How to Order Medicine Safely Online for Caregivers

How to Order Medicine Safely Online for Caregivers

Apr 05, 2013

Caregiver Tips, Caregiver Medicine,

For many caregivers, stepping into the role of caregiving can be overwhelming. It’s a life adjustment where they also need to learn several new roles and how to perform different tasks in order to support an individual in need. One such new experience may be trying to figure out how to best supply medicinal drugs to the person they are taking care of. One tactic is to order medicine online, but how can you be sure what you’re ordering is safe? 

This is an issue which many people are aware of. To help prevent unsafe drug ordering, several tips from The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) on what to watch out for when buying prescription drugs online are available in this post.

Medicine Safety OnlineSome websites that sell prescription drugs are operating without a license, operating illegally, or operating from a foreign country where shipments to the U.S. are unregulated.  That means the U.S. has not checked to make sure the medicine was shipped and stored properly, is within its expiration date, and contains the ingredients the website says it does.  In addition, some websites that say they are from Canada really get their drugs from Asia, South America, or Eastern Europe, where fake drugs are more widespread and rules are not enforced as strictly.

So how can you be assured that the medicine you are ordering online is safe medicine? According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a safe website for buying online prescriptions must:

  • Be located in the U.S. and be licensed in the state where it’s operating.
  • Have a licensed pharmacist available for questions.
  • Require a prescription from a doctor licensed in the U.S.
  • Have a way for you to talk to a person if you have problems. 

Be sure to look for these telltale signs the next time you are considering ordering medicine online for someone in need. If there are other questions, you can always call FamilyMeans for assistance in any of your caregiving needs.

Have you had a positive experience ordering medicine online for caregiving needs?