Many people who are seeking to sharpen their minds and concentration are turning to “smart drugs” to enhance their cognitive ability. Smart drugs can include medications normally used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Alzheimer’s disease, and have also become popular as a means of improving focus, memory, or concentration in otherwise healthy people.  However, they’ve recently become the target for counterfeiting operations.

In addition to some concerns about the safety of these drugs, when they are purchased online consumers expose themselves to additional risk. Like many other drugs sold on the Internet, there are risks of buying counterfeit, substandard, and adulterated smart drugs sold in the black market and by rogue online drug sellers.

In a recent survey published in Nature, 33% of (1,400) users of smart drugs reported purchasing them online and using them for non-medical purposes. Barbara Sahakian, a professor of neuroscience at Cambridge University in London warns that Internet-sourced smart drugs place users at risk of ingesting products that are likely of “no benefit and at worst a danger to health.”

So, how do you purchase smart drugs safely online? When purchasing smart drugs, or any other drugs online, make sure that you purchase from legitimate online pharmacies which require a prescription from a doctor to purchase them. For those in the United States, there are several legitimate pharmacies which operate in this fashion. Not only do these sites protect you by following U.S. law, they also fall under the purview of national drug safety oversight by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. According to Nootriment.com, a legitimate smart drugs site should also have “readily available customer service, a clear shipping and return policy, and links to detailed information about the products they sell.”

At CSIP we suggest that consumers always be cautious when purchasing smart drugs or any prescription drugs online. Before you buy, make sure you check your chosen online pharmacies using LegitScript’s Pharmacy Verification Tool. In addition, you can now report suspected rogue online drug sellers directly to the Food and Drug Administration using the portal on our website.

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The Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP) and our 13 member companies have the shared goal of helping address the growing problem of consumer access to illegitimate pharmaceutical products on the Internet. Continue to read this blog for updates on CSIP’s education, enforcement and information-sharing efforts.