Counterfeit drug type #4: Alzheimer's and AIDS drugs

Particularly hard to detect are problems with counterfeit drugs for conditions such as Alzheimer's and AIDS, because the drugs are used as maintenance therapy to prevent disease progression. Since they're not controlling acute symptoms, you might not know for a long time -- if ever -- whether or not they're working.

Drugs to watch out for:

  • Antiretroviral combinations used to treat AIDS
  • Aricept (donepezil hydrochloride)
  • Namenda (memantine hydrochloride)
  • Other medications used to treat Alzheimer's

How to protect yourself:

Get prescriptions filled at an authorized pharmacy. Look for savings by asking the doctor to order in larger quantities or to substitute a generic, rather than buying them yourself online or from Canada or Mexico.

Counterfeit drug type #5: Cancer drugs

As if those fighting cancer don't have it hard enough, now comes the worry that lifesaving anticancer agents could be fake. Recent headlines concern Avastin, a pricey drug used to treat colorectal, lung, kidney, and brain cancer. (Avastin was used to treat breast cancer, but the FDA recently rescinded approval for that purpose.) Fake Avastin has actually surfaced twice, the first time in February 2012 and the second time in April 2012. Both times, batches of fake Avastin were intercepted entering the U.S. after being shipped from Turkey through the U.K. (The U.S. is becoming a favorite market for counterfeiters because Americans buy 40 percent of the world's prescription drugs every year.) It's frightening to learn that as many as 19 oncology clinics in Illinois, California, and Texas were found to have purchased the bogus medication, which, when tested, turned out to contain none of the active ingredient that makes Avastin effective.

Drugs to watch out for:

  • Avastin (bevacizumab), called Altuzan in Turkey, where the counterfeit version originated
  • Casodex (bicalutamide), used to treat prostate cancer
  • Sutent (sunitinib), used to treat pancreatic, esophageal, bowel, and advanced kidney cancer
  • Taxol (paclitaxel), used to treat numerous cancers

How to protect yourself:

If you’re being treated at a reputable hospital or cancer treatment facility, it’s likely you don’t need to worry. However, to be safe, ask your oncologist or other staff where the clinic purchases medications and if the provider is licensed. Experts say that the risk of purchasing unapproved cancer medications is much higher from unlicensed sources.

Counterfeit drug type #6: Painkillers and allergy drugs

Since they're relatively easy to obtain, you wouldn't think there'd be a big market in counterfeit versions of over-the-counter drugs. But the Partnership for Safe Medicines warns against fake generics and common OTC medications. One of the biggest fake drug busts of 2007, in fact, involved Claritin, a popular antihistamine. Another drug frequently counterfeited is the painkiller Celebrex (an NSAID). Less surprisingly, Vicodin, a prescription painkiller that's a combination of codeine and acetaminophen, is a popular online purchase and therefore subject to counterfeit.

Drugs to watch out for:

  • Celebrex (celecoxib)
  • Claritin (loratadine)
  • Vicodin (hydrocodone and acetaminophen)

How to protect yourself:

In the case of over-the-counter medications, packaging is key. Become familiar with the typical labeling and packaging of any medication you regularly take and watch carefully for anything out of order. Vicodin is rightly a controlled substance, so obtain it only from your doctor and only in the dosage prescribed.

Counterfeit drug type #7: Antidepressants, antianxiety drugs, and antipsychotics

Zoloft, one of the most popular of the antidepressants known as SSRIs, has turned up on a number of lists of the top counterfeit drugs. So have Ativan and Xanax, used by many people with anxiety disorders to calm the central nervous system. And Zyprexa, one of the newer "atypical" antipsychotics also used to treat Tourette's syndrome, was discovered among the counterfeit drugs in a major bust.

Drugs to watch out for:

  • Zyprexa (olanzapine)
  • Zoloft (sertraline)
  • Xanax (alprazolam)
  • Ativan (lorazepam)
  • Other drugs in these classes

How to protect yourself:

Fill prescriptions at a legitimate pharmacy or an online pharmacy recommended by your doctor. And never buy Xanax or Ativan from an unauthorized seller; you don't know what you're really getting.

More medication management help

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5 Must-Do Rules for Preventing Medication Mistakes