Would you buy meds online?

Hmmm ... well I have a dilemma, I have about 2 weeks of celexa left and I don't wanna go and get more ... I just freak out and I can't call and get a refill (tried), and I *hate* the process of seeing a new dr.

I don't want to go back to same one cos it was so embarrassing last time, I was a mess and ex-bf literally dragged me there ... I must have looked like such a loser.

I cut down how much I take to 10mg instead of 20 so I can eek it out longer.

So has anyone successfully ordered stuff online? There are lots of sites. I don't know, I am not sure what happens at Customs etc if I were to order offshore.

Sigh.

I need a magic bullet.

I have never ordered meds on-line. It seems too risky to me.

I can relate to you hating to go to the doctor. I used to be like that (and I still don't like going). When I had agoraphobia, I had to be dragged out the door to go to the doctor. When I got there, I couldn't handle sitting in the waiting room, so the nurse used to put me in a little recovery room by myself to wait. It was embarrassing, but in hindsight, although I HATED it, it was good for me. The more I went out, the easier I got... and my doc helped me a lot. It's so much safer to have a doc monitoring your progress on your meds and much safer, IMO, to get your meds from a trusted pharmacy.

There was a thing on TV recently (20/20 or one of those shows), and they said there are only like nine legitimate sources for buying drugs online, probably the big drug stores like CVS and Eckerd's. Buying medication online is risky, because you don't know the source of those drugs, they might not be measured correctly, and you might get more or less than you need.

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Juliana said:

I can relate to you hating to go to the doctor. I used to be like that (and I still don't like going). When I had agoraphobia, I had to be dragged out the door to go to the doctor.

It's so much safer to have a doc monitoring your progress on your meds and much safer, IMO, to get your meds from a trusted pharmacy.

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yea ... my bf (ex now thanks to my fruitloop behaviour) literally put me in the car and dragged me in and tried to distract me and THEN told dr all the embarrassing things I didn't want to. At least going by yourself you can filter what you tell them.

Ummm I know the logic behind what you are both saying. I guess I just want to take the easy way out.

I can eek out what I have for another 3 weeks I counted how many I have left.

I always feel like I am such a faker too, I get asked stuff like whether my boyfriend is beating me up or whether it's job stress, because clearly those are the most obvious options. I had bruises from beach volleyball once. Got dragged over the coals about having a bf who must surely be hitting me and grabbing me. (I was single at the time).

I don't know what to do.

No, I haven't and would be too nervous about it. Besides I often ask for the name brand instead of generic and don't know if you can order name brand drugs on line. Just my thoughts.

I have... as a desparate measure.

I used to buy Phentermine a long time ago. Don't do it. It is way too risky and I've seen programs on this subject.

I have had a couple of reccs on sites ... may try it *shrug*.

thanks for the input.

I wouldn't buy meds online because you can't be sure what exactly you're getting. It might also be *old*, and not as effective.

Just my two cents!

Jen

Surely there is SOME controls on some more reputable sites, though?

I would hope so. I was thinking the same thing. Surely there has to be at least ONE darn reputable site. But how on earth would one know? That's the scary part(for me at least!). I don't trust online *testimonials* . They're so fake.

If anyone finds one, I sure would love to know about it, in case of an emergency!!

Jen

I am willing to take my chances. Heh.

Will let you know if I do ...

Thanks!

Jen

I was going to but then on my local news they have been doing segments on on line shopping. and they say there is lots of scams going on where people are buying things, sending the money and then not recieving what they asked for or getting something different. this one person bought some pills on line for her depression and when she got the pills good thing she took them to get tested first because some were filled with salt and some were filled with poison. They said on the news if you buy something like pills to go through your doctor and find out what reputable on line pharmacy stuff they would recommed. Here too the local Department of Human servaces has started sending out to all those on state medical coverage a brochule of on line pharmacys that have been checked out, back ground checks and all, for those that want to get their meds on line instead of going to pharmacy stores and waiting and paying the bucks exctera so maybe you can contact your social services agency and see if they have any brochures and such for on line medication pharmacys.

OK I will try this again, hopefully it goes well. Online pharmacies are much safer now than 5 years ago. If you use Google they make sure all pharms listed have legitimate pharmacy licenses. There is a huge federal govt propaganda push to shut down online pharmacies, mainly because the govt is in bed with big pharma here in the US. I have know many people who use these services, and the only problems have been when trying to order from a 3rd world country or trying to import controlled drugs into the US. The DEA wants you to think it is dangerous, and this is just wrong.

Dr.S.

Define 'controlled drugs' vs 'prescription drugs' for those of us who are clueless plebs?

I assume you mean Class A, B, C vs normal prescribed stuff?

:>

In the US we have a controlled drug scheduling system; schedule 1 are drugs of abuse with not medical uses like heroin, pot, meth etc.. Sch 2 are medical drugs that are highly controlled and monitored by the DEA like morphine, amphetamines, and it goes down from there to schedule 5 meds which are considered worth monitoring but having minimal addictive properties.
The whole thing is really BS and not science based.

Thank you psisci, you're a gem

Here's information from the FDA (for those who regard them as reliable) on buying drugs online:

http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2000/100_online.html

I think part of the issue is that while the website might be reliable, sometimes the distributors that they use are not.

They replace actual pills with sugar pills or something else and pass them off as brand. It is the 'something else' that worries me. I'll give you an example.

A friend of mine wanted to buy Xenical on line and I gave her a website that I thought was reputable and had used before. She bought a two month supply and took them for about a month. Nothing happened but she later learned that the pill looked pretty different from the 'real' pill.

She took it to a pharmacist who said that yes the one she bought was probably not the real Xenical. I felt so terrible. Luckily, nothing happened to her but something could have...

I think there's another issue here, that hasn't yet been discussed. Brand name drugs are going to cost more than the generic; the generic cannot legally appear the same as the branded form. One needs to be aware of whether one is purchasing branded or generic drugs. I have no hesitation whatsoever buying meds online, but I only buy from sites that have photos of the actual meds, in blister pack format. I verify the generic manufacturer, if I'm going that route. One google and you'll know if they're legit. And if what I get delivered to me doesn't look like what I bought, back it goes. I should say, back it would go, as I've never received anything questionable.

If a site doesn't give information about how long they've been in business, or evidence that they're licensed in their country of origin, then I keep looking. Price is not the only criterion I use.

Lar

Thank you Larry, you always make so much sense

I would never buy meds from the internet. I have an excellent health care system in my country! Plus, how can you trust the quality of what you are getting online?

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Pilatus said:
I would never buy meds from the internet. I have an excellent health care system in my country! Plus, how can you trust the quality of what you are getting online?

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I have an excellent healthcare system in my country too

My issue is more about avoidance than that.

Also, read psisci's post ... it is very helpful, as is Larry's.

That's absolutely great advice. Even when you go to a pharmacy, you should confirm that the pills you get look like they're supposed to. I just saw a segment on one of the news how even the big pharmacies sometimes make mistakes.