Frequently Asked Questions

We save you time and money by making it possible to get great care without having to see an in-person provider. This means you don't need to spend ages on the telephone trying to book an appointment, to travel to and from the doctor's office, or to sit in a waiting room. We also have our own mail order pharmacy so if you value the convenience of medicine delivery, we’ve got you covered.

Our consultation fee for most services is only $25, so it's less than the cost of most insurance copays, even before you take into consideration the time and stress we save you. Some of our services - like our depression and anxiety service - are a flat fee per month that includes consultations and any medicines we prescribe and ship.

In short, super fast!

How super fast depends upon the service you’re completing a visit for, as well as your state’s requirements that govern ‘telemedicine’. Some states require you to have a short video consultation with our team, other states require a phone call, some states don’t require a video or phone call!

In most states we aim to review everything within 24 business hours - our business hours are Monday to Friday 5am-5pm Pacific Time, and Saturday & Sunday 5am-4pm Pacific Time.

We make it real simple.

To postpone or cancel a scheduled delivery from the GoMDUSA pharmacy, just sign in to your GoMDUSA account and message us.

We provide the same level of professional care as a traditional doctor’s office, but more conveniently because we’re 100% online and you don’t have to wait days for an appointment.

Just like a traditional doctor’s office, our doctors and nurse practitioners need to ask you questions to work out whether it’s safe and appropriate to give you care. If appropriate, we can write a prescription and send it to our own mail order pharmacy or to a pharmacy near you.

It depends! Most of our patients won’t require one, but some states have regulations that require a video consultation or a telephone call.

It is, as long as you answer our questions fully and truthfully and you read the important information we provide throughout our website, especially the information we send you about your treatment plan. Before you take your medicine it’s essential that you read the detailed information we provide about your treatment plan so that you can weigh the risks and benefits of the medicine we’ve prescribed.

GoMDUSA can now treat patients in all 50 states and Washington DC!

You must be at least 18 years old to use GoMDUSA. Please make sure you tell us your legal name and correct date of birth - if your name and DOB don’t match what’s on your photo ID, we may not be able to treat you.

Please make sure to check out the FAQs for the specific service you’d like to use in order to verify any unique requirements or limitations.

State regulations require that our medical providers see who we're treating, so that’s why we may ask you to take a picture of yourself and your photo ID.

Yes. We have a legal duty to protect your personal health information and have put in place a number of safeguards.

Our Privacy Policy details how we protect your personal information.

If you have a doctor or nurse practitioner you see on an ongoing basis, it's important to tell your doctor or nurse practitioner about all the medicines you're taking, including any medicines we prescribe.

To make this convenient for you, you can e-mail yourself a summary of the care we've provided via our website. You should give this e-mail to your doctor or nurse practitioner so that your health records are complete.

Yes! If you don't want to take advantage of our super fast and amazing customer service our partner pharmacies provides you can always get your prescription sent locally.

If you're worried about getting a medication quickly we do offer Expedited Shipping, which can arrive as early as the next business day after we write your prescription.

If you'd rather have the prescription sent locally after you’ve completed our health questions and submitted payment, simply send us a secure message through your account with the name, address and telephone number of the pharmacy you want to use, and we’ll sort it for you. If you’re in a state that requires a video or telephone consultation, you can also tell our doctor or nurse practitioner when you speak with them.

Our consultation fee is typically $25, which covers the evaluation and a prescription, but not the cost of your medicine. Some of our services – such as depression and anxiety – are a flat monthly fee that covers consultations and any medicines that we prescribe and ship.

We’ll put a hold on your card for the consultation fee when you submit your order, but we’ll only process the payment when one of our doctors or nurse practitioners is confident we can treat you safely. If we can’t help you, we’ll reverse the hold on your card.

If you’ve asked us to ship your medicine, we’ll simply charge your card on file for your medicine! Delivery is fast and free.

If you want to get your medicines from your local pharmacy then you’d pay your local pharmacy directly. Keep in mind that all local pharmacies set their own retail prices for medicine so we can’t control or guarantee what you’ll pay at a local pharmacy. Retail prices at local pharmacies tend to be higher than what our own pharmacy charges to ship your medicines.

No, insurance won’t cover the cost of your medical consultation.

Our mail order pharmacy is cash-pay so you’d need to pay out of pocket. Many of our patients who have insurance nevertheless decide to pay out of pocket for delivery because it’s so convenient and they like the empowerment of having control over the medicines they take and how often they get delivery.

