Online drug sales: It's buyer beware

I take a prescribed drug that is very expensive and not covered by my insurance. Are there any safety concerns in buying from Canada?

If you were traveling to Canada and buying your medicine in person, you would not need to worry about quality. Canadian pharmacies are carefully regulated. On the Internet, however, pharmacies can pose as Canadian even if they are not. One reader wrote: "I bought $300 of pills from an online pharmacy. I thought it was in Canada, but the delivery paperwork listed the originating office as Dandong, China -- not Canada! I tried one of the pills and it had no effect. I suspect they are bogus imitation pills. . . . I have experience buying this prescription in the U.S., and the pills work every time."







I asked my pharmacist what to do with outdated prescription medicines and was shocked when he said "flush." Instead, I dissolved them in a container of water, spread newspaper and "painted" it with the resulting sludge. After it dried, I tore it up and put it in the trash. Was this safe?

Your pharmacist was misguided when he suggested flushing pills down the toilet. There is growing concern about pharmaceutical contamination of the water supply.

There is no coordinated system for disposal of unused pills. Some communities accept unwanted medications in hazardous-waste collections. If not, your idea seems reasonable. A reader also suggested adding Elmer's glue to the container, letting it harden then throwing the container in the trash.

Joe Graedon and Teresa Graedon can be reached at www.peoplespharmacy.com or care of this newspaper.