Dr Sarah Jarvis
My Weekly’s favourite GP from TV and radio writes for you
You couldn’t even take an ibuprofen tablet 35 years ago without a prescription. Now you can shop and bank online from home. But is buying medicine online ever a good idea?
Let’s look at how you can get medicines legally online through the NHS. The NHS has introduced an Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) and is encouraging everyone to sign up for online services from their GP. This allows you to request repeat prescriptions of medicines you take regularly.
Sometimes a request is turned down, if you need a blood test or review with your GP; or if your doctor only authorised a certain number of repeats and you’ve had them all; or if the medicine isn’t on your repeat list.
But if all goes smoothly, you make an online request via the surgery online service you’ve signed up to, such as Patient Access; your doctor OKs and issues a prescription; with one click it’s sent electronically to the pharmacy of your choice. All you have to do is collect it (or wait for it to be delivered if you have an arrangement with your pharmacist). Many medicines are available without prescription, including plenty of previously POMs or Prescription Only Medicines. These prescription free medicines are known as P (pharmacist) or OTC (over the counter). A national regulatory body looks at how safe it would be to allow the public access to a medicine with advice from a pharmacist or as part of their weekly shop. Since the first “POM to P” switch in 1983 more than 150 medicines have been added to the list. Thousands of websites now sell OTC medicines. As long as
INTERNET OFFERS FOR “DISCREET PURCHASES OF MEDICINES DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR” ARE HIGHLY UNLIKELY TO BE GENUINE OR SAFE
it’s a reputable site, you may well be able to buy medicines more cheaply than at high street stores or pharmacies. But even if a medicine doesn’t need a prescription, it’s still a medicine – and all medicines carry risks as well as benefits. Use websites of major pharmacy chains or buy direct from the manufacturer to be sure they’re genuine.
To issue a Prescription Only Medicine, the pharmacy is legally obliged to have a valid prescription. This could come from your doctor or dentist – you can post the prescription or get an electronic prescription sent by your GP, but an email copy isn’t good enough. Some online pharmacy sites offer a prescriber service; you’ll have an online consultation with a pharmacist or doctor who can issue the prescription if they believe it’s needed. Every legal online pharmacy will carry the green logo pictured below.
But what about email offers for “safe, cheaper alternatives to a prescription”? The most commonly ordered internet drugs are for erection problems (Viagra etc), with diet tablets close behind. But counterfeit medicines are a multi-billion pound business.
Crooks go to huge lengths to make their medicines look authentic. They’re not nearly so careful about what they put in the drugs. In a major study of prescription medicines bought online in the UK, fewer than 1/3 were the real thing. More than 2 in 3 were substandard, counterfeit or both. Analysis showed the drugs contained everything from the blood-thinner warfarin to blue paint, and were sometimes mixed in cement mixers.
So no matter how enticing, never be duped into buying medicines offered in an email. Never purchase medicines from an online pharmacy unless it carries the green internet pharmacy logo. If an offer looks too good to be true, it usually is. Next week: Your Pre-surgical Appointment
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS PURCHASED ONLINE WITHOUT A PROPER CONSULTATION COULD INTERACT DANGEROUSLY WITH OTHER MEDICINES YOU’RE TAKING