Ordering drugs from an online pharmacy and getting them delivered to your doorstep may be legal if specific requirements are met. These requirements could range from the ones you must fulfill to those that must be met by the online pharmacy you’re buying the drug from. Learn the following steps to ensure that you are ordering from a legal online pharmacy with a prescription that is certified.

Online Prescribers

No doubt you’ve seen ads and have got emails claiming that you don’t need a prescription to buy a prescription drug. Ordering from such an online pharmacy is committing a big mistake.

To purchase a prescription drug, the essential requirement is that you have to have a real prescription to give to the online pharmacy. According to the law in the U.S., in order to sell you a prescription drug, any online pharmacy such as Anxietymeds must prove that you have a relationship with the health expert who writes you the prescription. The pharmacy may ask for the signature of the health expert on the prescription.

Even a detailed questionnaire offered by online pharmacies fails to meet the necessary standards for diagnostic competency. In short, it is a fraud.

Telemedicine Health Experts

The advent of telemedicine is growing at a rapid pace. In the past, it was believed that diagnosis could be made only by physically examining a patient.

With telemedicine, health experts can diagnose you over your laptop or smartphone.

As opposed to online health experts who are not certified to practice online therapy, telemedicine health experts are certified medical practitioners. These have to gain the required expertise from a state governed body.

That doesn’t mean that you should buy anything that has been prescribed to you. Most health experts will not prescribe a drug that does not require a physical diagnosis; for example, Viagra and drugs meant to make a patient fall asleep. The most common type of prescription drugs that can be written by telemedicine health experts are:-

• Antibiotics
• Antifungals
• Allergy medications
• Oral contraceptive
• High blood pressure medications
• Cholesterol-lowering drugs

Ensuring a Purchase is Legal

Be sure that the answer to all these questions is yes, according to the requirements of the FTC and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency requirements:-

• Does the pharmacy ask for a prescription? You must supply a bonafide prescription and one that is signed by a health expert.
• Has the pharmacy been licensed in the state in which it is located? Find the state’s board of pharmacy to determine whether it is licensed or not. If the state does not license it, then it may be located in some other country or does not exist.
• Do they provide an opportunity to have a phone conversation with a health expert? It’s not enough for a patient to have a toll-free number; you need to be able to speak to a health expert first. Do not order a prescription drug from an online pharmacy until and unless you have not spoken to the health expert first. This will prove that there is a bonafide health expert on staff.

Foreign Pharmacies

It’s illegal for you to buy the drug from a pharmacy located outside the U.S., including Canada or Mexico. Therefore, this is a law imposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In some circumstances, the law may be overlooked or has not been properly enforced.

The FDA rules for buying a drug from an online pharmacy states that a drug may be exported into the U.S. if all of the following three conditions are met:-

• The drug is not approved in the U.S. but is prescribed for a serious condition.
• The number of drugs being imported should not be more than the supply for three months.
• The drug is declared at U.S. customs with the required prescription and documentation.