An absolutely amazing number of online pharmacies seems to have mushroomed in recent years, and you're hit by their Spam and pop-ups regularly. So are these businesses any good? Can you benefit from them in any way?

   Well, you need to be aware that legal online pharmacies would never send you unsolicited e-mail, or pop up an unwanted ad in your face, period. Legitimate pharmacies are respectable businesses that value the privacy of their customers. It is the riff-raff and the hooligans of cyberspace who make indiscriminate use of any means possible to catch your attention.

   It therefore follows that you need to be cautious to distinguish between the authentic and the trash. Once you're doing business with a genuine, top-notch concern, medication will become much less of a hassle in your life.

   So how do you do it? How to find out what's good and who is out to grab your money? Here's how.

   First, decide if you're satisfied with the product information you're getting from a particular website. Up-front online pharmacies will provide you with full details regarding the drug, including indications, contra-indications, side-effects, incompatibilities with other drugs, and so forth. They are serious folk, and they know that drugs are a serious matter, and can affect your life. Also, they don't deal in drugs that aren't approved by properly authorized government bodies, like the FDA in the US.

   Next, check if their shipping process is appropriate, and whether they conform to the FDA-approved methods of drug shipping. Also, the packaging must be appropriate - you don't need to be embarrassed in front of your neighbor, accepting a large box with "Viagra" printed in large lettering across the top.

   You also need to decide if they are interested in information about you before sending you your order. Serious online pharmacies will get your health info reviewed carefully by a qualified doctor before issuing you a prescription and shipping the order. Websites that don't ask you your medical history are surely bogus.