With the insane costs of many prescription drugs, it forces many folks to look for ways to save money on the medications they need to maintain their health. With this in mind, lots of people look to online pharmacies to save money on their prescriptions. However, there is a big variety in the quality of online pharmacies. Consumers need to be careful to avoid the “rogue” pharmacies that are looking to rip off shoppers. Follow this guide if you want to know how to evaluate online pharmacies.
Check out the Contact Information
Your first step on the journey of how to evaluate online pharmacies is to look for the contact information for the pharmacy. If there is no phone number to call them, then that is an instant red flag. You should make sure they have a physical address and phone number that is easy to find on the website. When you find an online pharmacy that looks promising, you should call them before you order anything from them. You can use this phone call to determine if the pharmacy seems legitimate, and you should also rate them on how helpful and knowledgeable they seem.
Check the Pharmacy’s Credentials
There are several organizations that certify pharmacies as being trustworthy. Not all pharmacies are registered with every organization that certifies them, but you can check with the following organizations to see if a pharmacy has a good standing. They are Better Business Bureau, Canadian International Pharmacy Association, Internet and Mail Order Pharmacy Accreditation Commission, Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites, National Community Pharmacists Association and the Manitoba International Pharmacists Association. If a pharmacy you are thinking about purchasing from is not listed as a member in good standing with any of these organizations, then you should steer clear of it.
Run Away if They Say No Prescription Is Needed
This is the biggest warning sign that an online pharmacy is no good. If they do not require you to provide a prescription to get prescription medication, then the pharmacy is obviously a place that is skirting the law. You want to use a legitimate pharmacy that follows all the legal requirements to dispense medications. When they are following the law, you can be confident that you will be getting legitimate prescription medications from them. Pharmacies that do not require customers to provide prescriptions are the same pharmacies that are scamming people by selling them fake medications.
Make Sure They Are an Established Company
One of the easiest methods on how to evaluate online pharmacies is to look at how long they have been in business for. A company that has been around for several years will obviously be more trustworthy than one that has only been around for a year or two. Go with an established online pharmacy for peace of mind.
Use eDrugSearch.com
When you are looking for the best way how to evaluate online pharmacies, it pays to have a little help. You can use the help of eDrugSearch, which is a website that is an advocate for helping Americans to find safe, affordable medications. They have some great tools to help people find reliable online pharmacies. When you are looking for quality online pharmacies, you can find them easily at their free comparison shopping engine found at /.
About this Angie’s List Expert: Cary Byrd is the president and founder of eDrugSearch.com. Based in San Antonio, eDrugSearch.com is a free cost comparison engine that helps consumers get safe access to affordable medications and advocates licensed online pharmacies as a widely accepted alternative.
-
Cary Byrd, President of eDrugSearch.com
