Before deciding Red-flag notes
Pause when the claims do not add up.
A low price cannot settle whether the product or the care is suitable. Check the claim behind the offer.
A prescription check cannot be skipped.
As of September 2026, U.S. law required a prescription from a person licensed to prescribe before a pharmacy could supply a prescription medicine.
An offer to skip that check is a reason to pause.
The words “research use only” on a label do not mean a product is approved for people.
As of September 2026, FDA cautioned against research-labelled weight-drug products offered for human use because their quality was unknown and they might cause harm.
As of September 2026, FDA said a “research use only” label did not allow sellers to supply unapproved drugs for people to use.
Ask the person who prescribed your medicine and the pharmacist about mixing it or measuring it.
Registration and approval are separate checks.
As of September 2026, a business being on an FDA register did not mean FDA approved that business or its medicines.
A compounded medicine is made or changed to order for a patient.
Calling it “FDA-approved” was false.
Ask for the medicine’s exact name and the FDA record that shows its approval.
If a severe reaction is happening, get urgent help.
Breathing or swallowing trouble, swelling of the face or tongue, and fainting may point to a severe allergic reaction.
MedlinePlus treats severe allergic symptoms as an emergency and advises getting help at the nearest emergency room.
That is urgent-help guidance, rather than a way to diagnose a reaction from a web page.
Footnotes for this page
- A
The prescription requirement comes from federal law; FDA’s consumer checklist treats its absence as a problem.
U.S. Code · Prescription requirementsFDA · Checking an online pharmacy - B
FDA distinguishes a research label from the product’s intended use and warns about unknown quality.
FDA · Concerns about weight medicines - C
FDA says putting a business on its register is different from approving a medicine. Medicines made to order have no FDA approval.
FDA · Understanding approvalFDA · Claims made about compounded drugs - D
MedlinePlus describes severe allergic reactions and the need for emergency help.
MedlinePlus · Severe allergic reactions
