26/11/2020

Buying Medications Online from a Discount Chemist? Check Out Our Tips for Your Safety

Large pharmacy chains as well as smaller local pharmacies sell medications online. This trend has been increasingly popular since the rise of Covid-19 pandemic, where online shopping has boomed massively due to the benefits it provides.
When you are ordering medications online from a discount chemist, you get the following benefits:
      • Convenience – your online discounted pharmacy is available 24/7, so you do not need to worry about visiting within business hours
      • Safety – you do not need to walk into a busy discount chemist shop
      • Saving time – you do not waste your time heading back and forth from the shop, your online order comes to you
      • Saving money – many online chemists offer super deals and very competitive pricing when compared to local physical stores
      • Privacy – you do not need to talk to anyone, and your privacy is guaranteed
      • by the chemist who protects your data
In saying that, you cannot always trust any online seller, since you do not know who you are dealing with, and there are many pharmacies who claim they are the ‘cheapest online pharmacy
’ but they could be dishonest or fake. Do not let anyone take advantage of you, as some of the risks include:
      • Receiving an order that contains fake, unapproved, expired, substandard, or harmful medicines that have been pulled from the shelves
      • Ordering from a discounted pharmacy that does not have quality control standards for logistics, preparation and packaging
      • Getting the wrong medication which seriously puts your health at risk
      • Losing your money by not receiving the medication after paying for it
      • Not having the correct label information

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) offers useful tips for making your online medication purchases safe and rewarding. This includes:

      1. Being suspicious of wild claims (such as instant results and save 95% when you buy now)
      2. If a website or product seems too good to be true, it probably is

Note: medicines bought online from overseas are not regulated by the TGA, so make sure you buy your products from within Australia and through a licensed online chemist.

Items not regulated by the TGA have a high chance of:

      • Being counterfeit
      • Containing the wrong amount of active ingredients
      • Being contaminated with toxic chemicals
      • Containing undisclosed or dangerous ingredients
      • Being past their use by date
The Importance of Getting a Prescription

Only buy prescription medications online if your GP or specialist has already diagnosed your condition and prescribed the medication. Buying prescription medications without the advice of your doctor is illegal and also puts your health at risk. Many prescription medications have adverse reactions, and dangerous drug interactions.

Your doctor will consider these prior to prescribing a medication, among many other factors including your overall health, age, conditions that you have, any other medications you are on and other medical and personal history they have got on file.

The Importance of Buying from a Reputable Online Chemist

Reputable online chemists that sell medications are those that:

      • Require a prescription from a licensed Australian healthcare provider
      • Are a licensed pharmacy in good standing in Australia
      • Have a licensed pharmacist available to answer your questions
      • Sell only drugs that are TGA-approved
      • Have clear policies to protect your privacy
Report Problems to the TGA

If you suspect that a site selling medications is not a licensed pharmacy, report it to the TGA.

Buying medications online can seem like a simple, affordable option, but products bought onlinecan be a serious risk to your health. If you need to buy medications online from a discounted chemist, shop online now at Pharmacy Junction, a leading licenced pharmacy in Parramatta with delivery options Australia wide.