# Prescription Drugs Online
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-online/673526
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [November 9, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-online/673526 "2013-11-09T22:34:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-online/673526/1 "2013-11-09T22:34:30Z")
Here’s my question:
Is it possible to buy prescription drugs online without a prescription, without getting ripped off? Are those sites that say they’ll sell you whatever drug you’re looking for all scams?
I don’t have a regular doctor these days. Haven’t had one in years.
Right now, pretty much every day is a panic attack for me. Not 'cause I’m having some kind of cognitive/emotional problem, but because of external circumstances.
Stepmother (most of my life – might as well be my mother) is terminal from brain cancer. Has severe dementia and is physically quite weak. Elderly father won’t accept this, and is showing signs of the beginnings of senile dementia himself. Father, who is in total denial, and various siblings disagree on whether to keep her home, with home care they can’t afford, or get her into hospice care.
I have my own financial and professional (and marital) problems. My wife does not get along with my family (not without reason), but right now my family needs a lot of my time. So does my wife. She’s got health problems too.
I’m caught in the middle of all this.
I just need to be able to calm down, not panic, and get through what I’ve got to get through. Not every day is a horrible panic attack, but some are. On those days when I’m going over to see dad and stepmom, but I feel like I just can’t face it, and go into a state of total frozen fear, I need to just get over it fast and do my duty. Just like someone with a phobia of flying absolutely has to get on a plane once in a while.
This will be over soon enough. Realistically, she isn’t going to live more than a few months. Of course, then I’ll be taking care of my father. . . but that I can handle. I think.
So. I want a bottle of valium. I had a prescription for this years ago (must be 15 years ago by now), during a difficult time. It did what it was supposed to – calmed me down so I could handle what needed to be handled.
But I don’t have a regular doctor. I don’t even want to see a doctor (I have perfectly good health insurance, by the way). There’s nothing wrong with me.
So, if I look online, there are lots of websites that claim that they’ll sell me valium, or the generic equivalent. But if I buy it there, I’m afraid that they’ll charge my credit card and I’ll never heard from them. Or that they’ll charge my credit card to the max – just outright rip me off. Or that they’ll send me sugar pills.
Does anyone know anything about this?
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### Author:  [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-online/673526/2 "2013-11-09T22:58:09Z")
I thought about trying to buy antidepressants online (wound up just seeing a doctor instead), so I did do some research. People (at least sometimes) do get the product they order, but they’re from sketchy foreign pharmacies, not FDA approved US product. Ordering controlled substances is a bad idea though because you could wind up with felony charges if customs decides to open your package. It sucks that everyone in the US is treated like a drug-seeking scumbag if they ask for anti-anxiety medication, but that’s like it is.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2013, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-online/673526/3 "2013-11-09T23:23:21Z")
If you’re willing to buy un-regulated drugs from sketchy sources, why not try homeopathic remedies instead? You at least will be able to find a trustworthy vendor.
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### Author:  [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2013, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-online/673526/4 "2013-11-09T23:28:53Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#):
>
> If you’re willing to buy un-regulated drugs from sketchy sources, why not try homeopathic remedies instead? You at least will be able to find a trustworthy vendor.
This was my question:
> [@](#):
>
> Is it possible to buy prescription drugs online without a prescription, without getting ripped off? Are those sites that say they’ll sell you whatever drug you’re looking for all scams?
Where in there does it say that I’m willing to buy unregulated drugs from sketchy sources? I’m not. What I was asking was if it’s possible to buy real medications from sources that aren’t sketchy. Or at least aren’t outright thieves.
But thanks so much for your helpful, totally un-snarky and un-judgmental response.
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2013, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-online/673526/5 "2013-11-09T23:35:01Z")
I doubt there’s any legitimate site that will sell without a script. Plus it’s illegal to possess those drugs without one. Especially something like valium.
ETA: Why not go to the doctor? You have insurance and you have a reason.
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### Author:  [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2013, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-online/673526/6 "2013-11-09T23:35:22Z")
Yes you can find trustworthy sources among others that will rip you off. Getting caught can be serious and land you jail time. I dabbled with that when I was MUCH younger and it’s not worth the risk, IMO.
You should first see if there are some legal supplements that can help you. One popular one that is sold on Amazon is kava and another is phenibut. Both are legal and sold through Amazon - that said read up on them first, IIRC Phenibut can be addictive.
