The Latest Zoomer Reports: 10/02/09

Fake Drugs

Have you ever considered buying prescription drugs over the Internet? According to a study out of Colorado, you could be putting your life at risk if you do that.

The article in the International Journal of Clinical Practice said at best the drugs won’t help you and at worst they could kill you.

Counterfeit Internet drugs are a mushrooming problem. Seizures of fake drugs in Europe quadrupled between 2005 and 2007. The number of investigations undertaken by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration increased by a factor of eight between 2000 and 2006. The sale of counterfeit drugs has almost doubled in the last five years, and will hit $75 billion this year.

The study authors say the biggest problem is with phony drugs that purport to treat erectile dysfunction, and as many as 2.5 million men in Europe may have taken counterfeit Viagra.

The Viagra-like tablets bought on the Internet aren’t even necessarily cheaper than the real thing, but they do allow buyers to avoid the embarrassment often associated with asking for this medication.

Doctors say erection problems can be a warning sign of heart disease and the ingredients in some of the fake drugs can bring on heart attacks in people with an underlying condition. Not to mention the danger of taking some of the other things found in these drugs including amphetamines, shoe polish and road paint.