Pill pitfalls: Tips to make sure your medication is safe

(CBS News) Recent headlines about fake versions of pharmaceuticals such as Avastin flooding the market show how tough it can be to tell if your medication is safe. In the U.S. alone, there have already been three instances where fake cancer drugs and blood thinners were discovered.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), physicians prescribe or give 2.3 billion different kids of drugs a year, and medication is necessary in 74 percent of doctor's visits. Not only is the potential for counterfeit drugs to make its way to your cabinet a real threat, but properly prescribed medications can pose a safety threat if not taken properly.

Roger Bate, an economist who has written several books about the problem of counterfeit medications including "Phake: The Deadly World of Falsified and Substandard Medicines," has followed the dangerous trend for years. His recent work focuses on tracking down counterfeit and substandard medicines, and he consults organizations on the subject. With help from Bate, here are eight safety tips to help make sure what you're putting in your body will help cure you, not kill you.

Pill pitfalls: Tips to make sure your medication is safe

Take your own medication

When your doctor prescribes you medicine, he or she has reviewed your information to ensure that the medication is appropriate for your illness. Taking someone else's medicine, or giving your pills to a friend, can be dangerous, as it might react to other medications or conditions you or they have - even if it seems that you have the same disease.

Pill pitfalls: Tips to make sure your medication is safe

Only buy medicines from a licensed pharmacy

Bate says you should only pick up prescriptions from a licensed pharmacy. Check with the National Association of the Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) or your state's Pharmacy Board for the address of a brick-and-mortar licensed pharmacy.

Ordering online? Some online pharmacies may claim to be credentialed, but the credentialing agencies may be fake, says Bate. The NABP also provides a list of legitimate web-based pharmacies consumers can check. You can also visit LegitScript.com as another resource. These two groups only approve sites based in the United States, which will sell FDA approved medicines. The prices charged at these licensed online sites are similar to physical pharmacies and may be reimbursable by your insurance provider depending on your insurance.

If you're abroad and need to pick up a prescription, it's best to ask the manager of your hotel or hostel whether there are any licensed chain pharmacies in the country. Research indicates that chain pharmacies are more reliable when it comes to the medication they sell. PharmacyChecker.com has a convenient list of pharmacy associations and guilds according to country so it could be a good place to double check that the place you are getting your medication from is legit.

Pill pitfalls: Tips to make sure your medication is safe

Check what your medication looks like

Check online for what the pill/capsule and the medicine packaging looks like before you go to the pharmacy.

For all pills/capsules, ask yourself:

If you are unsure about any of these questions, go back to the pharmacist or your doctor to double check. This may seem like a lot of work, but once you swallow the pill, you may be at risk.

Bate also warns that sometimes the same drug sold in U.S. and Europe may look different. For example, Nexium is a capsule in U.S. and a tablet in Europe. Foreign medications may come in a blister package - a box with each pill or capsule in aluminum foil - so don't be surprised - it doesn't  necessarily mean that it's a fake medication.

If you find yourself in a very poor and remote location,  you may be better off taking the medication life-threatening situations even if you can't double check it in , says Bate. There is a risk, however, so buyer beware.

Pill pitfalls: Tips to make sure your medication is safe

Read the instructions - and follow them

Even good quality medicines can be dangerous if taken incorrectly. Some medicines must be taken with food, and others don't require a full stomach. Drinking alcohol may also react with some medicines. Even seemingly harmless grapefruit juice can increase the body's absorption of certain chemicals, resulting in drug overdose if consumed with the wrong medicine. Says Bate, "Always read the label!"

Pill pitfalls: Tips to make sure your medication is safe

Check expiration dates

Find out when the pills expire and discard them as soon as they are no longer effective. Taking expired medicines - even over the counter medications - can be dangerous, Bate says. Check each prescription bottle or blister pack to make sure it's still okay to use.

Pill pitfalls: Tips to make sure your medication is safe

Don't sacrifice safety for a lower cost

Too-good-to-be-true offers from spam emails are probably just that. Of the 10,000-plus web-based drug sellers, the vast majority are unlicensed and are not professional pharmacies.

If you are uninsured or under-insured, you may be tempted to look overseas for your medications. It is illegal to import large quantities of medicines into U.S., but the Food and Drug Administration does not prevent personal importation of prescription medicines for three months supply or less. If you are opting to do this, please make sure that you are using credentialed pharmacy. Sites like PharmacyChecker.com or the Canadian Internet Pharmacy Association offer lists of credentialed foreign pharmacies.

Pill pitfalls: Tips to make sure your medication is safe

Talk to your doctor before you travel

Make sure to visit your doctor before traveling abroad. Besides checking if you need a necessary vaccine, it might be helpful to ask them for a prescription of antibiotics or any other medications they think you may need. Travel clinics are usually well-versed in what you need depending where you are traveling in the world. Don't leave it until the last minute.

Pill pitfalls: Tips to make sure your medication is safe

If you can't get a prescription, don't take the medicine

Do not buy from non-credentialed sites just because you are too embarrassed to get a prescription, Bate says. It may not be easy to ask for a prescription for Viagra or diet pills, but it is better to summon up the courage than risk a potentially deadly alternative just because you think it's what you need.