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### Author:  [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-online/673526/7 "2013-11-09T23:38:00Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#):
>
> Where in there does it say that I’m willing to buy unregulated drugs from sketchy sources? I’m not. What I was asking was if it’s possible to buy real medications from sources that aren’t sketchy. Or at least aren’t outright thieves.
What you are asking is a contradiction. There are sources (people AND pharmacies) that will reliably sell to you. THAT SAID they are ALL sketchy because what they are doing is ILLEGAL.
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### Author:  [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2013, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-online/673526/8 "2013-11-09T23:40:58Z")
> [@](#):
>
> So. I want a bottle of valium. {_snip_} But I don’t have a regular doctor. I don’t even want to see a doctor (I have perfectly good health insurance, by the way). There’s nothing wrong with me.
If there’s nothing wrong with you, why do you feel you need the valium?
It sounds from the description in your OP that you are suffering from anxiety. And seeing a doctor would be the wise thing to do. You have good insurance, so why even bother with all the hassle, unknown factors and possible scams and illegality involved with prescription-free online pharmacies?
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### Author:  [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2013, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-online/673526/9 "2013-11-09T23:50:52Z")
OK, thanks everyone. I guess I’ll end up seeing a doctor.
I didn’t want to see a doctor because (a) I don’t really know one, and around here it can take ages to get an appointment, (b) in my experience, getting anything that has abuse potential is next to impossible (I’ve been offered Tylenol as a painkiller in the past after having, and I’m not exaggerating, a metal spike driven all the way through my knee), and © I really don’t think there’s anything wrong with me.
Ambivalid, I thought I explained why I could use the valium (“need” might be a strong word). I’m in a very difficult set of circumstances right now, caught in the middle of a lot of stuff, and every now and then I feel like “I just can’t do this.” It’s a panic attack, I guess, much like someone with a fear of flying must feel like before boarding a plane. That’s why.
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### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-online/673526/10 "2013-11-09T23:59:38Z")
Moving this thread to IMHO rather than GQ, considering the subject matter.
**samclem** , moderator
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### Author:  [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2013, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-online/673526/11 "2013-11-10T00:05:35Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#):
>
> Ambivalid, I thought I explained why I could use the valium (“need” might be a strong word). I’m in a very difficult set of circumstances right now, caught in the middle of a lot of stuff, and every now and then I feel like “I just can’t do this.” It’s a panic attack, I guess, much like someone with a fear of flying must feel like before boarding a plane. That’s why.
Yes, you did explain that. It just sounds like you are suffering from situational anxiety, given the life circumstances you currently find yourself in. It doesn’t mean there is anything inherently _wrong_ with you, and going to a doctor to treat this anxiety is not an admission of such. Having a prescription to treat this anxiety on an “as-needed” basis sounds like a much better plan that going the prescription-free online route, where you have no real guarantee that you are even getting what you are paying for.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-online/673526/12 "2013-11-10T01:24:28Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#):
>
> But thanks so much for your helpful, totally un-snarky and un-judgmental response.
I wasn’t trying to be snarky or judgmental. I really meant that if you are willing to purchase medication that is not guaranteed to be what it is purported from a source that is sketchy by definition (selling drugs without a prescription is illegal) then you would be better off buying something that might also not be what is purported - homeopathy - but at least you won’t be breaking the law.
You should tell off runner pat, too, because he said the same judgmental drivel.
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### Author:  [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2013, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-online/673526/13 "2013-11-10T03:22:37Z")
It’s kinda sad that doctors are so unwilling to help people that they have to turn to illegal means to get the medications they need 😕
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### Author:  [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2013, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prescription-drugs-online/673526/14 "2013-11-10T03:36:56Z")
**Mod Note:**
**Saintly Loser** , I sympathize with your plight and I encourage you to take comfort and advice from the community, such as we can give. However, Valium is a Class IV Scheduled drug in the US, and non-prescription acquisition would be illegal. Discussion of how to circumvent the law is directly against our Rules.
From the registration agreement:
> [@](#):
>
> […]You agree not to post material that in our opinion fosters or promotes activity that is illegal in the U.S. […]
From the FAQ/Rules/“Forbidden Subjects”
> [@](#):
>
> […]You may discuss the effects of drugs, but not where to obtain them.[…]
So I am closing this thread. Feel very free to open a new thread about your troubled situation and please know that I’m not doing this to be mean. I’ve also taken into account your post above, where you mentioned you would be seeing a doctor instead, so I’m not going to issue a warning or anything. I just can’t allow that avenue to be explored on this board.
Regards,
Gukumatz
IMHO Moderator
Edited to rephrase.