You may have heard about sting operations that shut down online pharmacies. Does this mean that all online pharmacies are illegal? No, it doesn’t mean that at all. It means that you need to take precautions when using an online pharmacy to make sure that you aren’t breaking the law.

The first step is to make sure that the online pharmacy that you use is actually licensed in the United States - and don’t just take their word for it. You can check for licensing through the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. A licensed pharmacy will display the seal of the organization on their website, but again, don’t take the sites word for it. Check directly with the licensing board. You can do this online. Also check for Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites, or VIPPS.

Only get prescriptions that are issued to you by your doctor - not an online doctor, or a doctor provided by the online pharmacy. No other doctor knows your health condition, or what other medications you may be taking. The online pharmacy should have a licensed, registered pharmacist on staff, and you should be able to call this pharmacist and speak with him or her directly. If this isn’t possible, choose a different pharmacy.

If you come across a website that claims that it can issue you prescription medication - or a prescription for such medication, you should note that this is most likely an illegitimate site, and it is operating outside of United States Law. Furthermore, if you use the site, you are also breaking the law, and you could be arrested, fined, or imprisoned for doing so.

When you receive your medication, take the time to examine everything before taking the medication. Is the package sealed properly? Do the package and the medication bottle have your name on it? Is the name of the medication and the dosage correct, as well as the instructions for using the medication? Is there an expiration date listed? Is there printed information with the medication, for warnings and precautions? Use the internet and look up the medication that was prescribed to you from the drug maker’s website. Does the pill match the picture of the pill on the website?

If you have any questions or concerns about prescription drugs ordered from an online pharmacy, take the medication to your doctor or a local pharmacist for clarification before you take it. It’s always better to be over cautious than to be sorry for not being cautious enough.

Most of us visit our doctor, get the prescriptions that we need, have those prescriptions filled, and immediately start taking the medication - without giving it a second glance or a second thought. This is certainly one way to die. While pharmacists are typically very good at what they do, and very careful, they are still human and they do make mistakes that could be fatal to you. Even doctors make mistakes.

When you are at your doctor’s office, ask him what he is prescribing you. Ask the name of the medication, the dosage that he is recommending, how often you should take the medication, how many he is prescribing, how many refills the medicine has, and any other questions you may have regarding the medication. When he hands you the prescription, stop and read it - before he leaves the room. Make sure that the prescription says what he said to you. If you aren’t sure, ask him, and make him stop to look at what he has written. Don’t feel bad about ‘wasting’ his time…it is time that you are paying dearly for.

Now that you are certain that the doctor prescribed what he meant to prescribe to you, you are ready to visit your pharmacist. It is always a good idea to use the same pharmacy. While chain pharmacies may be cheaper, home town, privately owned pharmacies are often better, although more expensive. The pharmacist will know more about you, and this is important.

Have your prescription filled, and when you pick it up, ask the pharmacist about how this medication will react with other medication that you take, including over-the-counter medications. Take the prescription out of the bag! Read the label. Open the bottle and look at the pills. Did you get the right medication? Is it the right dosage? Go home and look up the pill online. The drug maker’s site is the best resource for this, because they will have pictures of the individual dosages of that medication, and you can compare what you have with what it is supposed to look like. This is true even if you have the generic form of the drug - look at the generic manufacturer’s site.

Remember that you are also human. If you take numerous medications, you can easily get them mixed up, and this can be dangerous. You need a foolproof system for keeping all of your medications straight, and for taking the proper medication, at the proper time, in the proper amount. Double check everything before you put medication in your mouth, your eyes, your ears, or your nose to ensure that you have the right medication, in the right amount, at the right time.

Many of us have our prescriptions filled at various pharmacies, instead of just one pharmacy. Often, this is for the sake of convenience, while at other times it is for the sake of saving a few dollars or cents. In most cases, spreading the pharmacy love around town is a huge mistake that could be detrimental to your health in the long run.

If you use one pharmacy for all of your medications, this is safer. Your pharmacist will have records for every medication he or she has filled for you in the past, which could essentially save your life. It is also easier to discuss medications and your health with a pharmacist that you are used to doing business with. He or she has as much of a stake in your health as you and your doctor.

There are other reasons for using one pharmacy as well - especially when you use a small, privately owned pharmacy. When you need over-the-counter medications, you should buy them at the pharmacy that you always use - even if the OTC medication costs less elsewhere. You walk up to the counter, put your OTC medication selection on the counter, and wait for your friendly pharmacist to ring it up. He says ‘wait a minute,’ and walks over to his computer, where he brings up your pharmacy records.

He informs you that you cannot take this over the counter medication, because you are taking a prescription medication for a health condition, and that combining the two is dangerous, or at the very least makes one or the other - or both medications - ineffective. He may have just saved your life, and that is service that you won’t get at a big pharmacy where nobody knows or cares who you are or what you are taking.

If your pharmacist doesn’t wait on you personally, and you have an ongoing health condition, or you take prescription medication regularly, you can always ask your pharmacist to recommend a safe over-the-counter medication, and remind him of the medication that you currently take, or the health condition that you have.

Pharmacists are full of great information as well. In fact, in some situations they can save you a trip to the doctor. Note that they do not offer medical advice, or medical diagnosis. But they can listen to what you have to say and recommend an over the counter medication, or tell you point-blank that you need to see your doctor.