Shopping from the comfort of home beats fighting traffic and crowds after a hard day’s work. But buying prescription medications over the Internet is quite different than buying a new sweater online. The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Women’s Health acknowledges online drug stores can save consumers time and money. However, FDA cautions that some medicines sold online might be fake, too strong or too weak, or too old to be effective.

To protect you and your family, the FDA offers the following guidelines: don’t buy from sites that sell prescription drugs without a prescription; don’t buy drugs that are not approved by the FDA; check out Web sites with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy before buying; report problems with online pharmacies to FDA; and always check with your doctor or pharmacist before starting any medicine.

For more information, visit www.fda.gov.