and confer a benefit to the patient.
Although these are just guidelines and the drugs may be detained by customs, many people
use these pharmacies since prices are kept low by the Canadian government.

If the store does not require a prescription, things get a little muddy. US stores hire
a doctor to review an electronic form that you fill out as you order. If your answers are
reasonable, the doctor writes a prescription and it is filled by a US based pharmacy.
If you answer the questions honestly, the chances of dangerous interactions are reduced.
No import laws are broken but it stretches current medical ethics. Such prescriptions have
been declared illegal in Nevada and pharmacies will refuse to ship if you live in Nevada.
For other states, the transaction is legal although prices can vary from store to store.
The Discount Meds USA pharmacy has a good reputation, does not charge for the doctor's
questionnaire and has reasonable prices. Shipping is via FedEx overnight and requires an
adult signature upon delivery, preventing drugs from falling into the hands of minors.
As an added security precaution to prevent credit card fraud, new customers are
required to fax a photo ID ( like a driver's license )  to the pharmacy. Once your
identity is established, additional faxes are not required on refills or purchases.
To review products and prices for this US pharmacy, click ( Infection or Chronic ).

Foreign pharmacies (other than Canadian) that do not require a prescription generally
violate both medical and import laws. Such pharmacies simply ship whatever you want,
no questions asked. To circumvent customs inspectors, the shipping packages are usually
falsely marked as containing cosmetics or vitamins. When you order from such a store,
you risk confiscation and destruction of your purchase by customs.  Often, there
is no way to guarantee the quality of the product or even where it was made.
With such drawbacks, a pharmacy in the USA makes more sense.

No matter where you buy prescription drugs, you should consult with a doctor.
You should read the information sheet that is usually packed with the drug.
Such sheets for any drug are available free at the RxList website below.
Advice may be found at the Physicians Desk Reference, also below.

Category	Description of Website	Link
USA Pharmacy	No Prescription Needed: Low cost, legal US pharmacy	Meds USA
Drug Price Lists	Infectious Disease: List of US drugs to fight an infection Chronic Condition: List of US drugs for chronic problems	Infection List Chronic List
Drug Sheets	RxList.com: Information sheets for prescription drugs	Rx Drug List
Health Advice	Physician's Desk Reference: Advice you can trust	PDR Health

The Gift Gopher Shopping Guide is presented as general information only.
Although we have made a best effort to gather and present accurate facts, the polices of
governments and individual companies may be changed at any time without our knowledge.
Therefore, we must disclaim all responsibility for the reliability of this information, and/or any
consequences arising from the use of this information, including damage or adverse consequences
to persons or property, however such damages or consequences arise. No warranty,
either expressed or implied, is made in regards to this information.