The short answer: a legitimate online pharmacy requires a valid prescription, is licensed in your state, names the pharmacy that fills your order, and tells you who runs it. A "free prescription" bundled with a purchase is worth a closer look: find out who the prescriber is, whether they can say no, and whether the prescription is yours to take elsewhere.
We wrote this guide on October 14, 2026, the week medlocker.me, a site that promised a free prescription with every order, went offline. What happened to Medlocker is a story in itself. The checks below apply to any site.
Why this matters
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that "there are many unsafe online pharmacies that claim to sell prescription drugs at deeply discounted prices, often without requiring a prescription." Some pharmacy websites operate legally and are convenient. The hard part is telling them apart from the outside.
Check 1: Does it require a valid prescription?
The first warning sign on the FDA's list is a pharmacy that does "not require a doctor's prescription." A licensed pharmacy needs a valid prescription for a prescription medication. If a site will ship you a prescription drug with no prescription at all, stop there.
Check 2: If it offers a free prescription, who writes it?
Some sites do not skip the prescription; they bundle one with the order. Medlocker's old site, for example, said: "Get a free prescription with every order from Medlocker, reviewed by U.S.-based partner prescribers and filled by trusted pharmacies."
A bundled prescription is not wrong in itself. Ask four questions:
- Who is the prescriber? A real clinician has a name, a license, and a state that licensed them. The prescription label will name them; you should be able to learn it before you pay.
- Can they say no? A real review can end without a prescription. If every order "comes with" one, the review may be a formality.
- Is the prescriber independent of the seller? When the prescription is free and the medication is what you pay for, ask how the prescriber is paid and whether they work for the company selling you the drug.
- Is the prescription yours? You should be able to have it sent to a pharmacy you choose, or transferred later.
Check 3: Is the pharmacy licensed in the U.S. and in your state?
The FDA lists pharmacies that "Are not licensed in the U.S. and by your state board of pharmacy" as a warning sign. You can check this yourself: the FDA's BeSafeRx page links every state board of pharmacy license database. Its advice is blunt: "If your online pharmacy is not listed, you should not use that pharmacy."
Check the state where the pharmacy is located and the state you live in. A mail-order pharmacy needs to be allowed to ship into your state.
Check 4: Does the site name the pharmacy that fills your order?
Many websites that sell medication are not pharmacies. Medlocker's current About page says so plainly: "We're not a pharmacy or a medical provider." That is fine, as long as the site tells you which pharmacy dispenses, so you can run Check 3 on it. Medlocker's FAQ does: it names Advanced Pharmacy in Tampa, Florida.
If a site sells medication and will not tell you which pharmacy fills it, you cannot check the license, and you will not know who to call if something goes wrong.
Check 5: Is there a licensed pharmacist you can talk to?
The FDA lists pharmacies that "Do not have a licensed pharmacist on staff to answer your questions" as a warning sign. Call the pharmacy before your first order and ask to speak with the pharmacist about your medication. A real pharmacy can put one on the phone.
Check 6: Who runs the company?
Look in the terms of use or the footer for a legal company name and a street address. Medlocker's current Terms of Use, for example, name the operator as Marcon John Solutions Inc. and give an address in Wilmington, Delaware.
Then look the company up. Most states let you search their business registry for free; for a Delaware company, use the Delaware Division of Corporations entity search. A missing company name, a name you cannot find anywhere, or an address with no company attached is worth weighing before you hand over a card number.
Check 7: How does it want you to pay, and how hard does it sell?
The FDA warns about sites that "Offer deep discounts or prices that seem too good to be true." Watch for these too:
- Constant promo codes on prescription drugs. Medlocker's March 2026 homepage offered a code for "$140 OFF Birth Control Meds + Complimentary Prescription." A discount is not a crime, but heavy promotion of prescription medication is a reason to slow down.
- Payment outside a checkout. Invoices by email, bank transfers, and payment apps are harder to dispute than a card charge at a checkout. Medlocker's own terms warn customers: "For Zelle or other customer-initiated transfers, verify the displayed business recipient and transaction reference; do not send money to a recipient supplied outside the verified checkout."
- Impostor warnings. Some businesses are targeted by people pretending to be them. Medlocker posted warnings about impostors from 2023 to 2026. If a business you use posts one, only order through its own website, and do not act on a call or text that reaches out to you first.
A shortcut: third-party certification
Independent certifiers review online pharmacies and telehealth companies so you do not have to do every check yourself. LegitScript runs a free certification checker. The page reads: "Check below to see if a website operating in healthcare, addiction treatment, or CBD has been certified." A certified site usually shows a seal that links to its verification page. Click the seal; a picture of a seal that links nowhere proves nothing.
Certification is not the only sign of a legitimate business, and a site without it is not automatically unsafe. It is one more thing you can check in a minute.
How Temi answers these checks
Temi is not a pharmacy, so here is how it answers the same questions:
- Prescription: Temi is the prescriber's office. A licensed physician reviews every request and can say no.
- Who writes it: Kevin Brandstetter, M.D., or another physician licensed in the state you are in. The $15 review fee is the same whatever the decision, so the fee does not depend on a prescription being written.
- Pharmacy license: Temi does not dispense. The prescription goes to the pharmacy you choose, which you can look up yourself.
- Who fills it: You decide.
- Pharmacist: Your pharmacy's.
- Who runs it: Self Systems, Inc., with prescribing by an affiliated physician practice.
- Payment: The fee is shown before you pay, at checkout. Temi never asks for a card over the phone.
Temi holds LegitScript Healthcare Merchant Certification; the seal in Temi's site footer links to the verification. If you need a new prescription for a medication you already take, start a refill request. If you are deciding between services, read Medlocker vs Temi.
Sources were read on October 14, 2026. The FDA pages cited were last updated January 2, 2025, and November 13, 2024.
