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[Petersfine]

Even though I've been diagnosed with General anxiety disorder, social and panic disorders my p doc refuses to prescribe me xanax which is the only thing that really helps me function...I've been on it for like 2 years and only take a dose at night and have never increased my dose but i'm forced to get it from a friend and i'm in danger of losing the connection....The p doc has giving me Klonopin and ativan in the past but none of those were effective especially for panic attacks... These online companies make the purchases sound legal...doctors give you prescriptions after you fill out a health form..idunno...i'm not naive....i just wanted to know if anone ever purchased their meds that way....Thanks in advance...

[Lindsay]

This article is from Jerod Poore author of Crazy Meds.org. He does have a fine site, most of his articles are his opinions alone.
Depressionforums does not endorse Jerod's viewpoints on his site, we are only posting them as a cautionary service to our members who do purchase goods from the internet and we do not wish to see anyone get hurt. Depressionforums.org does not recommend buying drugs from the internet.
I shall be moving this topic to the Posting, Asking and Sharing Forum.

Choosing an Internet Pharmacist

Internet pharmacies - you'll find plenty of them advertised on this site. You can save a lot of money buying meds online, both from overseas pharmacies and from domestic pharmacies. But how do you know which ones are reliable? And what's the deal with buying meds from overseas?

1.

Do they state that you can get medications without a prescription? If so, it's a scam. They're scamming somebody - you, the FDA and/or the DEA. So either you're going to get counterfeit drugs or the Feds are going to crackdown on them sooner or later, or both. Counterfeit medications are a growing problem and the FDA is quick to point the finger at Internet pharmacies, especially Canadian pharmacies as a major source of counterfeit drugs. In all fairness to our neighbors to the north, my Risperdal has come in a blisterpack, which is one of the anti-counterfeiting measures the FDA wishes to implement. I've yet to see a complaint about counterfeit meds from a Canadian pharmacy. However, the one example given of an imported medication on the FDA site was alleged to have been purchased from a Canadian pharmacy. The people I know who purchased benzodiazepines without prescriptions did so from domestic Internet pharmacies. The benzos were fake. The point is, if a "pharmacy" is willing to sell you drugs without a prescription, they're probably willing to cut all sorts of corners. They may or may not intentionally be selling you counterfeit drugs, but the odds are suddenly a lot better that you'll wind up with fake drugs. Go ahead and click on their ad to check them out, I could use the money, but please, don't ever buy any medication from some place that doesn't require a prescription. Even if you have a prescription, just don't deal with a site that promises meds without a prescription.
2.

Look for accreditation. A Better Business Bureau logo is not worth squat. Real accreditation logos from pharmaceutical associations are what matters. Look for logos from The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites, The North American Pharmacy Accreditation Commission and The Canadian International Pharmacy Association. If the online pharmacy doesn't show one of these, then you don't want to order from them.

SOURCE:- Jerod Poore- crazymeds.org

[midnightpet]

I find this to be a personal choice. Whether i will get flamed for this or not, i will admit i ordered Fluoxetine online after a vast amount of consideration. When the order arrived it was in a bottle that had the pharmacy name, location and phone number. It was a pharmacy in Tennessee... i searched the pharmacy online (came up a-ok) and i called the number to speak to an actual person. I asked if i was in their system and about the doctor who's name was on the bottle. It all came out a-ok as well. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

On the original site i had to fill out a lengthy page listing allergies and problems i had, along with if i had been to a doctor, blah blah . Now, of course we know this can't be TRULY legal, but somehow cracks are being crawled through and certain loopholes are allowing this to continue. I don't doubt why most wouldn't trust buying drugs online, but at the same time the medical industry in taking in millions of dollars on doctor visits aimed at prescribing drugs... this online practice is intruding on their profit (cutting out the middle man), so of course they are not going to approve of it... much like they don't approve of NATURAL healing from herbs and homeopathetic medicine. I don't advise anyone to go and buy drugs online, but there are those who might be educated enough due to past doctor visits and general prolonged health research to decide to go ahead with it. Just a personal choice. I find the danger to be in "self" prescribing rather than a danger in the actual drug purchase.

[katrinasurvivor]

Peter,

It doesn't sound as though you are abusing Xanax. I wonder if you switched to another pdoc if he or she would be more amenable to prescribing low doses in limited quantities. This is what my pdoc does with benzos.

Good luck.

ks

[Petersfine]

Thanks guys for all your insight...I am gunna give my pdoc another shot and if not I may have to switch pdocs which is kinda difficult as I dont have many options with my insurance plan...I was also just curious about this topic as it would actually be cheaper for me to buy online if you figure my co payments to the doctor and pharmacy but the last thing i need is the feds knocking on my door.. Anyway..thanks again for your thoughts...

[Gonzo]

Peter, FYI. I have my degree in criminal justice and I know this as a fact. Buying meds without a doctors prescription when one is required is against federal law and is illegal in all 50 states. Depending on the amount, it could be a misdemeanor or felony. If and when a person is caught, they will prosecute. It's not worth the risk.

[Petersfine]

Peter, FYI. I have my degree in criminal justice and I know this as a fact. Buying meds without a doctors prescription when one is required is against federal law and is illegal in all 50 states. Depending on the amount, it could be a misdemeanor or felony. If and when a person is caught, they will prosecute. It's not worth the risk.

Well thats all part of the loopholes they seem to use...They have real doctors giving the scripts to real pharmacies...Their is no physical examination required for some meds.....so they can get away with a health questionaire...Apparently its one of the largest industries on the net so either theirs a shortage of prosecuters or they have bigger problems on their hands...I mean internet gambling is illegal too but they seem to be able to find ways around it....I definitely dont condone these purchases and I'll be seeing my pdoc but I just thought it would be interesting to know peoples opinions and experiences with these sites...Thanks for your input...

