Prescriptions

Why prescriptions matter

Some medicines can harm you if you take them without a doctor’s advice. Others are easy to misuse, or stop working if they are used when they are not needed (antibiotics are the best known example). That is why such medicines are supposed to be given only against a prescription from a doctor.

Which medicines need a prescription

Medicines that are prescription-only by law need a prescription. MedsPK also keeps its own list of medicines for which we ask for a photo of the prescription at checkout, for example many antibiotics, steroids, diabetes and heart medicines, and medicines for the mind and nerves. A medicine on that list shows a “Prescription needed” label.

The list is kept by MedsPK and can change. If a medicine has no label, the pharmacist may still ask for a prescription, and may refuse to supply without one. The pharmacist’s decision is final.

Medicines we do not sell online

Some medicines cannot be added to the cart at all and show a “Not sold online” label. They include strong painkillers (opioids), anaesthetic medicines such as ketamine, habit-forming sleeping and calming tablets (benzodiazepines and similar), and stimulants. Please visit a pharmacy in person with a valid prescription.

Pakistan’s drug regulator, DRAP, has warned against selling and promoting this kind of medicine to the public on the internet. We keep to that warning, and we do not allow such medicines on MedsPK.

How to upload your prescription

• Take a clear photo in good light, with the whole prescription flat and all four corners in the picture.
• It should show the doctor’s name, the date, the patient’s name, and the medicine names, strengths and directions, with the doctor’s stamp or signature.
• Upload it at checkout as a JPG or PNG photo.
• If the pharmacy cannot read it or something does not match, it may ask you for a better photo, or refuse the order.

What the pharmacist checks

The pharmacist looks at your prescription before confirming the order. It checks that the prescription is clear and recent, comes from a doctor, and matches the medicines and quantities you ordered. The pharmacist may phone you, may ask to see the original prescription when the order is delivered, and may refuse or reduce the order if something does not look right. A prescription written for one person cannot be used to supply someone else.

Your promise when you upload one

When you upload a prescription, you promise that it is real, that it has not been changed, and that you are allowed to use it (it is yours, or you are ordering for a family member with their knowledge). A forged or changed prescription is a serious offence. We may refuse your orders, block you, and report the matter to the authorities. Please do not order again and again on the same prescription to stock up; pharmacies may refuse that.

Your prescription is private

Only you, the pharmacy you ordered from and the MedsPK staff who handle your order can see your prescription photo. It is deleted 90 days after the order is finished. See the Privacy policy.

If your order is refused

The pharmacy tells you why, and you can see the reason on your order page. If you had paid, you get a full refund (see Cancellations and refunds). You can visit the pharmacy with your original prescription.