The Dangers of Prescription Medication Abuse
It happens every day...someone dies of a drug overdose. Whether shooting up heroin or taking prescription medications, it is all too easy to make a deadly mistake. I read a breaking news story on CNN today about a man who died from an overdose of Soma that he received from an online pharmacy. The article bashes these pharmacies where you can get a prescription for medications without physically seeing a doctor. There was a lot of talk about how these pharmacies should be regulated. Agreed! The online pharmacies that are selling controlled substances should be highly regulated. But, the statement that all online pharmacies are bad is completely false. It is extremely tragic that this man had a drug problem because of prescription medication...we see it everyday and it never gets easier. We all know someone or know someone who knows someone who has died from drug abuse.
There are too many online pharmacies that do not care about their patients. It is extremely important to look for these things when ordering prescription drugs from an online pharmacy.
-Make sure they only sell FDA-approved medications. Do NOT buy generic medications online, these are most often made in a shady pharmacy out of the country and can be ineffective and/or deadly. Just be smart and do not fall for cheap generic drugs if they are coming from the internet.
-Make sure the pharmacy uses U.S. licensed physicians and pharmacies. It is important to make sure you are able to speak with a REAL doctor ...someone who does not want to lose their license.
-Make sure it is a secure ordering site and your personal information is regarded with the utmost privacy and security...guess what? I don't want every John Doe to see my health information.
-Do not purchase from any online pharmacy that sells
-Make sure they run a comprehensive age verification process.
-Make sure the pharmacy you order from has an extensive medical questionnaire so doctors can determine whether or not the drug you are requesting is safe for you to take.
Why am I being the advocate of some online pharmacies? Because, those who do it right, are trying to provide excellent medical care over the internet... it's known as telemedicine and they are part of an extremely important advance in technology which we will see BOOM in the next decade. The online pharmacies who are selling lifestyle medications are doing so online in part, because many people are embarrassed to have to order medications to treat erectile dysfunction, sexually transmitted diseases and other embarrassing, non life-threatening conditions. Also, some people cannot easily get to a doctor and pharmacist in order to get their Valtrex or Viagra. Some sites will offer Viagra for less than $11 per pill...well, if you see that, do not purchase it...it means that it is not authentic Pfizer Viagra and could be hazardous to your health.
Just in any situation...you need to be careful and research a pharmacy before you begin the steps to purchase. Until we get these spam, generic, or simply careless pharmacies off the web...watch yourself and your loved ones.
It is ridiculous to blame online pharmacies for these tragedies. First of all, the doctor in this case should have seen that he was overdoing his medication and stop prescribing the drug. However, the fact of the matter is he had a drug abuse problem and was not following directions on the label of the drug.
Medications come with directions for a reason, no one should ever take more of a drug than is instructed. This is what leads to overdoses and .
Because this instance occurred with drugs bought online, it receives national attention. More people try and/or succeed at committing suicide with drugs that were prescribed to them by their doctor and purchased at a normal pharmacy or that were already in their medicine cabinet than from drugs bought online.
Again, this as well as any death is extremely tragic and my thoughts and sympathies are with the poor widow. You can read the whole story.