Buy drugs online at your own risk

Star: PETALING JAYA: Buying medication online is extremely risky because the source of the medicine is unknown, said pharmacists and doctors.
Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society president John Chang said that while it might be convenient to buy the products online it was tantamount to cheating oneself.
“Some of the medication for chronic illnesses like diabetes is supposed to be prescribed by doctors,” he pointed out.
“There are people buying such medication without any medical attention or advice.”
Chang added that the harm was made worse by the fact that the suppliers were unknown, and the medication sold sometimes did not even contain medicine.
“They could just be blank tablets. The perceived savings is not worth the high risk,” he said, adding that buying drugs online was one way of promoting counterfeit medicine.
He said some medication required professional advice on its usage and follow-up.
Malaysian Medical Association president Datuk Dr Teoh Siang Chin said buying on the Internet was akin to “putting your hand in a bag of worms.”
“It is like putting your hand into something and not knowing what you’re taking,” he added.
For those buying drugs online for their sexual problems as they were too shy to consult doctors, Dr Teoh said people have to realise that such problems were multi-faceted.
“Most of these problems have a psychological component which needs counselling. Medicine alone is not enough,” he said.
Chang said being shy was not a good reason to buy drugs online as the buyers were taking the risk of bypassing the healthcare professional, who could provide good advice.