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When you get naltrexone online the medication is delivered to your home, but where does it come from? Here’s what you should know about your naltrexone online pharmacy.
What You’ll Learn:
- What an online pharmacy is exactly.
- The connection between a naltrexone prescription and an online pharmacy.
- Important licensing and requirements for online pharmacies.
- Resources for consumers to ensure safety when using online pharmacies.
Taking naltrexone for alcohol treatment requires a prescription, but that’s just the first step in getting the medication. When you get a prescription through a telehealth platform like Choose Your Horizon the prescription can be filled by an online pharmacy. It’s extremely convenient and completely safe when you are working with reputable providers.
What Qualifies as an Online Pharmacy
An online pharmacy is just like it sounds. It’s a licensed pharmacy that sells and distributes prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medication online rather than in-store. They will require a valid prescription be submitted prior to filling orders for prescription medications. It’s possible for the prescribing clinician to send the prescription as well as refill requests directly to the online pharmacy for the patient. The online pharmacy then ships the medication directly to the patient’s home.
Many people today prefer to use online pharmacies because they are extremely convenient and discreet. Often people will use online pharmacies for some prescriptions and also use a traditional brick-and-mortar pharmacy when they need medications immediately or for short-term needs. Using an online pharmacy is particularly convenient for prescriptions that are filled on a regular basis so that you don’t have to make a trip to the pharmacy once a month or more.
However, care needs to be taken to ensure that the online pharmacy is legitimate because unlicensed online pharmacies are out there.
Licensing and Accreditations For Online Pharmacies
All pharmacies, whether online or in-store, are highly regulated for very good reason. Some prescription medications can be dangerous and need to be distributed with care. Just like brick-and-mortar pharmacies, online pharmacies need to follow certain requirements to legally operate and ensure safety.
State Licenses
An online pharmacy is required to have a license in each state where they operate. In order to receive a license the online pharmacy has to meet certain requirements and standards. Each state is different in what’s required.
DEA Registration
An online pharmacy will also need to have a Drug Enforcement Administration registration if they distribute controlled substances.
Accreditations
Another requirement for many pharmacies is to be accredited to prove that they meet the safety protocols that are required for licensing. Two groups that provide accreditation for online pharmacies are the National Association of Boards of Pharmacies (NABP) and LegitScript.
Ensuring Safety When Online Pharmacies Are Used
With any pharmacy the most important thing is safety. It’s understandable that some people will want to take extra measures to ensure the online pharmacy they are working with is following all of the safety protocols and best practices.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has resources that consumers can use to verify the legitimacy of an online pharmacy. There’s also the BeSafeRX program that provides information on safely purchasing medications online. Consumers can also file complaints and reports on online pharmacies they feel are using unsafe practices. To get a better idea of what is safe and unsafe, you can visit Safe.Pharmacy, a resource provided by NABP.
Online Pharmacies vs Mail-In Pharmacies
Online pharmacies sound like the same thing as mail-in pharmacies, but they are actually different. The key difference is that mail-in pharmacies operate through health insurance. You need to use the mail-in pharmacy that serves your insurance plan. An online pharmacy doesn’t have this limitation. They serve anyone with a valid prescription, and may or may not work with a particular insurance provider.
When you get a naltrexone prescription through Choose Your Horizon we’ll coordinate with the online pharmacy to ensure the dose is right and your medication is delivered directly to your home. You can start the process today by taking our Alcohol Use Assessment.