If you have insurance you’d need to speak to your health plan to see if your plan covers the medicines we prescribe. If they do, you can ask us to send your prescription to your local pharmacy.

Acid reflux is a very common condition and is also called ‘heartburn', gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. The symptoms can be very bothersome. It can cause a burning in the chest when lying down after eating or after eating certain foods, or you may feel a small amount of acid/vomit traveling from your stomach to your mouth or to the back of your throat.

It's caused when the muscle that's supposed to hold stomach acid down isn't strong enough and some acid goes up the esophagus (the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach).

Yes. There's lots of research that shows that doctors or nurse practitioners can diagnose acid reflux based on your symptoms. In this sense we diagnose you exactly the same way we would if we met you in person.

We help you by finding the lowest dose of medicine that controls your symptoms. We do this by understanding whether you've ever been diagnosed before, what medicines you've tried and how these medicines have controlled your symptoms, and then we recommend a particular medicine at a particular dose.

If this medicine doesn't control your symptoms then you can come back to us and we'll see if it's appropriate to increase the dose or change you to a different medicine.

We can prescribe 2 different types of medicines if we're confident that you have acid reflux. They both reduce the acid levels of your stomach but work in slightly different ways. One group is called proton pump inhibitors (PPI) and the other is called H2 blockers (H2B).

The exact medicine we'll give you depends on everything we learn about you and what medicines you've tried before. If the first medicine we give you doesn't control your symptoms then we can normally either increase the dose of the same medicine or switch you to a different medicine. Overall our goal is to find the lowest effective dose of the right medicine that will keep your symptoms under control.

We usually prescribe a 1-month course of treatment if we're giving you a trial of a new medicine or a new dose.

When you tell us that your symptoms are under control then we typically give you a 3-month course of treatment.

We're able to prescribe certain types of medicines and doses that are not available over-the-counter. The medicines we prescribe are very effective at preventing acid reflux from occurring, unlike antacids which provide only temporary relief. The types of medicines we prescribe, PPI and H2B, have some versions that are available over-the-counter.

Most of the medicines we prescribe for have low cost generic versions. Many pharmacies offer them as part of special programs that can make them even less expensive. We can help you find the lowest cost option. If you're using the service for a refill of a medicine you're already taking that's expensive, we may be able to help you find a lower cost alternative that's just as effective.

The medicines we prescribe are used to prevent the symptoms of acid reflux from occurring. Some people need to take the medicines every day on an ongoing basis in order to prevent the symptoms from coming back. Other people are able to gradually wean themselves down to taking medicines only when they think they're going to have symptoms. Others stop taking the medicines altogether. We do our best to help you get your symptoms under control, and then we help you find the lowest strength effective dose.

Don't worry if the medicine we give you doesn't control your symptoms after a month. This is very common because we'll start you on the lowest dose that we think can still be effective given what you've told us. At the end of the month you can come back for a follow-up visit and we'll see if we can move you to a stronger dose or to a different medicine.

If you're already on the highest dose medicine we can prescribe, we'll encourage you to see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person to discuss your treatment options.

If you experience symptoms of acid reflux 3 or more times a week then we think you should see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person and not use our service.

Similarly, if you’re already on the maximum dose that we can prescribe, then we’ll ask you to see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person. Other health conditions and symptoms make it important that you see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person, and we’ll tell you about these health conditions as part of our visit.

Even though we know we can make the right diagnosis in the vast majority of cases, it's important that you understand the risks of using our service.

Usually when you're diagnosed in person the diagnosis is based mostly on your symptoms, which is the same as we do. If your symptoms keep bothering you and aren't controlled you should go for a test called an endoscopy that actually looks in your esophagus and stomach.

If we diagnose you with acid reflux and you don't actually have acid reflux, then the medicine we give you could be unnecessary. Taking a medicine you don't need could cause harm from the possible side effects. It could also delay the time it would take for you to be diagnosed with a different underlying problem that could be the real source of your symptoms.

If you actually have acid reflux and we incorrectly decide that you don't have acid reflux there's a risk that it would delay your care. Whenever we tell someone that we can't help, we'll always give you clear instructions to go see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person.

There are some factors you can control for acid reflux and others that are out of your control. There are some simple things that are good for your general health that can help reduce symptoms in most people like losing weight if you're overweight, quitting smoking if you smoke, and avoiding sugary drinks and foods. You can also try avoiding caffeine, alcohol, or spicy foods, which can sometimes worsen your symptoms.

