Guide to Buying Medical Products Online

Use Caution Buying Dietary Supplements Online

What are they?

Dietary supplements are products taken as a supplement to the diet. Examples of dietary supplements are:

Dietary supplements are classified as foods and not drugs.

Problem sites

Web sites cannot claim that dietary supplements will prevent, treat, or cure any disease. This would make the product an unapproved and illegal drug. Web sites can't make claims that a dietary supplement will have an effect on any structure or function of the body when the claims are not substantiated.

Risks

In promoting some products, companies are telling patients not to undergo surgery, chemotherapy, or other needed treatment. This causes concern if people are forgoing legitimate medical treatment.

Consumers also have to worry about ingesting harmful substances.

There is also a danger of dietary supplements interacting with other drugs you may be taking. For example: The prescription medicine warfarin, the herbal supplement gingko biloba, aspirin, and vitamin E all can thin the blood, so taking any of them together can increase the potential for internal bleeding.

Regulation

Under DSHEA, dietary supplements are products that are intended to supplement the diet and that contain one or more of the following dietary ingredients:

Dietary supplement manufacturers must notify the FDA at least 75 days before marketing products containing some "new dietary ingredients." Those not marketed before Oct. 15, 1994. This includes providing the agency with safety information about the supplement.

Except for dietary supplements containing new dietary ingredients, the safety and labeling of most dietary supplements is monitored only after they reach the marketplace.

Tips

Consumers who choose to buy dietary supplements on the Internet should consider who operates the Web site and what evidence is provided to substantiate claims.

Dietary supplement makers are responsible for making sure that their products are safe before they go on the market and that claims on labels are accurate, truthful, and substantiated with adequate scientific evidence.

By law, supplement manufacturers are allowed to use these types of claims, when appropriate:

The FDA recommends that consumers contact their health care providers before using dietary supplements. This is especially important for people who are: