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Does Goldpharma sell fake drugs?

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
There is no getting around the fact that what you went through was a horrible experience and it was inexcusable how you were treated.

I still don't understand why that would made you want to turn to online pharmacies. I would be surprised if they would have greater medical knowledge or would have caught this.

I turned to an online pharmacy when a doctor stopped another medication - desmopressin - because she and other doctors seemed to have convinced themselves that it was desmopressin that had caused my first episode of hyponatraemia, notwithstanding the fact that my previous GP had dismissed the episode as a panic attack and left me with no treatment for it. When I was finally well enough to get to my GP, it was found that I was (still) moderately hyponatraemic, which I think was the first time this was recorded.

Docs at that practice, and maybe docs generally, seem obsessed with desmopressin posing a threat of hyponatraemia through excessive fluid retention/overhydration through drinking too much fluid. My meticulously-compiled charts (produced at docs' request and then ignored) showed my fluid intake to be normal and my output to be excessive - I was polyuric. But the doc just stopped the desmopressin with no warning, discussion or explanation.

Reminder - ACE inhibitors are particularly dangerous when one is dehydrated, so this in fact put me at greater risk, although I didn't know it at the time.

I had been taking desmo with no problems for 7 years when I had my first hyponatraemic episode, but docs decided desmo was to blame rather than the ACE inhibitor I had only started shortly before - going onto the top dose just 10 days before the episode.

Desmopressin had transformed my life for the better. At last I could go shopping without multiple trips to disgusting public toilets. I could use buses again. I could sleep without having to get up multiple times to urinate. And I wasn't constantly thirsty.

So after a lot of research, and with trepidation, I tried what appeared to be a reputable online pharmacy - and have never looked back.

I do not look for medical knowledge at a pharmacy of any kind. I use scientific papers and authoritative sites, including government sites.
 

adreno

PR activist
Messages
4,841
I see problems both ways. It is unfortunate if some receive wrong or fake medications, or don't know how to use them properly. I don't like that this practice is going on, and in a perfect world it wouldn't. People would go to their competent doctors, and get effectively treated. Until that becomes a reality, I reserve the right of everyone to self-medicate.
 

viggster

Senior Member
Messages
464
It looks like Goldpharma no longer sells prescription meds to US patients. I bought from them last year several times with good luck, but I just logged in and there is no search bar, only a page listing OTC meds. Under the "compliance" box on the right, it lists me as a US customer and says "no sale" under restrictions. Where else are people going?
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,820
It looks like Goldpharma no longer sells prescription meds to US patients. I bought from them last year several times with good luck, but I just logged in and there is no search bar, only a page listing OTC meds. Under the "compliance" box on the right, it lists me as a US customer and says "no sale" under restrictions. Where else are people going?

Nowadays you only see the prescription meds on goldpharma.com once you log into your account.

There are some other good prescription-free pharmacies listed in this post.
 

viggster

Senior Member
Messages
464
Huh, I logged into Goldpharma and saw ZERO prescription drugs, only over-the-counter stuff. No search bar either. I'm in the US.
 

viggster

Senior Member
Messages
464
Can any US customer confirm they can still order prescription meds from Goldpharma? I log in and get a disclaimer saying they no longer accept US credit cards, and I don't see any prescription meds or a search bar.
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,820
Huh, I logged into Goldpharma and saw ZERO prescription drugs, only over-the-counter stuff. No search bar either. I'm in the US.

I just tried to log into goldpharma.com from the UK, and saw the following message on their home page:
TRANSACTIONS FOR US RESIDENT HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS HALTED

We are afraid to inform you that goldpharma was forced to stop accepting clients from the United States under threat to jeopardize its own existence.

In the interest of clients residing outside the USA the management of Goldpharma has ceased US operations in their entirety.

Foreign expatriates residing in the USA and in urgent need for treatment that is unavailable within the US are advised to seek assistance through their embassy or consulate.

US Health Care Providers or Importers with Goldpharma accounts that are in credit may reclaim their funds by forwarding their bank account details to us.

Before contacting Customer Service please log into your account below and verify the processing status of your last transaction.

There does not seem to be a search box either, so you cannot search for drugs, even in the UK. I notice when I used an bookmarked URL I have for Goldpharma's vitamin B12 products, that takes you to the product page, but the "add to basket" button has been disabled.

So it's not clear that goldpharma.com works even in the UK.



I should think that Goldpharma is being attacked by the organization called LegitScript which is trying to close down online pharmacies selling cheap or generic drugs without prescription, or forcing these pharmacies to ask clients for prescriptions.

LegitScript is a private organization, not a government organization. It is a bit of a mystery who is funding LegitScript, but you can guess it comes from the pharmaceutical companies, who stand to lose a lot of money if patients buy generic drugs at a fraction of their cost in North America and Europe.
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
Huh, I logged into Goldpharma and saw ZERO prescription drugs, only over-the-counter stuff. No search bar either. I'm in the US.

Yes - they have stopped shipping to the US. Do a title search of this site for 'Online pharmacies' and check out the thread started by Kina. Posts 33 onwards relate to this issue. There are 7 other threads about online pharmacies which may be helpful.