Beyond the Pharmacy: Online and Mail Order Prescription Drugs

For many, getting online or mail order prescription drugs is ideal. No more slogging out to the pharmacy, standing in lines at the counter, and wasting time by idly flipping through celebrity-spotting magazines while a prescription is filled.

Instead, you just fill out some forms, on paper or online. A few weeks later, the drugs show up at your house, often in bulk and at a discount. Getting online or mail order prescription drugs isn't only easy, it can also be vital for people who don't drive or are too sick to get out.

But you must be careful. There's a lot more to consider than convenience and a low price tag. Some online pharmacies advertise amazing discounts, but peddle expired or counterfeit medications. Saving a few dollars isn't a bargain if you're putting your health at risk.

So before you fill that prescription, here's what you need to know about mail order and online prescription drugs.

Mail Order Prescription Drugs

Depending on your insurance coverage and financial situation, different ways of getting mail order prescription drugs are open to you.

If you have insurance, see if your health plan is partnered with a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), like Caremark, Express Scripts, or Medco. These third-party businesses process and fill drug claims. They often give discounts if you order in bulk. For instance, you might get a three-month supply by mail order for less money than the month's supply that you'd get at a standard pharmacy. "When they're part of a health plan, mail order pharmacies are a reasonable, convenient, low-cost alternative to getting your prescriptions at a typical pharmacy," says Kevin Schulman, MD, professor of medicine and business administration at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.

If you don't have insurance, other types of mail order offer ways to get discounted prescription drugs.

"There are some legitimate mail order pharmacies that basically sell drugs dirt cheap," says Richard Sagall, MD, president and co-founder of NeedyMeds, a Philadelphia nonprofit that provides information about financial assistance for drugs. NeedyMeds works with two, Sagall says: RxOutreach and Xubex. "They sell 90 days worth of medication for $20, $30, or $40," he says. They do have income requirements. For instance, a household of two would have to make less than $32,141 to qualify for Xubex.

To find out more about mail order pharmacies that might be available to you, talk to your doctor or a representative from your health care plan.

Online Prescription Drugs

If you have an email account, you may be getting information about online prescription drugs in your inbox every single day -- a relentless flood of spam advertising very low prices for sleep aids, painkillers, and, of course, impotence drugs.