When your symptoms are well controlled we recommend a ‘discontinuation trial’. A discontinuation trial is exactly as what it sounds like. You decrease or stop your medicine to see if your symptoms return. This way we can make sure you are always on the lowest effective dose of medicine or no medicine if you don't need it anymore.

The medicines we use to treat acid reflux can be very effective. In fact, they’re often so effective that after a while it’s hard to tell if you even need to take them anymore. To be sure you really need to keep taking the medicine we advise all our patients to do a discontinuation trial at least once.

We know no one likes acne. Using standard medical guidelines and the latest clinical evidence, combined with your answers to our questions and the photos you provide, we can determine whether your symptoms are due to uncomplicated acne and which prescription medicines are most likely to be effective. If you've already tried over-the-counter treatments and haven't found success, we can help!

Acne usually starts during puberty with the production of androgen hormone in both males and females which causes the following changes in the skin.

• Skin glands, pores, or follicles of the face, upper chest and back known as sebaceous glands increase production of sebum – an oily substance.
• The skin of these areas also have more production of skin layers known as hyperkeratinization. This thickening of skin can cause clogged pores known as comedomes. Open comedomes which are not clogged are called “blackheads”. Closed comedomes are called “whiteheads”.
• The bacteria Propionibacterium acnes is present on the skin.
• Both the clogged gland (follicle) and the bacteria can cause skin inflammation, causing red spots or pimples.

It's the combination of these factors that causes the zits, pimples, whiteheads, blackheads, and, in severe cases, cysts, that lead to the reddish painful bumps that we commonly refer to as acne.

Yes. Because a diagnosis of acne is based on a skin exam, we can make a diagnosis with your answers to our questions and the photos you submit.

We can prescribe medicines that effectively treat acne, minimize flare-ups and get long-term control. We have different treatments that focus on keeping the pores open, decreasing the amount of skin layer production or keratinization, and also decreasing the amount of bacteria of the skin. Your specific treatment plan may include any one or more of the following medicines: over-the-counter topical cream, gel, or ointment; prescription topical cream, gel, or ointment; prescription topical antibiotics; and prescription oral antibiotics. There are additional treatments for acne that we don't offer, including birth control and isotretinoin (Accutane).

The risks of taking any medicine include side effects or allergic reaction to the medicine. This is true with any prescription or over-the-counter medicine. In addition, the treatment we give you at first may not work as well as expected, which may mean you'll need to change your medicines, add medicines, or see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person.

It's possible that you may see no improvement because your symptoms are due to something else besides acne. In this case, you'll have used medicine(s) for acne unnecessarily and delayed your care.

If you're not seeing improvement in your acne after 1 to 2 months, send us a message for additional advice, return to the service for another visit, or see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person.

There are over-the-counter medicines and other non-prescription treatments available for acne. Left untreated, acne isn't life-threatening though it can result in scarring and ongoing flare-ups.

Although your acne should improve after a few weeks of treatment, it can get worse before it gets better. The flare-up may occur in the first 4 to 8 weeks of treatment. You should try to follow the treatment plan as prescribed for 3 months before deciding to continue or change medicines. The most successful way to treat acne is to be consistent with your treatment.

Although you may not be able to completely prevent acne, there are steps you can take to make your skin better.

Gently wash your face twice a day using a gentle, pH-balanced cleanser (Cetaphil or Dove bar) and warm water. Use your hands rather than a towel or other object that may damage the skin. By removing dirt and excess oil, you can decrease the chance of skin peeling, drying, and cracking. Scrubbing the skin harshly can damage the pores and make the acne worse. Avoid any oil-based skin products or makeup that can clog the pores. Always use hair products, lotions, or cosmetics that are "non-comedogenic," as they are designed to not clog your follicles and glands.

Moisturize your skin if you find the topical medicine(s) for acne dry your skin.

In some cases, your acne may be inflamed and extensive enough (such as when acne is located on the chest and/or back) that the benefits of taking an oral antibiotic outweighs the risks.

If oral antibiotics are part of your acne treatment, we recommend stopping after taking the antibiotic for 3 months.

Although birth control pills can be used to treat acne, at this time we do not offer this option via our acne service. We do offer birth control pills to prevent pregnancy through our birth control service.

No. Though isotretinoin (Accutane) is an effective oral acne medicine for individuals with severe nodular cystic acne, it has very significant risks and side effects including liver inflammation, high triglycerides, and severe abnormalities in a developing fetus. If you think you are a candidate for Accutane, we recommend you see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person who is authorized to prescribe it.

