If you are thinking about buying medications online, be careful. Not all online pharmacies are safe. In fact, some of them may sell fake, contaminated, or outdated medications or those that are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA offers these tips for staying safe:

• Buy only from licensed pharmacies that are in the U.S. To check if an online pharmacy is certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, visit the Web site at http://vipps.nabp.net/verify.asp. Enter the pharmacy’s Web address and click the “Verify” button.
• Do not use an online pharmacy if there is no way to contact the pharmacy by phone.
• Be wary if prices are much lower than other pharmacies.
• Do not buy from a Web site that sells a prescription medicine without asking for a prescription from your physician.

Talk with your physician and get a physical exam before you get any new prescription medication. To learn more, visit www.fda.gov/oc/buyonline.

If you take medications on a regular basis, you may find it convenient to use Caremark’s mail-order pharmacy. To learn more, call the number on your member ID card or visit www.caremark.com.