Availability of prescription drugs for bipolar disorder at online pharmacies

Journal of Affective Disorders
Scott MonteithMichael Bauer

Abstract

There is increasing use of online pharmacies to purchase prescription drugs. While some online pharmacies are legitimate and safe, there are many unsafe and illegal so-called "rogue" online pharmacies. This study investigated the availability of psychotropic drugs online to consumers in the US, using 5 commonly prescribed drugs for bipolar disorder. Using the search term "buy [drug name]" in the Google, Yahoo and Bing search engines, the characteristics of the online pharmacies found on the first two pages of search results were investigated. The availability of the requested dosage and formulations of two brand (Seroquel XR, Abilify) and three generic drugs (lamotrigine, lithium carbonate and bupropion SR) were determined. Of 30 online pharmacies found, 17 (57%) were rated as rogue by LegitScript. Of the 30 pharmacies, 15 (50%) require a prescription, 21 (70%) claim to be from Canada, with 20 of these having a Canadian International Pharmacy association (CIPA) seal on the website. Only 13 of the 20 sites with a CIPA seal were active CIPA members. There were about the same number of trust verification seals on the rogue and legitimate pharmacy sites. Some rogue pharmacies are professional in appearance, and may be difficult for...Continue Reading

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Citations

Aug 25, 2016·International Journal of Bipolar Disorders·Jörn ConellMichael Bauer
Oct 27, 2016·Current Psychiatry Reports·Scott Monteith, Tasha Glenn
Feb 6, 2017·International Journal of Bipolar Disorders·Michael BauerJohn Geddes
Sep 25, 2017·Environmental Science and Pollution Research International·Deivisson Lopes CunhaMarcia Marques
Jul 10, 2019·Substance Use & Misuse·Rowan P OgeilDaniel I Lubman
Sep 5, 2018·International Journal of Bipolar Disorders·Rita BauerMichael Bauer

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