With the rise in medication costs these days, it’s tempting to give brick-and-mortar pharmacies a pass and look online for your prescription drugs instead. There are a lot of good options out there, but there are some unsafe ones as well. Here are some questions to ask when considering getting your prescription filled at an online pharmacy in the United States or Canada.
United States
- Do they require your prescription to come from a doctor?
- Do they have a United States-licensed pharmacist on staff who can answer your questions?
- Do they have a physical address and a phone number, both of which are in the United States?
- Do they have a license with a state board of pharmacy?
- Have they been verified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy? Click this link to check the NABP database for online United States pharmacies they have vetted.
Canada
Similar questions apply when looking at an online Canadian pharmacy.
- Do they require your prescription to come from a doctor?
- Do they have a Canada-licensed pharmacist on staff who can answer your questions?
- Do they have a physical address and a phone number, both of which are in Canada?
- Are they licensed by the pharmacy regulatory authority in the province where they are located?
- Have they been verified by the Canadian International Pharmacy Association. Click this link to check the CIPA database for a safe, online Canadian pharmacy.
If the answer is no to any of these questions, do not use that online pharmacy.