If the pharmacy you are faxing a prescription to is a major pharmacy such as Walgreen’s, Rite Aid, or Target Pharmacies, then you can trust such a pharmacy with your prescriptions. Huge companies became big names by delivering on their promises. As such, you can most definitely trust their services.

But, what about those individuals that procure prescriptions from online pharmacies that accept prescriptions provided by doctors that accept online prescription questionnaires? This can be a little trickier but it is not a tough as some assume. If the pharmacy is based in the United States, then the odds are strong that it is a valuable pharmacy. After all, all the laws and federal regulations of the United States will be in place. The pharmacy must perform its duties in accordance with all applicable US laws. Pharmacies based overseas do not and they may end up being a little riskier to deal with. This does not mean that all overseas pharmacies are of a lesser quality. However, the ability to track their quality levels is a lot more complicated.

In general, online pharmacies are a safe bet. Honestly, if they were not they would have folded up a long time ago as opposed to thriving in the manner that they have. Consider their presence alone to be a sign of quality. But, always double check before placing an order since you do want to deal with a solid pharmacy.

A pharmacy that’s quite out of the ordinary:

I must say eDrugstore.md is more than just a place to fill your prescription.  Information abounds on multiple areas of men’s and women’s health, skin care, treatment of allergies and swine flue.  Although featuring a relatively small category of pharmaceuticals referred to as “lifestyle medications”, they have a huge selection.

These medications are about making your life better, as opposed to a typical pharmacy offering treatments for cancer, heart disease and so on.  Sometimes these products for things such as weight loss, improved sleep, quitting smoking, and an enhanced love life can alleviate stress and discouragement that may lead to more serious health conditions.

It is worth the time, money and effort to do the things that make you feel better about yourself: Your family will thank you, and you’ll see an increase in overall well being, allowing you to purse the important goals that make your life worthwhile.

At this internet pharmacy you can purchase the products just mentioned, but more than that, you’ll be an informed consumer, before deciding what to buy.  There is a huge library of health articles, and Online Pharmacy Blog covering medical information on exercise, weight loss, skincare, erectile dysfunction…and that’s just a few of the topics covered.

When you’re in a hurry you can go right to the  ”Ask A Doctor” column, an excellent list of every question you can think of related to lifestyle issues and products. Answers are provided from a team of MD’s and other medical professionals with specialties in the fields represented.

The health news section covers current findings and advice on exercise, nutrition,  STDs, seasonal afflictions, and other prescient health concerns.

Lest you get bogged down in mundane medical minutia, the Health Entertainment section gives you a light take on ED and relationships–take their ED pill quiz to find out the best ED treatment for you.

Guest writer:  eDrugstore.md - Pharmacy and so…much more, serving the online community since 2003, selling only FDA approved medications including Viagra, Levitra and Cialis.

Crackdowns on “spammers” have increased a great deal. This has certainly proved helpful in terms of the ability to clean up the industry of the more dubious pharmacies. With these less than desirable pharmacies out of the way, the ability to procure better treatment and higher quality prescriptions is available.

Online pharmacies have also emerged as the primary strategy for acquiring generic drugs. This has opened a door for many millions of people worldwide to acquire prescription medications at a much fairer price. Since more and more people are becoming aware of the inexpensive generic drug options available through online pharmacies, internet prescriptions are growing dramatically.

Reports of liver damage as a result of taking the fat inhibitor Xenical has surprised many. When this drug was offered exclusively as a prescription medication, such problems were not common. Within two years of its release as an OTC products problems have arisen. As such, the sale of the prescription through online pharmacies was actually safer than the release of it on the open pharmacy (and health store) market.

Sustained release products are nothing new and they have been around many years. However, there seems to be more consumer/patient confidence in such prescriptions as online pharmacies are noticing an increase in demand for sustained release medications. More than likely, this popularity will last far beyond just September of 2009. Part of the reason for this is the fact that there is no need to take several pills throughout the day. Instead, a single pill will release the medication in varying amounts as it dissolves in the system.

1. Radical prostatectomy — This option is highly effective for prostate cancer that is localized in the prostate, meaning that the surrounding areas are free of lymph nodes and tumors. There are three types of radical prostatectomy, depending on where the incision point starts. These are open radical retropubic prostatectomy, radical perineal prostatectomy, and robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.