[midnightpet]

Peter, FYI. I have my degree in criminal justice and I know this as a fact. Buying meds without a doctors prescription when one is required is against federal law and is illegal in all 50 states. Depending on the amount, it could be a misdemeanor or felony. If and when a person is caught, they will prosecute. It's not worth the risk.

Well thats all part of the loopholes they seem to use...They have real doctors giving the scripts to real pharmacies...Their is no physical examination required for some meds.....so they can get away with a health questionaire...Apparently its one of the largest industries on the net so either theirs a shortage of prosecuters or they have bigger problems on their hands...I mean internet gambling is illegal too but they seem to be able to find ways around it....I definitely dont condone these purchases and I'll be seeing my pdoc but I just thought it would be interesting to know peoples opinions and experiences with these sites...Thanks for your input...

I'm with Peter. I think this is another situation of loopholes being used to make something illegal... well, "legal" in the US. As i stated, the pills i bought came from a US state... not Canada. Nothing is black or white... there is obviously a grey area where a lot goes on that most out there do not know about until attempted. I don't doubt bogus medication has been given out through online sources but that doesn't mean countless legitimate medication isn't also being given out. It seems the internet has become the number 1 source to uncover many of life's grey areas.

[Lindsay]

I find this to be a personal choice. Whether i will get flamed for this or not, i will admit i ordered Fluoxetine online after a vast amount of consideration.

We do not permit flaming, nor do we judge on these forums..but we do have our "guidelines and TOS. Welcome to DF.

[KeepingAwake]

Peter,

If you have insurance, many plans offer you a significant discount on medications if you order them by mail through the plan. Usually you can order 3 months at a time for the price of two months.

KA

[Petersfine]

Thanks KA...I"m not so concerned with the financial aspect...Its just i'm very comfortable with my pdoc and i would hate to have to start that whole process over again....Its the people that abuse these meds that ruin it for people like me that need them and use them responsably... Xanax could be very addicting and i understand his concern with prescribing them but why would he prescribe me all these other meds and not the xanax....makes me wonder if these companies are giving these docs kickbacks for prescribing their meds....anyway..think I wandered off course here..Thanks again for all your replies...

[an unquiet mind]

I have been seriously trying to find a reliable on-line pharmacy. I'm afraid that I will get some of those kooks in India and China that sell fake or dangerous drugs.

[littleblackduck]

Me too UM. I have no health insurance, and the type of health insurance I could afford would be major medical. Most of which don't have much discount on RX.

I hope something reliable and affordable can be found.

There must be a fortune in Rx Drugs, I imagine the drug companies are rich.

BTW, last time we purchased fluoxetine (generic) from our local pharmacist it was around $1 per pill, if you buy 3 months at once. That may not sound like a lot, but in a family, often there is more than just one prescription to buy per month. Inculding mine, we buy 5 prescriptions each month.

Wow, right here on this site (DF) there are four internet drug suppliers on a banner (on this page RN). I just noticed that. (dot coms...)
1. USMedCenter
2. HealthPricer
3. BuySafeDrugs (dot info on that one)
4. PerfectHealthRx
5. (on the top banner) drugstore dot com

I checked the 1st one and fluoxetine would be a third of what I am currently paying.

-------

I found a site in the US that supposedly verifies that certain pharmacies are okay but I can't be sure if it is legitimate.
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy®(NABP®).
Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites™ (VIPPS) program

If anyone knows anything about it don't be afraid to chime in.

Edited by littleblackduck, 08 October 2006 - 09:12 PM.

[littleblackduck]

Drugstore com is on VIPPS list and so is Walgreens com. That sounds like a promising cross reference. And drugstore com is in New Jersey... [not some foreign country...]

LBD is thinking about this...

BTW, there was not NEAR as much discount on some of the drugs. Dang.

Edited by littleblackduck, 08 October 2006 - 09:37 PM.

[littleblackduck]

I found out that VIPPS is a legitimate verification program, according to the US FDA.

Type this in the search engine:

Buying Prescription Medicine Online: A Consumer Safety Guide

And you will see a link to a consumer guide on the fda's website.

To answer the original question IS IT LEGAL [to buy drugs online]? Yes, provided you have a prescription.

[one]

Hi,
I just saw this site and thought maybe I can add something. I worked for the Pharmacy Board long enough to know that internet pharmacies that are NOT VIPPS certified should be avoided. Any pharmacy on the VIPPS list has had to prove the pedigree of the drug, i.e. trace it from lab to pharmacy - like a chain of custody - to make sure nothing foreign has been added. Other internet pharmacies usually get their drugs from outside the US (usually Canada) and it's impossible to monitor what is put into the drug. I have seen instances where the filler is more harmful that the actual drug. It is all about monitoring drug quality - or the lack of monitoring

Obviously there are exceptions but I would not advise ordering from any non-VIPPS internet pharmacy. I personally avoid internet pharmacies.

Hope this helps some.

[amizhgan]

I had the same problem a couple of months ago. As I was really really messed up in the need of medication. But due to some xyz reasons my doctor refused to prescribe me medications. I tried a particular website, infact I called their Toll free number and spoke to the representative, they were really nice to me though. I had to explain which exact site am I talking about as I think they have numerous of them. What She told me was; I had to fill up a questinair to complete my purchase and then the doctor will go ahead and review my request. They told me it was totally legit and that their medication was comming from within U.S. I tried and it went through two days later I had the medication at my door step. Since then I did not have a problem of buying my medication.
I hope I was of some assistance

[Trace]

Hi Everyone

Your treatment should always be monitored by a doctor, buying meds on line may not always be legitimate and you do not have the monitoring that you need by your doctor.

Trace