by Jun Hui

Created on: November 08, 2009   Last Updated: November 09, 2009

I believed most of us has received spam email from various online pharmacy advertising on their services. Titles like,"Cheap Viagra" or "Cheap Prescription Drugs" always come into our mind. So is it alright for us to purchase medicine online without a prescription? Here is my take on the subject. According to Food and Drug Administration, a prescription medicine can only be prescribed by a qualified health care professional such as a medical doctor, veterinarian or dentist. Why is it so? Why can't I get them just like a over-the-counter medicine?

The picture is clearer when we understand the nature of a medicine and what it does to the human body. All medicine have its drug profile in which they characteristics are understood by FDA through clinical studies & post-marketing surveillance. Some medicines are not reasonably safe ( due to their drug interaction, side effects, contraindication, adverse reaction) and/or not tolerated and hence need for example, a doctor's supervision and blood monitoring etc. A good example is Warfarin which can only be obtained by doctor's prescription , an anticoagulant that helps in blood thinning. its side effects include uncontrolled bleeding which can be very dangerous. Usually, after doctor prescribed Warfarin, he will also monitor your blood's ability to clot so that he can better manage the risks of severe bleeding and adjustment of dose accordingly . Now imagine if you can get Warfarin over the counter or through online, what dangers you might put yourself into?

Here is a hypothetical example, a man who bought warfarin online and self medicate himself without any doctor's supervision. One day, he suffered a fall, hit his head and suffered massive bleeding in the brain which could have been prevented if he had not self medicate himself in the first place. A doctor would be in place to manage his condition better and monitor the effects of Warfarin in his body. A fall may not be prevented but a massive bleeding will be.

However, there are instances that buying medicine online without prescription that may be beneficial. If a person is on long term medication as directed by his doctor perhaps due to his chronic illness, buying online is a cost-effective measure as it is almost always cheaper to buy online than a brick-and-mortar pharmacy. Now that he is able to get his supply of medicine and yet with the supervision of doctor, the patient is in good hands. But, i will have to say "NO" to buying medicine online without prescription, because the risks far outweigh the benefits of buying medicine online without prescription.

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