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Would you buy medicine or a vaccine over the internet?

The Wall Street Journal today reported that the FDA is warning consumers to use "extreme care" when buying products online that purport to treat the H1N1 flu. I never buy medicines online. I was totally surprised anyone would buy a treatment for the swine flu over the internet. To me, this seems about the same as buying medications on the street corner. Do you buy medications over the internet? How do you know the company is legitimate?

The article can be read at: http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091015-715327.html
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michelleld...
michelleld...
Marked as Best! October 15, 2009 10:52 PM
Nope. I've looked at them, and compared, and read the information, and I just can't bring myself to risk my life to do it. Plus, in general, they are not less expensive than finding the best price at a local pharmacy. I'm thinking the reason people do buy over the internet is to avoid the cost of a doctor's visit, OR because they want meds their doctor won't give them.

Now, all that said, I HAVE bought medication I had a prescription for, in Mexico. Once I knew what the med was, I've found you can get the same exact medication much, much cheaper over there. My mother's husband has a ranch in Del Rio, Texas, and it's pretty much ON the border, so I'll give her my prescriptions that are very expensive over here and she'll buy them there for mere dollars. My meds like my thyroid meds are only five bucks here, but some of my meds are upwards of 60-120 bucks, and I can get them in Mexico for 10-14. As long as I have the prescription, there's never been an issue bringing it back across the border for them either.

But I think you pay out the nose for the internet drug places I've seen, and that defeats the purpose in my mind of ordering from the internet.
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thebandit
thebandit
October 15, 2009 10:57 PM
I probably wouldn't buy medicine over the internet unless -- and even this is a really big if -- it's through a trusted source like Amazon. There's too much spam around online medicine sales. Just open up your inbox; that's probably what 25% of your spam will be pushing. And with medicine, I really don't want to take the risk of getting something that isn't full strength or, worse, is something entirely different that will interact badly with my other drugs. People can die that way.
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bestpay
bestpay
October 16, 2009 07:14 AM
I personally wouldn't.

One reason is that I am constantly spammed on one of my e-mail accounts by medical suppliers.

I go to my doctors for this type of item and wouldn't want to jeopardize my own health by ordering something online, you never know whether you can entirely trust what you are receiving.
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psionandy
psionandy
October 16, 2009 08:02 PM
When I'm shopping on the internet, i'm prepared to take the risk that someone will sell me a forged DVD or Shirt. If I end up getting duped then its a shame, but Its not the end of the world.

However, if the medication that i'm getting isn't EXACTLY what I ordered then its a massive problem, it may even be a fatal one, and I'm not prepared to take that risk.
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topaz5433
topaz5433
October 16, 2009 08:37 PM
I guess that I am in the minority here, kind of. I would not buy vaccines or H1N1 cures or anything like that on the internet. That's what we have doctors for.
But, I would buy other medications online from a reputable source. By that I mean a drug store that I could walk into such as Walgreen, Walmart, Rite Aid.
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