London: Buying medicines online may seem convenient to many, but it may not be as safe.
UK researchers Scott Fraser and Philip Severn, who did an Internet search, say some drugs may contain ingredients which bear little resemblance to the original brand.
Even if patients buy the right drug there is a risk of unchecked side effects, the researchers told The Lancet, an online medical journal.
The team cited the case of a woman who damaged her vision by using oral steroids bought online from Thailand.
The 64-year-old woman had taken the drug for four years after making a self-diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome.
In February, she went to the accident and emergency department of the Sunderland Royal Infirmary for failing vision.
The doctors who examined her discovered she had glaucoma and cataracts, caused by the steroids she had been taking.
"Even though the treatment she had been taking would have been correct, the dose was too high and the side-effects had not been monitored," Fraser said.
It is easy to buy medicines online without the need for a doctor's prescription. But this also amounts to gambling with your health, Fraser said.
"Tackling illegal sale and supply of medicines over the Internet is a priority for us," a spokesperson for the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said.
"The MHRA is currently investigating 117 internet-related cases where legislation may have been breached. Some of the investigations have led to successful prosecutions.
"Patients have also been advised to take only those medicines which have been prescribed by healthcare professional," the spokesperson added.
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