Believe it or not, not all illegal drug deals go down in dark alleys or in the back of crowded clubs. The easiest place for someone to take advantage of you is where you feel the safest and most secure. This means that one of the easiest places where the consumer can be exploited is the online market. Ordering your prescriptions online can be cheaper, more time consuming and even just as safe, if you know what to look out for.

Even if you do not purchase your prescriptions online, you are still at risk.

Counterfeits have been found anywhere that their legitimate equivalent is sold. This could be anywhere from doctors offices, flea markets, pharmacies, or even hospitals. Even though some counterfeits can be detrimental to your health, most are just to make money. Sugar pills, placeboes, and half doses are all types of counterfeit drugs that hurt your wallet more than you. Others may be slight variations in recipe and may contain filler ingredients that could be detrimental to your health. Not all prescription drugs are exactly what the label may tell you they are, and here are a few tips to help you recognize if you are taking counterfeit medication.

• Unexplained differences in pill shape or size compared to medication taken previously.

• Differences in how the pill tastes, if there is a variance in color or consistency. For example, the pills may seem more powdery or may be chipped.

• Most importantly, if you notice a change in the effectiveness of drug.

Although these are good ways to determine if you are currently taking counterfeit prescription medication, unfortunately this means that you have already purchased the counterfeit meds and your money has gone down the drain. The best way to deal with this problem is to catch it before it happens. Consumer advocacy websites like NoPrescriptioNeeded.com serve as a watchdog group to make sure that only the most reputable pharmacies that offer the highest quality prescription medication are presented for you to purchase from. NPN does this through their pharmacy ratings system, which allows members to leave feedback in order to weed out fraudulent websites that sale unsafe counterfeit medication. Visit this Consumer Advocacy website for more information on ordering from http://www.premiermexicanpharmacies.com/why_mexican_pharmacy.asp.