Check who dispenses it, not just who advertises it

Follow the prescription to the dispensing pharmacy

An online ED service may arrange assessment while a separate pharmacy fills the prescription. Find out which business is performing each role. A website's brand name, an attractive price or a familiar payment screen does not identify the actual dispenser. Ask for the pharmacy's name, location and a way to speak with a pharmacist about the supplied medicine.

FDA's online-pharmacy guidance advises checking for a prescription requirement, state licensing and access to a licensed pharmacist. It directs readers to state-board verification resources through BeSafeRx. Use the named pharmacy when checking a license, rather than assuming a marketing company's name is the relevant entry. [FDA]

Read the package before relying on the advertisement

When medicine arrives, inspect the name, strength, directions, expiration information and condition of the packaging. FDA identifies damaged packaging, missing expiration information and unexpected medicine appearance among warning signs that need attention. A concern should be resolved with a pharmacist before you use the product.

A generic tablet can differ in appearance from a branded product, so appearance alone is not a complete authenticity test. The useful next step is to verify the supplied medicine and prescription with the dispenser. Our identity guide explains why ingredient, formulation and intended use all matter.

Treat sexual-enhancement supplements as a different question

A product called natural, herbal or a supplement has not thereby been shown to be a safe substitute for an ED prescription. NCCIH reports that no complementary health approach has been shown to be safe and effective for sexual enhancement or ED, and that some products contain hidden drug ingredients. Those undisclosed ingredients can interact with other medicines. [NCCIH]

That uncertainty is especially important when someone already takes a prescription ED medicine or a nitrate. Do not add a supplement because its packaging appears unrelated to sildenafil. Tell the clinician or pharmacist about it, including a photograph or ingredient list if available. A label may still fail to reveal an undeclared ingredient.

Ask the preparation question separately

A compounded prescription and a retail sexual-enhancement supplement are different categories. Compounding may be used to meet an individual medical need, but compounded drugs are not FDA-approved. Verifying a pharmacy does not turn a compounded combination into an approved generic or prove its advertised outcomes. [FDA compounding information]

Ask why the preparation is being proposed, how it is to be used and whom to contact about a problem. Do not transfer instructions from a conventional tablet to a liquid, chew or other formulation. Our prescription-reading notes can help organize the questions.

These checks are a starting point for verification, not a certification of any provider listed here. We have not inspected pharmacies or tested products. Keep personal health information within the care team's appropriate channel, and use the service profiles to identify what still needs asking.