More than 6.5 billion prescriptions were dispensed in the U.S. in 2022. Unfortunately, around 100 million of them came from unlicensed online pharmacies.

Many of these unlicensed websites are popular because they may offer medications at lower prices than conventional pharmacies, claim to have stocks of drugs that are in short supply, or offer medications that have restricted use in the U.S. Some even send you drugs without a doctor's prescription.

A report from the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science says that opioids and ADHD drugs are among the most often purchased online. But lately there's been a surge in online sales of GLP-1 agonists, the diabetes and weight-loss drugs that have become so popular.

Unfortunately, 97% of online pharmacies don't comply with pharmacy laws and standards, according to the California State Board of Pharmacies.

What can you do to make sure the medications you order online contain the medications and doses you need, have no toxic ingredients, and will not harm your health?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that online pharmacies should always require a doctor's prescription; provide a physical address and telephone number in the U.S.; have a licensed pharmacist on staff to answer questions; and be licensed by a state board of pharmacy.

The FDA's BeSafeRx website (search on fda.gov) lists reliable online pharmacies. If yours isn't listed there, don't use it.