For convenience, it’s hard to beat online pharmacies.

Men may prefer to purchase Viagra from an online pharmacy due to factors like convenience and privacy. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a sensitive topic for many men, and they may dread making a trip to the local pharmacy, prescription in hand, to buy Viagra. Fortunately, with an online pharmacy your privacy is greater, and since the internet never closes, you can place your order whenever it is convenient for you.

But it’s important that you thoroughly evaluate any online pharmacy you consider buying Viagra or any other prescription medication from. Some websites claim to be online pharmacies but are actually rogue entities that only care about obtaining your money and may or may not deliver genuine Viagra. Here are some things you should know before placing your trust in an online pharmacy.

Some Online Sources Use the Term ‘Pharmacy’ Loosely 

If you find an online source calling itself an online pharmacy, yet it says you can buy Viagra (or any other prescription medication) without a prescription, there’s no reason to spend any more time on that site. If you live in the US, you have to have a prescription in order to obtain Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, or Staxyn. How do rogue “pharmacies” saying you don’ t need a prescription operate? Usually it’s by selling counterfeit products. Viagra is the most counterfeited drug in the world, and it’s often impossible to tell the real thing from a fake without chemically analyzing the product.

For men who want to buy Viagra at an online pharmacy and who don’t have a prescription for it, there are online pharmacies in the US that are able to connect clients with US-licensed physicians so that they can obtain one (assuming their health profile indicates they would be a good candidate for the medication). Additionally, trustworthy online pharmacies provide customers with product lot numbers customers can use to verify the product is real and not counterfeit.

Online Pharmacies and So-Called Herbal Viagra 

Herbal Viagra sounds like a great idea. Who wouldn’t want an all natural product that does what Viagra does without the necessity of a prescription? The problem is, there is no such thing as herbal Viagra. There are plenty of products that claim to be this, but at best they’re ineffective and at worst they’re dangerous. Like online “pharmacies” that claim you don’t need a prescription for Viagra or other drugs, sources peddling “herbal Viagra” are only after your money.

Herbal supplements are not held to the same high standards in the US as over-the-counter and prescription drugs, so it’s a gamble as to whether they’re safe or effective. Many such products have been pulled from the market for containing undeclared prescription ingredients or other ingredients that have the potential for real harm. The FDA, along with comparable agencies around the world as well as Interpol attempt to identify and shut down online sources of “herbal” ED medications, and in a given year they may shut down thousands of websites. But in no time at all they pop right back up due to rogue web hosting services that have no regard for the safety of consumers.

Price of Viagra and Online Pharmacies

Search Google for “cheap Viagra online” and you’ll get almost 23 million search results. So surely there’s some online pharmacy that offers Viagra a lot cheaper than other pharmacies, right? Wrong. Viagra is a relatively expensive drug, particularly in the US, since it does not yet have generic competition here. Therefore, if you see an online pharmacy touting Viagra for significantly less than the $30 to $45 per 100 mg tablet it typically costs in the US, you can bet they’re selling a counterfeit product. At best you’ll waste your money.

Worst case scenarios may involve identity theft, or worse, receiving and ingesting unknown substances, some of which may be harmful. Paint, floor wax, and boric acid are some of the ingredients that have been found in counterfeit Viagra, and in Singapore in 2008, 149 men were poisoned and 4 died after ingesting fake Viagra that contained a drug that lowers levels of blood glucose.

The risks of buying from un-vetted online sources are simply too great to risk.

How to Safely Buy Viagra from an Online Pharmacy

First, make sure the online pharmacy requires a prescription to dispense Viagra. Next, if you’re in the US, choose an online pharmacy that’s also located in the US. There are only very limited conditions under which it is legal to import prescription drugs into the US, and buying Viagra overseas because it’s cheaper is not one of them. To be certain the online pharmacy you are interested in is actually in the US, check the website for an actual street address in the US – not just a Post Office box. In addition to any toll-free customer service number, search the site for an ordinary phone number with an area code that coincides with the area code of the street address listed on the site.

Read the site’s FAQs and privacy policy. A trusted online pharmacy wants to satisfy customers, not make money by sharing customer information with spammers or marketers. Be certain that the site uses Secure Socket Layers (SSL) encryption, and consider it an additional safety and security measure if the site uses address verification.

Find out the online pharmacy’s shipping policies and also which shipping methods they use. They should use recognizable, trusted shipping providers like FedEx or the US Postal Service. Ideally, they should make clear that they send parcels in plain, discreet packaging that doesn’t indicate the contents. This is another way trusted online pharmacies help protect the privacy of their customers. Finally, read their customer service page and make sure they offer convenient customer service options, ideally with access to licensed pharmacists who can answer your questions. Choose your online pharmacy carefully and you can purchase Viagra conveniently, with minimum hassle and risk.

At AccessRx.com, we have been working with licensed US pharmacists for over 15 years, securely shipping medications like Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra to over half a million satisfied customers. AccessRx.com is also thoroughly committed to outstanding customer service, online privacy, and the strictest online security.