Online Pharmacy Reviews

How to buy medicines safely and cheaply online

What are the legal risks of using online pharmacies?

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First of all, it should be said, that buying drugs that are NOT in the controlled substances list of the Drug Enforcement Administration ( Controlled Substances ) and from a valid online pharmacy is normally legal. The question of legality comes when controlled substances are put on the table.

 

As I have mentioned in my previous posts, the serious regulation of online pharmacies mainly started in 2009, when The Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act was passed.

A quick reminder of what the act implies:

* The Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act requires internet pharmacies to display information about the businesses, pharmacists and physicians associated with the website.
* The Act prohibits the sale of prescription drugs through online pharmacies when the website refers the customer to a doctor who then prescribes medication without seeing the patient. This effectively outlaws telemedicine where scheduled medicines are involved.
* Finally, the Act provides the states with a new enforcement authority that allows the attorney general to shut down any site which violates the law.

 

The above basically means that any online pharmacy which sells controlled drugs without requiring a prescription, without publishing verifiable contact information is a rogue pharmacy and buying medicine from them is considered illegal.

However, while it is illegal (and there is a risk of scam as well) to buy controlled substances without a prescription, it does not necessarily mean that the customer who got caught purchasing a controlled substance would have to face penalties (which in theory can be up to $250.000 and 5 years in prison).

The Food and Drugs Administration itself have stated that they allow certain shipments if they decide they are not harmful or meant for distribution:
“FDA personnel may use their discretion to allow entry of shipments of violative FDA regulated products when the quantity and purpose are clearly for personal use, and the product does not present an unreasonable risk to the user. Even though all products that appear to be in violation of statutes administered by FDA are subject to refusal, FDA personnel may use their discretion to examine the background, risk, and purpose of the product before making a final decision. Although FDA may use discretion to allow admission of certain violative items, this should not be interpreted as a license to individuals to bring in such shipments.”

 

That said, the risk of legal action taken against the buyer is still there. Buying really small orders would probably be on the safer side.
For more information about legality of buying medicines online, I would like to recommend this forum thread here: Pharmacy Reviewer Legality of Ordering From Online Pharmacies FAQ, inlcuding ordering from a no prescription required online pharmacy.

The risks of using PayPal with online pharmacies

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While using PayPal with online pharmacies may seem like a good idea, there are many risks attached. First and foremost, buying controlled, prescription-only drugs is against PayPal’s policy of acceptable use which states that PayPal cannot be used for purchases of any prescription drugs:
PayPal Acceptable Use
So basically even if all you need is something as harmless as Viagra, it will most probably be off-limits through PayPal legally.
While not recommended, if you would still like to try buying from online pharmacies through PayPal, here are the risks you should be aware of:

PayPal might close your account and freeze your funds for good. PayPal are known to act in a way which is almost tantamount to stealing people’s money when they discover that someone has been buying medicines through the web using their payment service: they will freeze the funds for months and close your account. If determined to use PayPal or wanting extra privacy, it is apparently possible to use PayPal anonymously (search on Google for how-to guides), although the process of setting up an anonymous PayPal account is not quick or easy.

Another mild risk when using PayPal is security. Buying from online pharmacies usually includes giving some ammount of personal information to the pharmacy. Email is usually required, so there‘s a risk it can be used to hack your PayPal account (provided it is the same email). There‘s a first-hand experience at Pharmacy Reviewer forum of someone whos PayPal account was hack attempted: PayPal Alertpay hack attempt and while I do not consider this a serious attempt, it is still something to be considered.

The last two remaining risks are probably the worst ones. There are a handful of accounts scattered around the web of people who had law enforcement officers show up at their door after purchasing medicines through PayPal. However it is not clear that this is a big risk when buying small quantities of medicines which are not highly controlled.
The final risk is of course that the online pharmacy might take your money and refuse to provide anything. For obvious reasons complaining to PayPal might not work in such cases, although it would probably result in the online pharmacy’s PayPal account being closed (but yours too).

For those who are still dedicated to use PayPal with online pharmacies, here is a link to a thread containing success stories at Pharmacy Reviewer forum:
Do any iops use paypal

Upcoming changes in the legal status of tramadol and how this will affect online pharmacies

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Tramadol pills -- soon to be made a controlled, scheduled substance in the US and UK

Tramadol pills: soon to become very difficult to buy online

Unlike many other opioid analgesics, the popular painkiller tramadol is not scheduled as a controlled substance at the moment by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. However, that looks set to change. Tramdaol might face reclassification this year, when it might be added to the list of schedule IV drugs, according to a DEA statement released in November 2013: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/fed_regs/rules/2013/fr1104.htm This might go into effect by June 2014. The DEA appears to be planning to follow the pattern set by several states where tramadol is currently controlled. Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois, New Mexico, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Wyoming, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and the US military also classify Tramadol as a schedule IV controlled substance.

