Many consumers are curious to know how online prescriptions are filled, and what documentation is necessary. While this can vary from pharmacy to pharmacy, the process is much like at your local drugstore. Most people are surprised to hear that filling an order for medication online is simple and quick, and still thorough.



If you want to know what you can expect when using an online pharmacy, look at the basic information below to get you started. Remember that all businesses have different practices, and these processes can vary depending on if you are ordering your online prescriptions from a pharmacy in Canada or Mexico.

Transferring a Prescription

The process for transferring a prescription between a retail store and an online pharmacy is not much different than transferring from one retail store to another. You can even transfer online prescriptions from one online pharmacy to another. The reason there is not much difference is that retail pharmacies use a computer system to transfer the information about you and your medications back and forth to each other. In the rare case that you have a “controlled substance” medication, you sometimes need to take the physical prescription slip to the new pharmacy to have it transferred. Otherwise, you have probably noticed that the pharmacy staff takes care of the rest.

The process usually goes something like this. The new pharmacy calls or transmits a request for information to the old pharmacy, and receives the information back regarding your medication, dosage, and the physician who ordered it. When all that information is verified, your online prescriptions are filled. The practice that most pharmacies use is streamlined, and your prescriptions are usually filled without a need for the doctor to be called or otherwise contacted.

Filling a New Prescription

Having a new prescription filled from an online pharmacy may be a little trickier. As mentioned earlier, certain medications require that the prescription slip be submitted directly to the pharmacy. How is this done with online prescriptions? In this case, you will probably need to place your order online, and then follow up by mailing in your prescription slip to the address the pharmacy gives you. Your medication will not be mailed out until this is received and verified by the online pharmacy in most cases.

With online prescriptions that are not controlled substances, you can most often simply place the order online. The pharmacist filling the order will call or fax your physician to verify that the medication was prescribed for you, and the order will be filled. This is how most pet medication and contact lens companies do their order fulfillment.

Renewing a Prescription

Perhaps the easiest way to order medication is to have it renewed. Some pharmacies will automatically renew your online prescriptions when the proper time has elapsed. For instance, they may automatically ship your birth control pills every 25 days or so, and may charge you via stored financial account information. If you wish to set up an automatic renewal such as this, the prescription will need to specify that it has refills left, and you will most likely need to allow the pharmacy to charge your card each month without reentering the information. When a prescription has no refills left, the pharmacy will contact your physician to verify that you may continue with the medication for another month.

Ordering online prescriptions for medication is a lot like ordering pet meds, or even contact lenses. The providers of the medication or medical devices will need to verify your need for them, either by contacting your physician, or previous pharmacy, or both. Practices will vary depending on which online pharmacy you use, though they will all work to ensure that you are receiving the medication that you need.

As you can see, the process of ordering online prescriptions is not at all that different than ordering at your local retail store. In some cases, the prescription may get delayed if you need to mail in the slip the doctor gives you, but you can also avoid this by asking your physician to write your prescription for 6 months at a time. This way, you only have to mail the actual slip in twice a year.

You can be sure when purchasing your online prescriptions that you will receive personalized and attentive care, maybe even more so than you would with the pharmacy around the corner. You can certainly order with confidence when placing your health care needs in the hands of a website.