Counterfeit drugs!

Counterfeit drugs are bad news. You think you’re taking a pain killer or drug for weight loss or erectile dysfunction (ED) but instead you end up with any number of hidden poisons such as road paint, antifreeze, and worse.

By some estimates, more than 10 percent of all pharmaceuticals in the global supply chain are counterfeit. In some countries, fake pharmaceuticals account for 70 percent of all drugs in the supply chain.

Conmen have jumped on the fake drug game with rigor, and although they can sell any kind of counterfeit drug with enough creativity, the most common ones you’re likely to find are heart medicines, antibiotics, cancer drugs, psychiatric medications, weight loss meds, treatments for chronic conditions, and erectile dysfunction medicine.

If you suffer heart disease, you should be treated by a doctor, not a website that offers online diagnosis of your ailments. Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death for American men and women,

Cardiologists and other doctors have read with alarm reports of fake — and ineffective — versions of these often-expensive drugs circulating in the U.S. Americans are more likely than their counterparts in Europe to purchase drugs for serious illnesses online. The real danger is not only will patients not get the drugs they need, they will get a dangerous counterfeit instead.

Since antibiotics are drugs you take when you are sick with an infection, getting a counterfeit version of an antibiotic could make you sicker, simply because it does not cure your infection. Unfortunately, worsening illness is only one risk of taking antibiotics purchased without a prescription. They may be tainted with heavy metals, or some other dangerous ingredient.

In recent years, fake cancer drugs had been found in Israel and China, and then again in February 2012 In the United States. The Federal Drug Administration warned doctors’ offices and clinics in 15 states that they might have purchased counterfeit vials of Avastin containing no real drug, but simply acetone and water.

The Pharmaceutical Security Institute reports that 37% of all fake medicines seized are ED drugs.  ED drugs are offered for sale via thousands of fake online pharmacies without prescription requirements.

One problem is men are avoiding their doctors and buying these medications without a prescription — unaware that it can be risky for people with heart disease and other conditions. The real danger of buying these drugs from a non-VIPPS approved pharmacy is that there is a very good chance they will not just be counterfeit, but poison.

Chronic ailments pose a great marketing opportunity for drug counterfeiters, because chronic ailments by their very nature respond at a more measured pace to treatment. Drugs for conditions like AIDS and diabetes are being counterfeited more frequently, subjecting those who suffer from them to increased dangers from lack of treatment and exposure to toxic compounds.

Painkillers and weight-loss medications have already been exploited by counterfeiters selling fake versions in the US. Get to know what your medications look like and be on the lookout for any packaging or labeling anomalies.

Also, only buy prescription medications from Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) approved pharmacies or legitimate brick-and mortar pharmacies, and only buy over-the-counter drugs from trusted sellers.

The recent FDA warning about counterfeit Adderall sold online is an example of how drug counterfeiters are also targeting psychiatric medications. If you search Google for Xanax, Ativan, Adderrall, or Ambien you'll find hundreds of websites offering these powerful drugs without a prescription. One way you can tell if the website is a fake is if they offer to sell you prescription medication without a prescription, then the drugs they are selling are suspect.

The Whole Truth And Nothing But The Truth,  
P.S. Conmen like drug counterfeiters are masters of deception. But there’s a simple question you can ask them that shows them you’re not falling for it.

For more ways to protect yourself from criminal activity, a former federal agent has published a report that will show you how to be a human lie detector.

You can find the report here.