Outraged at exorbitant charges for their prescription medications, tens of thousands of Americans are going another route: they are buying their prescription drugs online instead, typically from Mexican or Canadian pharmacies. Online prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs sales will total over $2 billion in 2007, according to industry sources.

In Minnesota and Wisconsin, state-sponsored pharmacy websites were started five months ago offering Canadian drugs. Sales through these websites have so far remained relatively low ($545,000 in total at the time of writing) with many more American citizens choosing to buy their drugs cheaply online through private websites. Californian state government officials have reportedly visited Minnesota to investigate whether a similar scheme could work in California. However at the same time the Federal Drugs Administration has reportedly written contacted Minnesotan State Officials advising that their scheme may be unlawful.

The attitude of the Federal Government could be influenced by lobbying from the powerful American pharmaceutical industry ("Big Pharma") worried about the effect on its cashflow if more Americans take advantage of cheap foreign online drugstores.

So what are the problems with using online pharmacies, and - given that they can be so much cheaper than normal local pharmacies - is it worth taking the trouble to start using them?

There are some disreputable online drugstores out there and there have been a handful of isolated reports of counterfeit drugs, but the good news is there are ways to save money (and prevent Big Pharma from gobbling-up your hard earned cash) and, at the same time, avoid fake medicines.

To avoid pharmacies run by criminal gangs online (the type that may just steal your money and disappear in a flash) it is best to use a pharmacy reviews website to locate a reputable pharmacy; luckily these websites do exist, and at least one is free to use. Online pharmacy review websites rate pharmacies and provide an opportunity for visitors to report online pharmacies which have been conning customers. Let's assume you've just used a pharmacy reviews website to locate a reliable online pharmacy, now you want to minimize further the tiny risk of buying counterfeit goods. The best advice is to stay away from sites selling generic products, especially those claiming to sell generic versions of medicines still protected by patent law. This is because the packaging of generic medicines is, well, generic. Branded medicines are extremely difficult to counterfeit. But, to repeat, counterfeit medicines remain extremely rare, so avoiding generics will usually be a step too far.

By finding reputable pharmacies through review websites and buying brand medicines everyone can be safer and save money while still taking advantage of online pharmacies. It may not please Big Pharma, but it could please hard-working citizens.