That means that Tramadol will no longer be widely available online at US-based sites like http://www.RxMegastore.com, or over the counter in the US and UK without a prescription. It might still be available online at international online pharmacies such as http://www.ehealthrx.com, but importing a controlled susbstance without a valid prescription would be illegal so buying tramadol in this way would be risky.

The trend to put tighter controls on Tramadol has been gathering pace for some years now in other countries and it appears to be reaching the tipping point in the USA (and the UK) right now where it will soon be much harder to get.
The change is definitely bad news for many genuine pain sufferers who cannot afford insurance, but need the medicine nevertheless. However, the only solution is ordering Tramadol in higher amounts while it is available.

Change in status of Tramadol is not being done just to upset people. In 2012, in the UK, in England and Wales alone, there were 175 deaths involving Tramadol, although not necessarily as the main cause. (see the link to the discussion on PR’s forum below.) Statistics show that the number of deaths involving Tramadol is on the rise. There are also many other reasons why Tramadol is not a medicine to be taken lightly – it is addictive with withdrawal symptoms possible, it also potentially affects digestion, like any opioid painkiller, and can induce drowsiness.
Genuine pain-sufferers who seriously need to continue using Tramadol might want to look into buying higher amounts of bulk Tramadol before it is too late. There have been shortages of Tramadol in 2013, too, so every day counts for those wanting to buy it.
There has been an interesting discussion on reclassification of Tramadol on the Pharmacy Reviewer forum:
Pharmacy Reviewer (UK – Tramadol faces reclassification after surge in deaths).

Why is it impossible to buy strong painkillers online these days?

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Oxycodone -- very difficult to buy online

Oxycodone — very difficult to buy online

For years now it has been increasingly difficult to buy strong painkillers online. The influence of the FDA and DEA on the web is only getting stronger, and means that, with the FDA’s increasingly aggressive stance in particular, previously available medicines are being reclassified as prescription only, for example even the relatively mild opioid painkiller tramadol.
The Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008 is the key US legislation to enforce restrictive measures against online pharmacies.
The full read of the Ryan Haight Act can be read here:
Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008

* Since 2009, The Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act requires internet pharmacies to display information about the businesses, pharmacists and physicians associated with the website.
* The Act prohibits the sale of prescription drugs through online pharmacies when the website refers the customer to a doctor who then prescribes medication without seeing the patient. This effectively outlaws telemedicine where scheduled medicines are involved.
* Finally, the Act provides the states with a new enforcement authority that allows the attorney general to shut down any site which violates the law.

The effect of the Ryan Haight act today is that is nearly impossible to procure strong painkillers online, as they are all prescription only. A discussion on how was the situation with online pharmacies before the Act can be read on Pharmacy Reviewer forum here:
Pharmacy Reviewer (Buying drugs back in the day)
As of now, the only two options are 1) unreliable or even dangerous email dealers possibly linked to drug cartels in Mexico. 2) So-called “dark web” marketplaces such as the various successor marketplaces to the recently closed Silk Road on the Tor network. Ordering from sources like these could lead to money loss, or even arrest, so this path is not recommended.

The FDA and DEA have effectively achieved their objective of making it almost impossible to buy strong painkillers online and making the most viable route obtaining Rx through face-to-face contact with qualified medical personnel.

Different types of online pharmacies

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Ordering medicine online can be a real headache for those who have never dealt with online pharmacies before. Not knowing the advantages and disadvantages of various online pharmacy types could lead to money wasted, drugs not arriving or even legal issues. So here is a short list of the main types of pharmacies:

* Record-requiring pharmacies (most domestic (US) pharmacies): These pharmacies will sell over the counter medicines, but will not sell controlled medicines unless a prescription from a valid, face-to-face doctor is provided. If you have a prescription or need something basic, then just find the one pharmacy that sells cheapest/has the best service and order from them. There is a good tool to find the cheapest drugs on the main page of Pharmacy Reviewer.

* No record required pharmacies (mostly offshore pharmacies): These pharmacies will sell regular over the counter drugs as well as prescription drugs, but will generally not require a prescription, or minimal documents or online consultation (mostly just to satisfy legal requirements). These pharmacies can be unreliable and there have been cases of them, or their credit card processing company, stealing customers’ credit card information. However, there are many of these pharmacies that have grown to become reliable enough and many of them sell medicines sometimes much cheaper than domestic pharmacies do.

* Email pharmacies: This is the most volatile pharmacy type of them all. You can get whatever you want without any prescriptions, but the risks of losing money is the highest and the risk of legal problems is probably even higher than with the regular no record required pharmacies, because email pharmacies are often run by drug cartels and in case they are caught, you could end up on the radar of law enforcement agencies if the email vendors computer records were obtained.

The general advice is, find the cheapest, legitimate source, if you can. If you cannot, then look for a reliable off-shore source. Just don’t forget to read feedback and reviews left by people who have already experienced buying at online pharmacies.