If you are considering purchasing asthma medications and even devices online for your child to save money, the federal Food and Drug Administration has compiled suggestions of what to look for — and what to be wary of — at www.fda.gov/buyonlineguide. Among the suggestions are:

• Use only medicine that has been prescribed by your doctor or another trusted professional who is licensed in the United States to write prescriptions for medicine.

• Make sure a Web site is a state-licensed pharmacy that is located in the United States. Find a list of state boards of pharmacy on the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Web site at www.nabp.info.

• Make sure the Web site has a licensed pharmacist to answer your questions.

And most important, don't buy from sites that offer to prescribe a prescription drug for the first time without a physical exam, sell prescription drugs without prescriptions, or sell drugs not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

These drugs may be counterfeit or “copycat” medicines, may be too strong or too weak, have dangerous ingredients, have expired dates, have not been checked for safety and effectiveness, or are not safe to use with other medicine or products that your child uses.