> caution notes
Reasons to pause and ask
Write down the seller’s exact claim and the answer you still need. Use the checks below before deciding whether to pay.
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Claims that need a pause
For a claim of approval, ask for the FDA record for the exact medicine. For a claim about benefits, ask what research in patients supports it.
The US agency that reviews medicines for approval is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Compounding is the process of preparing a medicine to meet an individual patient’s needs.
- Federal law required a valid prescription to supply a prescription medicine, as of September 26, 2026.
- A claim that a made-to-order medicine is FDA-approved is false, as of September 26, 2026.
- FDA letters described products promoted for human use as unapproved drugs, even with “research use only” labels, as of September 26, 2026. Those labels describe research materials, rather than medicines for patients.
- FDA registration records a business on a government list; a drug listing records a product. Neither record means FDA approval, under the rule in place as of September 26, 2026. Being on an FDA list is not an approval certificate.
Ask which exact product the approval claim refers to.
Check a payment restriction
FTC means Federal Trade Commission, the US agency that works to protect consumers from dishonest businesses.
As of September 26, 2026, the FTC called sellers likely scammers if they accepted only the payment types below.
- Bank transfers or wire transfers: money sent straight from your bank account.
- Digital currency, such as cryptocurrency: money traded on computer networks.
- Payment apps: phone or computer services used to send money to someone.
- Gift cards.
A reason given by the seller does not remove this warning.
- Keep the payment rules and a copy of the offer.
- Stop before sending money. Ask someone you trust to help check the offer.
Ask about storage and problems
FDA and US government patient information, as of September 17, 2026, describe the quality and storage points below.
If compounding is done poorly, a drug may contain germs or a changed amount of active ingredient, the part that does the work.
Product storage differs: some peptide medicines need cooling, while others use room-temperature storage.
- Ask for storage instructions for the exact product.
- Before using the medicine, ask the pharmacist to clear up anything you do not understand on the label.
- Ask who handles a damaged delivery or a new symptom.
Where a concern can go
Keep the label, receipt and messages about the problem together. Name the person or product involved when asking where to send a concern.
As of September 17, 2026, patients could report a medicine problem directly to the FDA through its MedWatch website.
Patients can send care complaints to Arizona’s medical, osteopathic and nursing boards, as of October 3, 2026.
Medical doctors (MDs) and osteopathic doctors (DOs) use different boards.
The Arizona Attorney General also accepts complaints about unfair or deceptive practices.
- A medicine problem: open the FDA MedWatch link in the sources below.
- A care problem: choose the Arizona board for the clinician’s licence type below.
- A misleading offer: use the Attorney General’s consumer complaint link below.
Seller’s claim / answer / proof to check:
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