Online pharmacies offer the benefits of convenience, selection and reasonable prices.

For a lot of people, especially those without insurance, falling ill is an expensive endeavor. When you factor in the loss of income from time taken off work to sit in a doctor’s office and then add the cost of the doctor’s office visit, you may be out a lot of money even before you visit the pharmacy.

Reputable online pharmacies require that a patient complete an extensive online medical questionnaire. If the doctor approves the patient’s request, the order is forwarded onto a regulated American pharmacy. If the pharmacist confirms the doctor’s order, the prescription is filled and mailed to the patient. The real savings is that the patient can conduct everything online. Therefore, there is no time away from work sitting in a doctor’s waiting room and no charge for the doctor’s visit. If the prescription is not granted or filled, there is no cost to the patient.

It is very important to make certain your online pharmacy is well-established and trusted. A lot of fly-by-night and foreign online pharmacies recklessly sell pills without any physician or pharmacist involvement. Instead they package fake pills that do not contain the actual FDA-approved medication. They may be too potent, too weak or many contain foreign (even dangerous) substances. They may be manufactured under unsafe and unsanitary conditions.

How Do I Know If An Online Pharmacy Is Trustworthy?

There are several steps you can take to determine whether or not an online pharmacy is reputable. First, never visit a website that solicits you via email. Spamming is illegal in the United States. Any company that would violate federal law to advertise is probably not your best choice for prescriptions.

Second, make sure your online pharmacy is located in the United States. A reputable US pharmacy will encourage you to contact them if you have any questions. As such, a “Contact Us” or “Company Information” link should be visible on the homepage.

Third, a trustworthy online pharmacy would never sell controlled substances, steroids, or any other prescription or substances banned by law.

Fourth, check how long your online pharmacy has been in business. Visit a domain whois website such as WhoIs.net and search the URL (such as www.PillMan.com). In the results, you will see a creation date. This is the birthday of the website. You should be concerned with doing business with an online pharmacy less than a year old.

Finally, your order should be easily trackable. This online USA pharmacy uses FedEx to ship all prescriptions. Odd or unusual packaging may be an indication of a questionable online pharmacy When your medications arrive, compare their size, color and shape for consistency against your existing medications.