Good Lifestyle

Your medicine cabinet is likely chock-full of common medications, from handy over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for when a sickness suddenly hits to prescription drugs authorized by your doctor for various ailments. While we take medicine to make ourselves feel better, ironically, something in your collection might need to be tossed out to protect your health. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just released a new warning about a common medication, that depending on where you got it from, might need to be thrown out immediately. Read on to find out if you need to check your medicine cabinet.

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The FDA posted a new alert on April 12, warning consumers that stimulant medications are being illegally sold online. According to the notice, the FDA and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have recently issued joint warning letters to the operators of two websites: Kubapharm.com and Premiumlightssupplier.com. The agency said the websites are illegally selling commonly used Schedule II stimulants, including amphetamine drugs marketed as Adderall.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb

"This action underscores the FDA's commitment to use all available regulatory and compliance tools to stop online businesses illegally selling potentially harmful drug products to consumers," FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, MD, said in a statement.

According to the FDA, both websites are selling Adderall online without a prescription. And seeing as this medication has a "high potential for abuse and addiction," this can put consumers at risk. The agency warned that Schedule II stimulants like this should only be prescribed and used under the supervision of licensed healthcare professional.

"The illegal sale of prescription drug stimulants online puts Americans at risk and contributes to potential abuse, misuse and overdose," Califf said. "These particular types of online pharmacies also undermine our efforts to help consumers safely purchase legitimate prescription medicines over the internet. FDA will continue partnering with DEA in an effort to safeguard public health and protect consumers who need access to these important medicines."

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Websites illegally selling prescription medications such as Adderall is not only dangerous due to the lack of healthcare supervision. According to the FDA, you could also be putting your health at risk by buying prescription meds from unsafe online pharmacies because they could actually send you counterfeit, contaminated, or expired drugs—despite them marketing the medications as authentic.

"These letters are not only a warning to the companies that illegally sell prescription medications, but they also serve as a warning to consumers who have bought or have considered buying medications online without a legitimate prescription," DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in a statement. "Consumers cannot trust the safety or legitimacy of pills sold on unaccredited sites."

The FDA said that the operators of both online websites have 15 days to respond to the letters. But if you have already bought medication from either, the agency said you should no longer use it and dispose of any medicine that is unused. And going forward, both the FDA and the DEA strongly urge "anyone seeking controlled medications to obtain a prescription from a trusted medical professional and have it dispensed by a licensed pharmacy."

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