Aroundtown Magazine May June 2023 edition
Read the May/June edition of Aroundtown Magazine, South Yorkshire's free premier lifestyle magazine.
Read the May/June edition of Aroundtown Magazine, South Yorkshire's free premier lifestyle magazine.
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HEALTH & BEAUTY<br />
You&your<br />
health<br />
With Good Measure Pharmacy<br />
Is it ever safe to buy medicines online?<br />
Online pharmacies have sprung<br />
up in recent years offering<br />
to provide quick, easy and<br />
discreet delivery of prescription<br />
and over-the-counter<br />
medication.<br />
While that may seem ideal for the modern<br />
‘e-patient’ who wants 24/7 convenience,<br />
medicines are not consumer products. Selling<br />
them online creates several risks to patient safety.<br />
No prescription, no problem<br />
The main gamble is that you may be buying<br />
from an illicit criminal enterprise rather than<br />
a legitimate online pharmacy. Underground<br />
controlled drug dealing is no longer limited to<br />
the likes of Happy Valley’s diazepam dispensing<br />
pharmacist who illegally dole out pills for cash.<br />
The medicines they supply<br />
“<br />
may be fake, ineffective,<br />
unapproved, diluted,<br />
recalled, out of date, stored<br />
in unhygienic conditions –<br />
the list goes on<br />
”<br />
There are unregulated companies online who<br />
hide behind the anonymity of e-commerce,<br />
preying on the vulnerable without any regard<br />
for their health. They allow consumers to buy<br />
prescription drugs online without a legitimate<br />
script from a doctor or prescriber. Medicines<br />
like highly addictive anti-depressants, opiates<br />
and opioids are commonly sold, as too are<br />
slimming pills, anabolic steroids and erectile<br />
dysfunction pills.<br />
The medicines they supply may be fake,<br />
ineffective, unapproved, diluted, recalled, out of<br />
8 aroundtownmagazine.co.uk<br />
“<br />
By law, a valid prescription<br />
must be given before<br />
dispensing any medication<br />
either via paper form or<br />
Electronic Prescription<br />
Service (EPS)<br />
”<br />
date, stored in unhygienic conditions – the list<br />
goes on. Around one in ten people have bought<br />
fake medical products online in the last year.<br />
Doing so leaves you at risk of adverse reactions,<br />
overdose, toxicity, drug misuse or even death.<br />
Since 2008, the annual Operation Pangea,<br />
led by Interpol, has been combating the global<br />
trafficking of counterfeit pharmaceuticals<br />
marketed and sold online. Last <strong>June</strong>, the<br />
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory<br />
Agency (MHRA) seized 285,000 medicines and<br />
medical devices with a value of around £850,000.<br />
MHRA work hard to ensure medicines are<br />
closely monitored and regulated. The source,<br />
quality and authenticity of those bought online are<br />
difficult to verify.<br />
The rise of online consultations<br />
By law, a valid prescription must be given<br />
before dispensing any medication either via<br />
paper form or Electronic Prescription Service<br />
(EPS). Before you are prescribed any medication,<br />
your GP should give you guidance on suitability,<br />
dosage, side effects and whether it will interact<br />
with any other medication you take. Prescribers<br />
will also take into account any physical,<br />
psychological or social factors and only prescribe<br />
what suits the unique health needs of a patient.<br />
There are many legitimate online pharmacies<br />
selling prescription-only medicines following a<br />
quick online consultation whereby you click yes<br />
or no to a series of questions regarding your<br />
health.<br />
But who is to say a patient is being completely<br />
transparent about their medical history if they<br />
are trying to source these medicines out of<br />
dependency or desperation. There have also<br />
been cases in the past where a patient has<br />
created a series of accounts to request the same<br />
controlled drug numerous times during the month<br />
which has slipped through the vetting process of<br />
the online pharmacy.<br />
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has<br />
clamped down on online pharmacies who<br />
prescribe via virtual consultation. They must<br />
now verify patients match their photo ID, get<br />
comprehensive and up-to-date medical history,<br />
ensure patients understand what medicine is<br />
being given, and seek permission to contact the<br />
patient’s GP.<br />
Things to remember:<br />
• Look for the GPhC logo which<br />
identifies legitimate pharmacies<br />
registered with the General<br />
Pharmaceutical Council. Both online<br />
and bricks-and-mortar pharmacies<br />
must have this.<br />
• If it looks too good to be true, it usually<br />
is. Don’t be fooled by claims like 100%<br />
safe, no side effects, or quick results.<br />
• Report any adverse side effects to the<br />
Yellow Card scheme.<br />
Andrew Watson<br />
If you have any specific health concerns,<br />
please feel free to contact me at<br />
Good Measure or email me at<br />
andy@thewatsons.co.uk
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