title: Availability of prescription drugs for bipolar disorder at online pharmacies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is increasing use of online pharmacies to purchase prescription drugs. While some online pharmacies are legitimate and safe, there are many unsafe and illegal so-called "rogue" online pharmacies. This study investigated the availability of psychotropic drugs online to consumers in the US, using 5 commonly prescribed drugs for bipolar disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using the search term "buy [drug name]" in the Google, Yahoo and Bing search engines, the characteristics of the online pharmacies found on the first two pages of search results were investigated. The availability of the requested dosage and formulations of two brand (Seroquel XR, Abilify) and three generic drugs (lamotrigine, lithium carbonate and bupropion SR) were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 30 online pharmacies found, 17 (57%) were rated as rogue by LegitScript. Of the 30 pharmacies, 15 (50%) require a prescription, 21 (70%) claim to be from Canada, with 20 of these having a Canadian International Pharmacy association (CIPA) seal on the website. Only 13 of the 20 sites with a CIPA seal were active CIPA members. There were about the same number of trust verification seals on the rogue and legitimate pharmacy sites. Some rogue pharmacies are professional in appearance, and may be difficult for consumers to recognize as rogue. All five brand and generic drugs were offered for sale online, with or without a prescription. However, many substitutions were presented such as different strengths and formulations including products not approved by the FDA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No evaluation of product quality, packaging or purchasing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Psychotropic medications are available online with or without a prescription. The majority of online pharmacy websites were rogue. Physicians should ask about the use of online pharmacies. For those who choose to use online pharmacies, two measures to detect rogue pharmacies are recommended: (1) only purchase drugs from pharmacies that require a prescription, and (2) check all pharmacy verification seals directly on the website of the certifying organization, every time, before purchase.
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Traverse City Campus, 1400 Medical Campus Drive, Traverse City, MI 49684, USA. Electronic address: monteit2@msu.edu.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Monteith
authors.affiliation: ChronoRecord Association, Inc., Fullerton, CA 92834, USA.
authors.forename: Tasha
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Glenn
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Conell
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bauer
mesh_terms: D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002170:Canada; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D060946:Pharmaceutical Services, Online / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000600:supply & distribution* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000600:supply & distribution* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D055553:Prescription Drugs; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs
keywords: Bipolar disorder; Internet; Online pharmacies; pharmacy