How do I know if an online pharmacy is safe?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
Run a four-point check before you order: prescription required, state-licensed, pharmacist available, physical US address listed. A site that fails any one of these is not a pharmacy - it is a risk. The FDA maintains a lookup for state-licensed online pharmacies, and it warns that sites skipping the prescription step commonly ship counterfeit or contaminated medicine.
What to do
- Confirm the prescription rule. A safe pharmacy always requires your own prescription. Sites that "prescribe" through a quick quiz for anything risky are not pharmacies.
- Look up the license. Use the FDA link to your state board of pharmacy's lookup tool and confirm the license is active.
- Call the pharmacist line. A real pharmacy puts a licensed pharmacist on the phone; a fake one routes you to a sales rep or no one.
- Prefer your plan's partner. Your insurance's mail-order pharmacy is pre-vetted and usually cheaper on maintenance medications.
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