While the article speaks to mail-order Rx, also consider any supplements, even some foods (and the lining of containers).
The little boy highlighted in the article nearly lost his new liver due to his life saving Rx having been exposed to heat.
Consider not just where it's being shipped from for your purchase, where was it before it arrived there?
Can you figure out the point of origin for all ingredients? Better yet, is that information considered and provided to the customer by the brand / vendor?
Warehouses may or may not be climate controlled. This is one concern I have for elusive 3rd-party vendors at places like Amazon. Know the vendor - and their vendors, too.
Could have been on another continent, various locales in regard to seasons & the equator.
Where all will it be along the way? Is there a tracking code for the date it was created and put in the bottle?
Extreme Temperatures May Pose Risks To Some Mail-Order Meds
4:26 Audio interview & Article
- NPR / Morning Edition - January 7, 2019 -
Posted by steve1906 (Member # 16206) on :
Good article Keebler...Myself, I have never believed in deliveries for Rx.
I feel sorry for people that can't afford the prices they charge, that's over government at work.
I can't even believe it's legal to have persecution drugs delivered to your doorstep!
Steve
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- For those who are home-bound & have no one in their lives to help them in this way --
or for if they very busy or unable to stand in line (or get to a pharmacy with limited or no transportation), then home delivery is an important option.
It's just that we have to seek out so many more answers than what we might first think. One thing I try to do is check the 10-day weather forecast before ordering herbs & such even from trusted vendors. If it's going to be too hot either there or on the way, I wait.
While 2-day air delivery costs more, in extreme heat it may well be worth it to stay out of a potentially hot truck for a thousand miles. Some delivery services cool their trucks but some do not.
Even with faster air transit, it's important to talk to the transit server to know if stuff might be sitting on a hot tarmac as it awaits loading onto a plane, etc..
They don't use airplanes, but for their trucks, I asked this of OnTrac a "free" delivery service for VitaCost.com -- they could not tell me - or even figure out for themselves - if an order last summer during the 100+ days was climate controlled.
Since they failed several times (and with a terrible attitude) to deliver to my apt. door and left my pkgs. 2 blocks away at the mgt. office -- might have well been on the moon. USPS also won't bring to my apt door so I have to just pay more now for Fed Ex or UPS.
Ordering closer to home helps, when possible.
And, you know, I'd want to know the shipping history of even Rx that arrive at the pharmacies. Where does that all come from? How does it travel regarding weather & atmosphere conditions? -