Buyer beware

From the Jacksonville NC Daily News:

Consumers who thought they were purchasing sleep aids, antidepressants and other drugs over the Internet instead were shipped a powerful anti-psychotic, sending some unwitting victims to the emergency room, federal health officials warned Friday.

The Food and Drug Administration said a number of consumers took the schizophrenia drug, haloperidol, after being shipped what they thought were a variety of different pills, including Ambien, a sleep aid, and the anti-anxiety medications Xanax and Ativan. Others thought they were getting the antidepressant Lexapro.

Preliminary analysis of the pills, packaged in plain plastic bags and mailed in envelopes bearing Greek postmarks, suggest they contain haloperidol. The FDA said it had reports of several consumers seeking emergency medical treatment for symptoms such as difficulty in breathing, muscle spasms and muscle stiffness after taking the pills.

I have no doubt this is happening; the internet drug business has it’s shady side. But there’s one thing that puzzles me. Anti-psychotics are notoriously expensive drugs. For the side effects listed, the dose must be fairly high, so I looked into the cost of 20 mg tablets. Halopeidol (trade name Haldol) generic sells for $96 for 30, while the drugs it was substituted for cost far less. Xanax generic is $11.59. Ativan generic is $18.99. Lexapro is $89.29. Ambien is $134.99. (All prices from Walgreens.) So why the switch? Except for Ambien, filling the orders legit would have been cheaper.

The only thing I can figure is that this Greek business got their hands on a shipment of stolen meds and so had little or no cost for the pills. My advice: if you’re having trouble paying for your medicine, look into one of the prescription assistance programs from the drug companies. You can see if you’re eligible here. Don’t take a chance on some fly-by-night company if you can possibly avoid it.

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