[Skip to the article](#reading) A reading guide for care decisions [Read the records](/source-notes/) [The Treatment Papers Hormones · Medicines · Care](/) Journal menu + - [Opening paper](/) - [Medicine file](/first-read/) - [Visit file](/visit-notes/) - [The price sheet](/paying-for-care/) - [Offer checks](/watch-for/) - [Questions to carry](/question-desk/) - [Source file](/source-notes/) Checking note Claims and checks as of 26 September 2026. # When the offer needs a pause. Keep the offer, the proposed medicine name and the pharmacy name together. Check each piece before treating the whole package as a care plan. The page looks polished, but the pharmacy is hard to identify. Ask for the name, then check the public licence record. Jump within this note ↓ - [Read the claims literally](#check-the-claims) - [Trace the medicine to the pharmacy](#identify-the-pharmacy) - [Ask about handling before anything arrives](#handling-questions) - [When an allergy becomes an emergency](#urgent-help) ## Read the claims literally FDA, or the Food and Drug Administration, is the US medicine regulator. ### No prescription required Under federal law, a drug that needs a prescription cannot be handed out without one. [US Code · prescription requirement](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title21-section353&num=0&edition=prelim) A checkout page cannot replace the prescription. ### “FDA-approved” compounding A drug made to order is called compounded. Calling it “FDA-approved” is a claim the agency treats as false or misleading. [FDA · advertising compounded drugs](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/fda-telehealth-companies-what-know-when-promoting-compounded-drugs) The claim of approval is the problem; compounding has its own rules. ### A badge instead of an answer Registration with FDA does not mean it has approved the business or what it makes. A claim that suggests otherwise is misleading. [Federal rule · what registration establishes](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-207.77) Ask what, exactly, the badge is meant to establish. ## Trace the medicine to the pharmacy FDA says someone ordering a drug made to order online may be left without the maker’s name. [FDA · who makes the medicine](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/compounding-and-fda-questions-and-answers) Get the maker’s full name, then ask which pharmacy will send the drug. Check the pharmacy in its state board’s public licence records. FDA provides links to these state searches. The licence record shows that a pharmacy holds a licence. It does not prove every drug is prepared or handed out properly. [FDA · reach the state pharmacy search](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/besaferx-your-source-online-pharmacy-information/locate-state-licensed-online-pharmacy) Match the full pharmacy name against the board’s record. According to FDA, false pharmacy names have appeared on products described as compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound). Some named a pharmacy that did not exist; others named the wrong maker. [FDA · false pharmacy details](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-alerts-and-statements/fdas-concerns-unapproved-glp-1-drugs-used-weight-loss) A familiar-looking label is not the end of the check. ### Ask about handling before anything arrives Storage depends on the drug. Some peptide medicines need a fridge; others stay at room temperature. [Government-hosted label · a room-temperature example](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=3d783378-b02d-4f19-99dd-0fc91a042224) Ask the pharmacy for the instructions for the exact product. Reports sent to FDA describe people measuring compounded semaglutide injections wrongly. Some reported problems required a hospital stay. [FDA · reports of measuring errors](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/fda-alerts-health-care-providers-compounders-and-patients-dosing-errors-associated-compounded) Ask the pharmacist to resolve unclear instructions rather than guessing from an online example. ## When an allergy becomes an emergency MedlinePlus describes anaphylaxis as a life-threatening allergy. Symptoms can start in seconds or minutes. Breathing trouble or a swollen tongue can be among its symptoms. For severe symptoms, the MedlinePlus instruction is to call 911 or your local emergency number. [MedlinePlus · severe allergic reactions](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000844.htm) Seek emergency help for severe symptoms; the cause needs a medical assessment. MedWatch takes reports about medicine problems directly from patients. It is FDA’s service for reporting safety concerns. [FDA · MedWatch reporting](https://www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch-fda-safety-information-and-adverse-event-reporting-program) Use the reporting service to tell the agency what happened. Continue reading [Take a short question list into the visit ↗](/question-desk/) The Treatment Papers is a reading guide to care decisions; this journal runs no clinic and sells no treatment. [Orientation](/) [Question desk](/question-desk/) [Source notes](/source-notes/)