Before buying medicine online, it is important to know the basics of the medication you want. Numerous guidelines ensure people get what they expect when they buy drugs online. A few things to be aware of include:
1) Pharmacies that sell medications without a prescription
Although it is legal to buy some medicine online without a doctor’s order, these pharmacies sell counterfeit drugs. People who purchase from these illegal suppliers will not receive the right medication or might receive products with dangerous side effects.
2) Drugs manufactured in unregistered facilities
Pharmaceutical companies should follow certain standards when they manufacture products. Buying medications from manufacturers who do not adhere to these guidelines may result in inferior quality medicine that is potentially unsafe and ineffective.
3) Medicine that has passed its expiration date
When you buy expired medication, you risk getting an inadequate dose or even none at all if it has deteriorated too much to be effective. It is also possible that taking out-of-date medicine will not lead to any medical benefits, or it may cause mild or serious side effects. The best way to know the drug’s expiration date is to check with the pharmacist when you get your prescription filled.
4) Fake and duplicate drugs
Counterfeit medicines resemble pharmaceuticals in shape, color, and markings, but they contain incorrect ingredients or hazardous substances. Duplicate medications are copies of legitimate name-brand products made without the manufacturer’s knowledge and sold under different brand names. Both these impostors can be unsafe and can pose health risks for consumers. These drugs may also lack the active ingredient needed to achieve the desired effect; may contain too much or too little of an active ingredient, which may cause serious illness or death; or can have the correct ingredient but at too high a dose, which can lead to dangerous side effects.
5) Substandard drugs
Medical products fail to meet quality standards expected in approved countries. A substandard drug is usually made in unsafe conditions with inadequate equipment and personnel training or using low-quality ingredients or improper methods of manufacture.
6) Malaria treatments containing artemisinin derivatives
Artemisinin is used in combination therapies for malaria treatment. The World Health Organization recommends artemisinins only from registered manufacturers, carefully selects the suppliers who provide them, and closely monitors the number of artemisinins entering the market through its warehouse system. To avoid buying counterfeit and dangerous malaria drugs, only buy the approved artemisinin-based therapies that meet these standards: ACTs ( artemisinin combination therapies) containing an artemisinin derivative combined with another antimalarial drug.
7) Falsified medicines
They could be pills or capsules without any active ingredients; contain the wrong medicine; or contain too much or not enough active ingredients, which can be ineffective or dangerous to the user. Also, because consumers cannot tell whether a falsified drug contains the right amount of active ingredients. They may overdose on some medications if they take more than one product with a similar name.
8) Prescription drugs for nonmedical purposes
When people take prescription drugs for reasons other than those intended (such as increased energy, improved sex drive, or weight loss), it can cause serious health problems. Some people even try to use prescription stimulants and diet aids to get an edge in athletics or academics; without a doctor’s supervision, these “academic doping” drugs may cause long-term side effects such as heart damage and addiction.
9) Dietary supplements that contain undeclared ingredients
Many dietary supplements do not live up to their claims and may be hazardous to your health. For example, some supplements that claim to cure diseases contain undisclosed pharmaceuticals or heavy metals, which could be harmful if taken at high doses over a long period. In 2010, the US Drug Enforcement Administration found that, of more than 50,000 imported dietary supplements, nearly 20 percent failed “label accuracy tests”, meaning they did not accurately reflect what is on the label. In some cases, the product contained dangerous ingredients such as sibutramine and phenolphthalein.
10) Counterfeit cosmetics
Some counterfeit makeup contains toxic lead levels or other harmful substances banned from use in cosmetics. Others may contain anti-fungal agents which cause skin irritation, a different color pigment than stated on the label, high levels of bacteria, or ingredients past their expiration date. Labeling irregularities can also indicate potentially hazardous products. For example, labels with misspellings could mean that a cosmetic does not contain the correct ingredients or has been diluted – either of which could lead to skin reactions.
Conclusion:
While buying medicine, be careful to avoid substandard drugs. Also, never buy antimalarial drugs which do not meet WHO standards. They are dangerous to your health and can have the right ingredient but at too high a dose, leading to side effects. Use only FDA-approved medicines with carefully selected suppliers who provide them.
Author Bio:
Sarah has been writing for a decade and now for the Quran teacher near me Website. She obtained her Master’s degree at the University of London. Her main objective is to write insightful content for those who read and like it.