{"id":14826,"date":"2016-06-20T09:00:37","date_gmt":"2014-06-20T16:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.accessrx.com\/blog\/?p=14826"},"modified":"2014-06-20T09:00:37","modified_gmt":"2014-06-20T16:00:37","slug":"7-ways-an-online-pharmacy-makes-your-life-better-m0601","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/current-health-news\/7-ways-an-online-pharmacy-makes-your-life-better-m0601\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Ways an Online Pharmacy Makes Your Life Better"},"content":{"rendered":"

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People have been ordering prescription drugs by mail for decades.<\/figcaption><\/figure> Before the internet was around, people used mail-order pharmacies for convenience and savings, particularly with medications that were used long term or on an as-needed basis.<\/p>\n

Sometimes your neighborhood pharmacy is the best place to obtain prescription medications, but other times it is not ideal. Often, local pharmacies are slammed with orders, and since prescriptions have to be made up individually and checked carefully, it can take significant time to pick up a prescription. Waiting may be the only thing to do if you\u2019re getting antibiotics for your infant\u2019s ear infection, but with other drugs, it\u2019s an unnecessary inconvenience, because you have other options for obtaining your prescription drugs.<\/p>\n

Online pharmacies have largely taken over from the mail-order model of the 1980s and 90s, and they are proving to be much better than mail order. Here are 7 ways an online pharmacy can make your life better.<\/p>\n

1. Convenience<\/strong><\/p>\n

A good online pharmacy streamlines the order process so that it takes a minimum amount of time. If you repeatedly order from the same online pharmacy, the process becomes even quicker, because your shipping and payment information can be securely stored, preventing you from having to enter it with every order. Furthermore, you can order after dinner, first thing in the morning, or during your coffee break \u2013 whenever it\u2019s most convenient in your schedule since you don\u2019t have to worry about store hours.<\/p>\n

2. Savings<\/strong><\/p>\n

Online pharmacies often have very competitive prices, because of their lower overhead costs when compared to your neighborhood or local chain pharmacy. Even when you factor in shipping, the cost is often lower than buying locally. Many online pharmacies offer further savings when you purchase prescriptions in larger quantities. For example, if your physician prescribes three months\u2019 worth of a medication at a time, you can save money over having a new prescription filled every month.<\/p>\n

3. Guidance from a Pharmacist<\/strong><\/p>\n

A good online pharmacy will have one or more licensed pharmacists on staff to answer your questions. At your local pharmacy, of course, you can ask questions, but you may decide not to when you see that the pharmacy is particularly busy, or you worry that a harried pharmacist may not have the time to address your questions fully. When you have questions about a prescription medication, you should feel comfortable asking them, and with your online pharmacy, asking questions is often more convenient than asking in person at your bricks-and-mortar pharmacy.<\/p>\n

4. Discretion<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all had to obtain prescription medications that were somewhat embarrassing. It\u2019s just a fact of life. For many people, this is the cause of major anxiety over having a prescription filled in person. Will the pharmacy technician look at me funny? Will I see my kid\u2019s soccer coach at the drugstore? Will they mention the name of the medication out loud when it\u2019s my turn to pay? Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are trained to respect customer privacy, of course, but online ordering saves you from the anxiety of submitting a sensitive prescription in person. Moreover, with an online pharmacy, your order is delivered to you, typically in non-descript packaging that gives no clue as to what\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n

5. Easy Recordkeeping<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you regularly order medications from an online pharmacy, you automatically create a record of your prescriptions that you can easily refer to later on. If you stop ordering a medication and need it again later, you can easily look at your online pharmacy order records to determine the precise name of the medication you need, as well as the dosage you required, and the price. This is far preferable to digging through a pile of paper pharmacy receipts to remember medications you took in the past.<\/p>\n

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Sometimes you feel like all eyes are on you when you fill certain prescriptions.<\/figcaption><\/figure> 6. No Driving<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maybe you live in a rural area, and driving to the city to go to the pharmacy takes up a significant amount of time. Or perhaps you live in the city, but driving is a major hassle due to traffic and parking, and public transport is unreliable. With an online pharmacy, you dispense with all these concerns, because you order online whenever it\u2019s convenient for you, and your order is delivered right to you. Online pharmacies are also terrific for people who are homebound or don\u2019t have access to reliable transportation.<\/p>\n

7. Automatic Updates on Savings<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you order prescription medications from an online pharmacy, you often automatically enroll in that pharmacy\u2019s email information service. You\u2019ll be automatically notified by email when prices change, when specials on lifestyle medications are in effect, and when your last refill is about to be dispensed. With great perks like coupon codes and free shipping, it\u2019s even easier to save money and hassle by ordering prescription medications online. And when the online pharmacy offers new products you might be interested in, you\u2019ll be the first to know.<\/p>\n

A report released in April by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics found that physician visits, hospitalizations, and number of prescriptions filled all increased in 2013<\/a>, with each American filling an average of 12.2 prescriptions in 2013. Overall, $329.2 billion was spent on medications in 2013. However, though overall drug spending increased in 2013 compared to 2012 most patients paid less for their prescriptions. These price decreases were driven by drugs coming off-patent, drugs being covered at no cost under the Affordable Care Act, and patients who are more informed about drug prices and more willing to shop around.<\/p>\n

Online pharmacies are no longer novel or out of the mainstream, since they have proven their worth in terms of convenience and savings. If you haven\u2019t used an online pharmacy, perhaps it\u2019s time to reconsider. You could save time, money, and embarrassment while still getting the service you deserve.<\/p>\n

eDrugstore.com has been filling prescriptions online for over 15 years, working with US-licensed pharmacists and working hard to make the customer experience as positive as possible. eDrugstore.com is HIPAA-compliant, and is dedicated to customer service and customer privacy. And we use the latest and most stringent standards for ensuring the security of all online orders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Before the internet was around, people used mail-order pharmacies for convenience and savings, particularly with medications that were used long term or on an as-needed basis. Sometimes your neighborhood pharmacy is the best place to obtain prescription medications, but other times it is not ideal. Often, local pharmacies are slammed with orders, and since prescriptions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14638,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_autoblog_aioseo_focus_keyphrase":"","_autoblog_aioseo_title":"","_autoblog_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[927,465],"class_list":["post-14826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-health-news","tag-online","tag-pharmacy"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t