It's easy to get a prescription drug online, but is it safe and legal?

An e-mail message blares: "Your VALIUM prescription is ready."

"Get Valium, Xanax, Prozac and more ONLINE!!" promises the e-mail from an Internet pharmacy. Its Web site touts that "it has never been easier to get the drugs you need," and suggests customers start by clicking on the drug they want.

The e-mail come-ons are inescapable, and their message is clear: It's easy to get prescription drugs online. But is it a good idea -- not to mention legal? And is it really as easy as they say?

The answer to all those: Yes and no. There are reputable Internet pharmacies out there that provide drug shoppers with a measure of convenience and privacy. The best use the Internet to provide information about drug interactions and will e-mail customers if a drug they ordered has been recalled, or a cheaper, generic version has become available. Some also sell drugs for less than brick-and-mortar pharmacies, which is important for people without drug coverage.

However, there are dangers in ordering drugs online. Some sites ship substandard drugs. Others may not adequately check for drug interactions. Sites that prescribe drugs without a physician's consultation may offer pills that are dangerous for certain individuals, such as those with compromised immune systems. Furthermore, two Internet pharmacy offerings -- cheap drugs from Canada-based online pharmacies and prescriptions obtained online without actually seeing a doctor in person -- skirt the edge of legality.

"Prescription-drug expenditures are going up," says Gail Shearer, health-policy analyst for Consumers Union, a nonprofit consumer-information group in Yonkers, N.Y. "Add to that the fact that consumers are besieged with all this advertising for drugs. Consumers need to have more information about medicine alternatives, and about prices. The Internet is fitting in in some good ways, and some bad ways."

In the end, most people who want the convenience of buying their medicines online are better off sticking with the Internet stores of established chains or pharmacists they know and trust. But they should know that they probably won't save much money.

The following is a look at the issues involving online pharmacies, and the good and the bad ways the Internet is helping fulfill a health-care need.

Safety Issues to Consider When Buying Prescription Medications Online

For most people thinking about buying prescription drugs online, the primary concern is safety. Is the online pharmacist reliable, and will there be someone there to help them with any special needs?

Some things to look for are seals from boards of pharmacy in the states where the pharmacy does business; posted policies about prescription verification and customer support; and the usual commonsense signals of a reputable e-merchant, like a professional-looking site and a posted address or phone number you can call to reach a human being.

The surest way to choose a safe online drugstore is to look for the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites, or Vipps, seal, which shows a druggist has been certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, a national group in Park Ridge, Ill., representing the 50 state pharmacy boards, as well as some outside the country. Most of the big chains such as Walgreens and CVS have internet sites. Drugstore.com is also a registered site.

To be included in the program, a pharmacy must pledge to facilitate patient-pharmacist communication and provide safe storage and shipment for its drugs, among other criteria. The program also confirms the pharmacies' state licenses and inspects their facilities.

Unfortunately for consumers, says Carmen Catizone, executive director of the NABP, "there hasn't been a great response from local pharmacies because they're not interested in operating nationwide, or their patients already have established relationships with them." So that means there are many sites out there that are prefectly safe but without a Vipps seal of approval, Mr. Catizone says.

For prospective shoppers, says Consumers Union's Ms. Shearer, it can be tough sorting through the non-Vipps sites. "It's a challenge for consumers to separate the good and bad," she says.