The Investigators
Prescriptions without Prescriptions
Buying drugs on the internet *without* a prescription.
Our own Eyewitness News Investigators were able to do it, but are you getting what you pay for? And more importantly is it safe?
There were two prescription drugs we were able to order, and get in the mail in under 48 hours. No doctor, no prescription, no medical exam required...
"It looks like Lipitor...let's open it up and see." at first glance, this pharmacist believes the pills we ordered are real.
Lipitor is cholesterol-lowering drug carisoprodol is a muscle relaxer.
"If you had hurt yourself and pulled a muscle...it would relax that muscle."
Both of these drugs would normally require a doctor's prescription but with a few clicks of the mouse, we found several websites that offer these and other prescription drugs *without* a prescription"
We did need to answer a few generic questions about our health. And according to the sites, a doctor does review all requests *before* sending out any pills.
But Charles Rossi says these sites don't screen people properly for health history, and especially drug interaction.
"You're playing roulette.."
Antihistamines with Carisoprodol can put you to sleep a dangerous reaction that could be deadly if the person is driving.
Even lipitor can have dangerous effects if you're not being monitored by a doctor
"You could have problems..liver problems, muscle problems." and we're not even sure that the pills we got are what they say they are. While each one has markings on it that seem to identify them as real when our pharmacist looks them up.
But Rossi says even that's no guarantee.
"They can make a pill that looks identical -- but that doesn't mean the active ingredients are the same."
While these pills did come from overseas, they were *not* from Canada, and actually cost us *more* than a traditional pharmacy.
"You're paying twice what you would in a retail establishment."
The drugs we ordered, while risky, were certainly not controlled substances like oxycontin, or vicadin.
But those too were just a mouse click away. One click that this expert says - whatever the drug - isn't worth the risk.
"If I'm buying drugs for my mother or father, I want to know where it's coming from. I want to know that it came from this country and that it's safe."
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