Buying prescription drugs online

Millions of consumers are using the Internet to get health information. And thousands of web sites are offering health information. Some of those sites are reliable and up-to-date; some are not. How can you tell the good from the bad?

Some websites that sell medicine can be not state-licensed pharmacies or aren't pharmacies at all; or may give a diagnosis that is not correct and sell medicine that is not right for you or your condition; or won't protect your personal information.

Make sure the site requires a prescription and has a pharmacist available for questions.

Buying your medicine online can be easy. Just make sure you do it safely.

Predicting potential problems

If you take several different medicines, see more than one doctor, or have certain health conditions, you and your doctors need to be aware of all the medicines you take. Doing so will help you to avoid potential problems such as drug interactions.

Early in a drug's development, companies conduct research to detect or predict potential interactions between drugs. Experts evaluate the drug-interaction studies as part of assessing a drug's safety.

When a drug is taken orally, it usually travels from the stomach to the liver, where it can be metabolized-the process of breaking down and removing chemicals from the body. Enzymes are complex proteins that act as catalysts in starting or speeding up chemical reactions. They cause a specific chemical change in other substances without being changed themselves.

This phase of research in test tubes, known as in vitro studies, allows researchers to perform drug-interaction studies in labs by testing a drug with other drugs that have the same route. This has made the research faster and more accurate. If two drugs go through the same enzyme, the presence of one drug can prevent the metabolism of the other. So this allows you to look at the worst-case scenarios and ask: 'What if we put this drug with that one, knowing that they have the same route?'"

Not everything that happens in a test tube will become meaningful in humans, though. Results from these test-tube studies can tell us whether need to do further testing in people to find out if an interaction is clinically significant.

Researchers say there are several important variables that affect individual differences in how drugs are metabolized, including race, gender, age, and health conditions. For example, people with kidney or liver disease don't eliminate drugs from their system as well as people who are healthy. Very young children and older people have slower drug metabolism than others, and women may metabolize drugs differently than men in some cases.

So rather than asking patients what medications they take, doctors should make the questions specific: "Are you taking any over-the-counter medication? Are you taking any herbal treatments or vitamins?"

But it is good way -- consumers remind doctors of everything they take when they are prescribed a new medication. So a patient might say: "Now remember, I'm also taking birth control pills. Is there a risk of interaction with this new medicine?"

Drug interactions with other drugs includes both prescription and over-the-counter medicines. Tricyclic antidepressants such as Elavil (amitriptyline) and Pamelor (nortriptyline) can interfere with blood pressure-lowering Catapres (clonidine). Taking the antibiotic Cipro (ciprofloxacin) with antacids lowers Cipro's effectiveness.

Drug interactions with dietary supplements includes herbs and vitamins, which can interact with drug-metabolizing enzymes. St. John's wort is an herb commonly used by people with cancer to improve mood, but research has shown it interferes with the metabolism of irinotecan, a standard chemotherapy treatment. Vitamin K (in dietary supplements or food) produces blood-clotting substances that may reduce the effectiveness of blood-thinning medicines like warfarin.

It is possible to lower the risks of medicines

There are several types of risks from medicine use: a) The possibility of a harmful interaction between the medicine and a food, beverage, dietary supplement (including vitamins and herbals), or another medicine. Combinations of any of these products could increase the chance that there may be interactions. b) The chance that the medicine may not work as expected. c) The possibility that the medicine may cause additional problems.

For example, if facing a life-threatening illness, you might choose to accept more risk in the hope of getting the benefits of a cure or living a longer life. On the other hand, if you are facing a minor illness, you might decide that you want to take very little risk.

To lower the risks and obtain the full benefits of medicines you need a)talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or other health care professionals; b)know your medicines--prescription and over-the-counter; c)read the label and follow directions; d)avoid interactions; e)monitor your medicines' effects--and the effects of other products that you use

You need keep an up-to-date, written list of ALL of the medicines (prescription and over-the-counter) and dietary supplements, including vitamins and herbals, that you use--even those you only use occasionally.

Important things is tell to your doctor about any allergies or sensitivities that you may have. Tell about anything that could affect your ability to take medicines, such as difficulty swallowing or remembering to take them.

Before use a medicine make sure you understand the directions; ask your doctor if you have questions or concerns. Always double check that you have the right medicine.

Read and follow the directions on the label and the directions from your doctor, pharmacist, or other health care professional. If you stop the medicine or want to use the medicine differently than directed, consult with your health care professional.

Ask your doctor always if there are interactions with any other medicines or dietary supplements (including vitamins or herbal supplements), beverages, or foods. Use the same pharmacy for all of your medicine needs, whenever possible.

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