A pediatrician is warning that “net literate” parents are putting their children at risk by buying drugs on the web. Dr Nadeem Afzal, a consultant pediatric gastroenterologist, carried out an investigation of medicines for sale on eBay for common gut complaints such as constipation, diarrhea, colic and abdominal pain. He found that 53% of the 186 gastrointestinal drugs on offer were advertised for children. One of these, Infacol for colic, was being sold with a broken seal and the description “slightly used”.

Other sellers did not list side-effects or provide use-by dates, and some suggested double the dosage that would normally be given in the UK. His findings have concerned the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry and the British Medical Association. Afzal said he was particularly worried that 42% of sellers gave no contact or address information so purchasers would have no legal recourse in the event of a problem. Other “dangerous practices” included laxatives being described as slimming pills and as treatments for diarrhoea.

Afzal, a consultant at Southampton General hospital, presented his findings to the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health spring meeting to raise awareness and is now calling on eBay to place better guidance on the site. The drugs on offer over a period of a month were mainly over-the-counter remedies, but did include some antacid treatments that are prescription-only for the under-16s. One seller’s listing said it was suitable for over-12s.

ABPI spokesman Crispin Slee said: “Anyone who buys prescription drugs over the internet is taking a huge risk. It is worrying enough to think that adults are self-prescribing in this way. But to learn that parents are putting their children in harm’s way beggars belief. Parents from the Google generation are playing russian roulette with their children’s wellbeing.”

In the study, 42% of sellers did not mention dosages, 93% ignored side-effects and 14% didn’t list what the drug was suitable for. Almost a third of sellers were offering drugs alongside household goods such as gardening tools, cosmetics and toys. “I suspect net literate people are tempted to buy online to save money and for convenience’s sake,” Afzal said. “This is not about the blame game, this is about awareness.”

He added: “The onus is on the lister, not on eBay. That should change. They should state online: ‘Check the MHRA [Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency] guidance on the sale of medicines.’ Also, people need to be made aware that just because a seller has got a 99% positive feedback rating, it does not mean that this [product] is not counterfeit.”

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society estimates that two million people buy drugs regularly over the internet, many from legitimate online pharmacies. But other sellers are offering counterfeit or substandard drugs. In April, GP magazine reported that one in four family doctors has treated patients for adverse reactions to medicines bought online.

David Pruce, director of policy and communications at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: “It’s horrendous that people would even consider buying medicines with broken seals or from unknown sources. You should never take a prescription medicine without a valid prescription, let alone give these to your children. The medicine could have bad side-effects or worse.” A spokesperson for eBay said: “We strongly encourage our users to be entirely accurate in their listings and to ensure that the packaging is intact. We are now looking at new ways of strengthening safeguards in this area.”