How Safe Pharmacy Is Helping Patients Safely Buy Prescriptions Online

The digital health space has exploded over the last several years. Although this boom has provided patients with more access to health care, which is great for patients, it has also created great opportunities for criminals. In fact, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®) has found more than 40,000 websites that fail to comply with NABP patient safety and pharmacy practice standards or applicable laws, and 95% of these illegal online pharmacies do not require a valid prescription for the sale of prescription-only medicine.

To help educate patients about the risks of buying medicine online, NABP created the Safe Pharmacy initiative in 2010. Safe Pharmacy provides resources about medication safety, prescription drug misuse, medication disposal, and more. With the threat of illegal drug sales online and on social media continuing to rise, our goal is to increase consumer awareness of these issues and provide consumers with reliable information on safe medication practices that impact their health and well-being, as well as that of their loved ones.

Buying Medications Safely Online

Illegal pharmacy websites try to tempt patients with deep discounts and the ease of drug access without first seeing a doctor. The drugs coming from these websites can cause adverse effects and even death. Among Americans who have used an online pharmacy, 24% have been exposed to harmful, counterfeit, or substandard medications. These substandard drugs have been known to contain toxic fillers such as drywall, rat poison, brick dust, or potentially lethal doses of active ingredients.

There are several ways patients can determine if an online pharmacy is safe:

• NABP’s Safe Site Search Tool provides consumers and health care providers with an easy-to-use website look-up resource to verify that an online pharmacy is legitimate and safe.
• Visit the board of pharmacy website to check that the pharmacy is licensed in good standing.
• Look for red flags, such as a licensed pharmacist not being available to address your questions, the only payment methods accepted being cryptocurrency or peer-to-peer, and a lack of clear written protections for your personal and financial information.

Disposing of Medication the Safe Way

Old prescriptions left unsecured in the home can be an easy target for misuse and pose a danger to pets or children if accidentally ingested. They can also cause confusion for elderly people who may have multiple prescriptions. Each year, there are approximately 35,000 emergency department visits from unintentional overdoses in children under five years old. Properly disposing of your medications helps to keep your household safe from potential harm.

The Drug Disposal Locator Tool allows consumers to find safe and secure locations where they can drop off drugs that are expired or no longer needed. The user simply enters their zip code to find nearby drug drop-off locations.

If there is no drop-off location near the patient, the Safe Pharmacy Drug Disposal page provides useful information about safely disposing of drugs at home, as well as drug donation resources.

Promoting Safe Medication Use

The average patient takes four prescription medications, but patients are often unaware of the guidelines that can help them use those medications safely. Basic advice for patients includes the following:

• checking prescriptions;
• reading labels and patient information;
• keeping the lines of communication open with your doctor or pharmacist when caring for yourself or somebody else; and
• keeping medication and supplements up and away from children in the home to prevent accidental ingestion and overdose.

In 2022, 8.5 million people misused prescription pain relievers, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Patients should know the signs of potential substance use disorder:

• Depression
• Disinterest in activities
• Taking more medication than prescribed
• Mood swings
• Changes in sleep patterns
• Repeatedly “losing” prescriptions
• Noticing prescriptions go missing
• Seeing multiple doctors (“doctor shopping”)
• Sudden, unexplained drop in grades

More information about how patients can learn to safely use medications, including tips to understand prescription and over-the-counter medication labels and resources dedicated to preventing drug misuse, can be found on the Safe Pharmacy website.

How Pharmacists and Technicians Can Help

Protecting the public health extends into educating consumers about safe medicine practices through resources and tips. You can help to further NABP’s Safe Pharmacy initiative by sharing resources with your patients and the community. You can also spread the word by exploring the educational toolkit with shareable resources.