Prescription Drugs Online - Cons and Pros

Denver, Colorado, 15.11 est

Back in 1999 when I first became interested in the online pharmaceutical industry there were big expectations based on the possibilities the internet could provided for. Probably the biggest expectation was the ability to provide for online consultations through use of the internet based on a simple connection with camera and microphone in order for patients to consult with doctors all over the world. We had great plans but many things have changed since the early days, and unfortunately not exactly the way we expected or had hoped for.

Controversy regarding online pharmacies that dispensed prescription drugs based on a simple questionnaire caused lots of negative publicity in US media. The biggest problem started when several pharmacists began exploiting so called gray areas in law which was at that time not yet designed to prevent the possibilities the internet provided for. It was in the time that consultation services started pushing addictive prescription pain medications, which were prescribed with a single phone call that was often taken by a representative and consequently forwarded the patients request for medication to a doctor hired solely to write prescriptions without asking any questions as that was what he or she was paid to do.

Although the idea would have not been bad if medical records would have been properly verified and the consultation would have actually been a medical evaluation, this was unfortunately not the case and big money as a result of this new online drug dealer phenomena motivated various doctors to issue unheard quantities to patients they did know or care for. Doctors were hired to write prescriptions for money, and the management which collected the big money couldn't care less who they were selling to and as such also failed to verify any medical record or history which was not even requested by some of the online consultation services at that time.

As expected it didn't take long before things got out of hand. Websites that were linked to deadly incidents as a result of overdoses from prescribed medications were shut down and pharmacies often owned by the same pharmacists that ran the consultation websites were raided and closed permanently. At this time some consultation services started stricter control through verification of the medical records and details submitted by patients but the so called 'bad' consultation websites kept popping up and were often owned by the same owners of places that had been shut down.

Because cheaper prices offered by 'bad' sites it was impossible for those with legit consultation intentions to stay in business as the majority would obviously rather paid $120 for a 240 pills of Hydrocodone APAP with 2 refills, instead of going to a website that actually made their patients have a medical checkup at a local doctor, and provided for 60 pills at the same price with an additional consultation and charge for each refill. Due to the fact that the cheaper sources simply didn't verify records nor cared to hire doctors to provide for legit diagnosis and consultations as orders were simply taken by regular people that were hired for this purpose, their cost was too low to compete with, which in turn allowed the uncontrolled sales in which millions of dollars was involved to continue while those with legit intentions were unable to stay in business due to their higher prices and stricter requirements which were avoided by patients that made use of these services.

Obviously many abusers learned of the existence of such consultation services which were initially intended for legit patients only, and as a result abusers likely provided for the biggest share of clientele at some point. Regardless it should not be forgotten that many legit patients made use of such websites and only because of the lower prices as they would be able to get the same medications from their local doctor or specialist which was often aware that they obtained their medications online for this reason. Because only the lowest cost websites stayed in business by suppressing all services with legit intentions that were forced to charge higher fees for increased control, it was eventually came to the point that all places prescribing controlled medications through use of phone consultations were forced to have the patient undergo a face-to-face consultation by a licensed doctor within their state, and through which refills had to be obtained thereafter.

Patients with both low and medium paid jobs that do not get proper insurance plans through the company where they work at, and those who do not have coverage for pain management as this often results from pre-existing conditions that are not covered when a new insurance package becomes effective, now have to deal with the aftereffects of prior abuse resulting from lack of control and care by those who provided such services. Often ensured employees pay monthly fees only to discover that they have extremely high own deductibles, meaning that they would hardly get any coverage for prescription drugs obtained from a local doctor, and only qualify for a 50% reimbursement if thousands of dollars have already been spend out of their own pocket as usually only the case when in an accident that requires hospital admission.

Unless affordable insurance plans will be put into place by authorities and offered to small companies so also less paid jobs have the ability to access proper health care at affordable prices, consultation websites as currently available, and online pharmacies that sell without prescription any requirements will continue to be popular among the US population. Currently many non-controlled substances are purchased online solely to avoid expensive doctor consultations and although DEA wants to shut such places down, this will only cause for people to order at foreign and even less controlled websites as it is impossible to maintain a family at a low paid job and also visit a doctor every month to obtain a refill for s prescription drug that is simply mandatory for the patients well being (such as blood pressure medications, anti-depressants, and other prescription drugs that are required either permanently or for ongoing time).

Pain medications as found in medications like Vicodin which contain the narcotic ingredient Hydrocodone are currently still available through few US consultation services but it is noteworthy those located within the US will only treat pain patients with a legit medical complaint to justify their request and use of such prescription drugs. Because prescribing doctors are required in every state, it is possible that patients in some states are unable to make use of such services, and additionally costs have gone up. The only positive site from the point of view of legit pain patients is that they can currently fill the script at any pharmacy of their choice, where they were previously forced to pay inflated prices from affiliated pharmacies at which they were forced to have their refills filled and thereafter shipped from to their homes.

Due to the current situation various people have reported to use foreign non prescription websites which besides from illegal can also be dangerous as there is absolutely no control over such products whereas the consultation services within the US at least provide for real quality prescription drugs through use of normal US pharmacies and prescription drugs. In my opinion the only solution to this problem is offering government funded health care to everyone with a job and as such removing the need to purchase online as people can afford to go to a normal doctor or specialist if prescriptions for controlled pain medications are indeed required. It is not for nothing that the US beats every country in online prescription sales which is directly related to the high costs of visiting doctors. Lets hope this problem will be addressed by the government through introduction of funded insurance that is actually beneficial to those with low paid jobs as it is not realistic to provide such people with a 10k deductible if they almost can't afford their monthly insurance payment in the first place. Removing affordable internet pharmacies, especially those providing US non-controlled substances will only create more problems if an alternative similar low cost solution for the users of these services will not be provided for because people obviously do not buy non-controlled substances online if they do not require them for a legit condition...

I will be posting links and information to this blog from time to time in order to keep people up to date with changes in the online industry, and to inform regarding the availability of prescription drugs through online sources within the US and abroad. Please do not put yourself at risk by ordering controlled substances from non-prescription pharmacies. Although it is interesting to review such information and visit the websites that provide these products, it is not worth braking the law for, or even worse, putting your health at risk due to lack of control over the products provided which can be legit for some time, but change when a new batch is obtained or when a pharmacy switches drop-shippers which is often how they are able to obtain large quantities of controlled medications since there are still lots of countries where prescription drug laws, even for controlled substances are not enforced which means they can be obtained in any pharmacy without a prescription.

Teresita Tejada
FindRxOnline.com