2. External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) — This treatment option is recommended for patients whose prostate cancer is limited to the prostate area and fears going under the knife. It employs high energy x-rays to shrink the tumor during its early stages. Advances in technology has allowed for more precise delivery of treatment.

3. Hormone therapy — Under this treatment option, the patient takes hormones that prevent the growth of prostate cancer cells such as Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) agonists and anti-androgens. It may also include the removal of the testicle to prevent the pituitary gland from producing testosterone, which facilitates the growth of prostate cancer cells. You can but medications for hormone therapy from the online pharmacies listed on this site.

4. Cryotherapy — Men with localized prostate cancer can choose this treatment provided that thay are still in the early stages of cancer. Under this procedure, prostate cancer cells are frozen to death using thin metal rods inserted into the perineum. However, more research is needed to determine the long-term safety and efficacy of this treatment modality.

Comparison of Outcomes for radical prostatectomy and radiotherapy

• generic
• not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• dispensed without prescription
• marketed with fraudulent health claims

Indeed, the FDA has recently warned the public against buying the following products over the Internet because of their fraudulent  claims:

• body building products that are represented to contain steroids or steroid-like substances
• counterfeit versions of Xenical
• Influenza-Related Productsweight loss products
• HIV Home Test Kits
• liquid energy products

It would be very easy to fall for the marketing messages that sellers and manufacturers of such products as mentioned above. After all, who wouldn’t want to lose weight without exercising or prevent family and friends from acquiring potentially lethal influenza viruses. However, these warnings highlight the importance of vigilance in the consumption of drugs and health products sold over the Internet.  To avoid being duped by such products, consumers should take time to learn how to safely order medications and health products online. Consumers ought to:

• Confirm whether the online pharmacy is a Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) by the U.S. National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). It should have the following logo:

VIPPS Logo

• Check whether the online pharmacy has licensed pharmacists that dispense the drugs
• Check whether the online pharmacy has a verified mailing address and customer support telephone line
• Find out if the pharmacy requires proof of prescription before dispensing prescription drugs

Trust only safe Online Pharmacies

While most mail-order pharmacies within the United States operate within the law, the offshore mail-order pharmacies are known to sell many products, especially unapproved therapies, that are potentially dangerous, even deadly.

Some of these firms may offer, unknown to the customer, counterfeit or bogus drugs, dangerous controlled drugs, and drugs used in “alternative” therapies.

Vioxx. Fen-phen. Guidant defibrillators. Ephedrine. Our unplanned national health system causes Americans to die every day. Faulty medical devices or unexpectedly dangerous drugs prove the cause. Yet we have no idea how many are killed. We don’t know how many are maimed. Without changing our way of studying and surveilling medical treatments, we’re not going to know.

Though drug manufacturers are held to higher standards than any other group, frequently these standards are not enforced. Pharmaceutical companies are required by law to perform studies of how well their drugs work in the community. Recent reports note two thirds of these studies never start. When they are begun, it is often at the end of a drug’s patent life.

Buying prescription medications online?  Make sure your online pharmacy is safe and located in the United States before purchasing medications from them. I would only trust pharmacies that have licensed doctor’s working for them and ship out medications that are only in the United States.

Drug Manufacturers Working for the FDA

The FDA office supposed to oversee long-term drug surveillance is budgeted at less than one million dollars per year. A large part of FDA operations are paid directly by the drug companies.

Lack of surveillance is not due to evil drug companies and medical device makers desperate to leave the public ignorant of their dangerous treatments. Unexpected long-term drug effects have nearly sunk Wyeth and Merck in recent years. Hundreds have died, many thousands lost jobs and pension funds lost tens of billions.

Suffering families should not have to struggle in the courts for years or decades to seek redress for problems endemic in the American medical care system. Winning a lawsuit doesn’t help you when you’re dead. Many catastrophes occur because we have a medical care system, not a national public health system.

Protecting Your Health

Protecting the public health, your health, and our health care companies can be accomplished expeditiously. First, long-term surveillance of medical care results should be handled by a government agency not beholden to funding from the people it regulates. The databases necessary to see what works and what doesn’t exist in the hands of the HMOs and insurance companies.

To obtain Medicare HMO and other Federal contracts, they should agree to let their data, privacy encrypted, be studied by public health experts who can determine for all of us what medical treatments work, how much they cost, and what their long-term effects are.

We need a system dedicated to the health of us all. Otherwise we will continue to save or kill people every day, and we won’t know who or why.

