lt lt
Part VI - "Do"s and "Don't"s of Buying Medications Online PDF Print E-mail

The Quest for Generic Viagra: A Prescription for Disaster

Part VI - “Do”s and “Don’t”s of Buying Medications Online

Yes, it was fun and entertaining to call these online pharmacies to see how their operation works and how easy it would be to get “generic Viagra.” It is also very scary to know how easy and accessible it is to receive the fake product of Viagra.

When I had my appendix taken out, I visited a licensed U.S. surgeon. Why would I do that? First, it is not legal for someone to remove my appendix who is not a physician or surgeon. Second, because I trusted the surgeon with my life and did not want to put myself in harm’s way.

Why chance your health by saving a few dollars and ordering prescription medications that are not FDA-approved? You should not, and hopefully this experiment opened your eyes to the ease of ordering medications overseas.

If you are going to order medications, do yourself a favor and only take FDA-approved medications. Either order through your local pharmacy, or order online from a safe and reputable prescription drugstore.

I did some further investigation to find the “Do”s and “Don’t”s of buying medications online. When buying medications, the best way consumers can protect themselves is to become educated about safe online shopping.

Using the FDA’s Danger Page for Buying Medications Online, I will highlight my findings.

Safe Websites Should:

  • Be located in the United States.
  • Provide contact information and allow you to talk to a real person if you have problems or questions.
  • Provide a physical address
  • Have a licensed pharmacist or physician available to answer your questions.
  • Only offer FDA-approved medications (Non FDA-approved medications are illegal).
  • Ship FDA-approved medications from a U.S. Licensed Pharmacy with an adult signature.
Unsafe Websites Often:
  • Are located outside of the United States
  • Do not have a contact phone number or address listed on their website
  • Do not offer a physician or pharmacist available to talk to
  • Send medications from a different country
  • Provide non-FDA-approved medications
  • Fail to adequately protect your personal information
Why Shouldn’t I Order “Generic Medications?”
I see Viagra available everywhere for a fraction of the cost of the Pfizer pills. Well, as I am doing my research, I find out from various sources, including the FDA, that “generic Viagra” does not exist in the United States, is illegal here and is not safe to consume.

Following are reasons why you should stay away from “Generic Viagra,” according to the FDA website. The medication:
* Is not FDA-approved, meaning the pills are not made under the same quality standards required by U.S. law or labeled according to U.S. requirements. Many generic pills are made in unsanitary laboratories or warehouses.
  • May not be stored or distributed under the quality conditions required in the U.S.
  • Could be contaminated
  • Will not have the same patented formula
  • May contain no active ingredients at all or contain too much of an active ingredient
  • May cause dangerous side effects
Also, if you fail to receive what you ordered or are caused harm by any generic product you purchase, what is your recourse? You essentially have none! You may not be able to get a refund or anything else that you are deserved because U.S. consumers and the U.S. government have limited legal authority in many foreign countries. A stolen identity could prove to be a nightmare if the perpitrator is in China, for example.

So it's obvious: Don't take the risk of putting potentially unknown substances in your body (assuming you value your health). And don't put yourself in the middle of a predicament if your generic product is ineffective/harmful, and/or the deceitful website you bought it from is essentially untouchable by you and the U.S. government/law. It's simply not worth the chance.