AccessRx blog

The AccessRx.com blog is informative and well written. There are several different topics about every thing that is happening in the medical world at the present time, from Swine Flu to Telemedicine.

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WebMD blog

Our health experts sound off with personal and provocative views on today’s health trends, research, and news.

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Viamedic blog

In a world where most people take some form of medication, and where internet access is readily available, it’s not surprising to see the rapid growth of pharmacies online. More and more people are choosing online pharmacies over traditional pharmacies every day.

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MedlinePlus

MedlinePlus will direct you to information to help answer health questions. MedlinePlus brings together authoritative information from NLM, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations.

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MedicneNet.com

MedicineNet.com is an online, healthcare media publishing company. It provides easy-to-read, in-depth, authoritative medical information for consumers via its robust, user-friendly, interactive web site.

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FDA.gov

The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.

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The Online Pharmacy Facts

The Controlled Substances Act

The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) was enacted into law by the Congress of the United States as Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970.[1] The CSA is the federal U.S. drug policy under which the manufacture, importation, possession, use and distribution of certain substances is regulated. The Act also served as the national implementing legislation for the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.

The legislation created five Schedules (classifications), with varying qualifications for a substance to be included in each. Two federal agencies, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Food and Drug Administration, determine which substances are added or removed from the various schedules, though the statute passed by Congress created the initial listing. Classification decisions are required to be made on criteria including potential for abuse (which is undefined by the CSA [1]), currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and international treaties.

Online Pharmacies Are Convenient

When you buy medications online, you have easy access to pharmaceuticals, eliminating unnecessary trips to the doctor and pharmacy, and enabling you to buy medications online from your home. Buy medications online for convenience if you do not drive, live far away from a pharmacy, are disabled, or have conditions that prevent you from leaving your home.

Follow FDA Guide Lines

To avoid online pharmacies that operate illegally, the FDA provides the following guidelines to buy medications online:
1. Do not buy medications online from a pharmacy that offers prescription medication without a valid prescription.
2.Do not buy medications online that are not FDA approved.
3. Use sites that offer access to licensed professionals that are available to answer your questions.
4. Avoid sites that do not provide information about the company, including a phone number if you have any questions.

Be Safe

You can be sure that when you buy medications online, you receive the same quality medication that you would receive from your neighborhood drugstore. Some medications are considered controlled substances, and cannot be dispensed without a physical exam.

Top Five Reasons to Order From an Online Pharmacy

1.Convenience: Everybody agrees that it can be a hassle to visit a doctor’s office, and most people are not fond of spending a substantial amount of their time in the waiting room.

2. Privacy: Consumers find that legitimate online pharmacies provide the privacy and confidentiality they desire. Ordering medications online can be very discreet.

3. Physician Review: Many online pharmacies offer prescriptions that are issued by a doctor upon the review of a patient’s medical information.

4. No Trip to the Pharmacy: Since consumers can now get their medications delivered right to their front door, there is no need for them to wait at a local pharmacy while their prescriptions are filled. Learn how to order your prescription medications online.

5. Discounts on re-orders: Many online pharmacies will offer discounts and coupons good towards the next order. This is a huge perk to any consumer, as no traditional local pharmacy offers such discounts. So make sure you check the box “I would like to receive specials” when filling out an order form.

Not All Online Pharmacies Are the Same

While it seems that there are a plethora of online pharmacies touting all sorts of prices and deals to be had, buyers beware! There are plenty of legal and legitimate pharmacies, but you always want to make sure that you know where you are ordering your drugs from.

Many of these online pharmacies are illegal operations located in foreign countries. Many of them dispense non-FDA-approved, counterfeit, potentially harmful versions of brand-name medications they have no license to produce.

Know Where to Order Online

The best way to ensure you are dealing with a legitimate online pharmacy is to verify each of the following:

* Company/pharmacy is based in the U.S.
* A U.S. phone number and address are provide on the website
* The company/pharmacy utilizes U.S.-licensed doctors & pharmacists
* All medications are FDA-approved
* Prospective patients must fill out a medical/health questionnaire
* The website is SSL secured/encrypted

It is essential that you order from a safe online pharmacy to order the medications you need. Legitimate pharmacies will issue an authentic prescription and ship your drugs quickly and safely.

Remember: always do your research and ensure that you are actually going to receive the brand-name drugs you need. The best way to do this is to speak with a person on the phone. If a website provides only an email address and no phone number, it is best to stay away.