Yes. Acne typically goes away by age 25 to 30, but some some people may still experience flare-ups in their 30s and 40s. Among people 40 and older, about 1 in 10 men and 1 in 4 women report having acne. Overall, acne occurs more often in women than men, but it's typically more severe in men.

There's no medical evidence that acne is caused by what you eat or your personal hygiene, although stress can sometimes worsen acne.

The purpose of the asthma care service is to empower patients with asthma to manage their asthma appropriately and safely. This means evaluating and offering treatments that minimize asthma symptoms that interfere with their lives, decrease how often asthma flare-ups occur, and also minimize medication side effects.

When appropriate we can give you a prescription for either preventive inhaled corticosteroid inhalers, short acting relieving inhalers like albuterol, and other medicines.

We can prescribe two types of asthma medicines - preventive medicines and quick relief medicines. The vast majority of these medicines are inhaled. Preventive medicines are typically inhaled corticosteroids which treats the inflammatory aspect of asthma. These medicines are important to be taken every day, particularly for patients with moderate to severe asthma or those who use their quick relief medicine, like albuterol, more than 3 times per week.

Other medicines can include an oral medicine called montelukast and long acting beta agonist inhaled medicines like salmeterol.

We recommend patients see a doctor in person if their asthma treatment requires daily prednisone, desensitization injections, or biologic medicines in addition to using inhaled asthma medicines.

Asthma is an inflammatory lung condition that can be triggered or flared up, results in hyperactiveness of the airways causing wheezing, shortness of breath and/or difficulty breathing. Symptoms can be intermittent or daily.

No one really knows. It appears to be an inflammatory response that can be intermittent or constant which results in the airways being hyperreactive or sensitive.

In many cases, the triggers may be known. In some cases, there is a family history of allergies, alergy to aspirin, eczema, and/or asthma.

You can use our service if you're between the ages of 18 and 60 years old, you've been previously diagnosed with asthma, and you do NOT take prednisone every day to keep your asthma in good control.

Patients who have not been previously diagnosed with asthma or patients who require daily prednisone, desensitization injections, or biologic medicines in addition to using inhaled asthma medicines.

If you’re currently experiencing significant shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, wheezing, or chest pain, this can be a life-threatening emergency. Please contact 911 immediately or go to your nearest emergency room or hospital.

The medicines we prescribe are effective when taken correctly and when the right combination is prescribed depending on your severity and how often you have asthma symptoms.

We recommend all patients use a spacer, like an Aerochamber, when using inhalers. We also recommend all patients use a peak flow meter to monitor their breathing. The asthma medicines are most effective when a patient has a spacer and a peak flow meter to check how their lungs are doing.

Ideally asthma is under excellent control when patients use the quick relief medicine like albuterol only 2 or fewer times a week and have 2 or fewer asthma symptoms at night over a one month period.

Although many patients with asthma have triggers for flare-ups, not all patients do. Typical triggers can include: dogs, cats, mold, pollen, cold air, smoke, viral illnesses and many other triggers.

Avoiding the triggers is the first most important step. If you smoke, quitting smoking is a great first step! Second step is prescription medicines if avoidance alone still produces symptoms. If those medicines do not work adequately, you'll have to see an allergist for other forms of therapy which can include desensitization with weekly injections or other medicines delivered by IV, known as biologic medicines.

A peak flow meter is a very affordable device that a patient blows hard into to see how her lungs are functioning. It's an important part of asthma treatment as patients can monitor how their lungs are doing before an asthma attack. Knowing your peak flow is also very important for creating a personalized asthma treatment plan.

We recommend all patients with asthma have a peak flow meter.

Learn more at - https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/asthma/treatment/devices/peak-flow

An Aerochamber is a very affordable attachment that connects to your asthma inhaler. It doubles the amount of medicine that goes to a person's lungs than without an Aerochamber.

We recommend all patients with asthma have an Aerochamber or spacer if using inhaled asthma medicine.

Learn more at - https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/asthma/treatment/devices/chambers-spacers

It’s very easy to use our asthma care service. Most people complete the process in 15 mins.

Complete our simple health questionnaire

Create an account (make sure you do this to save your answers)

Make payment with a credit or debit card (we won’t charge your card until after your consultation)

Short video consultation with a GoMDUSA doctor or nurse practitioner.

We'll send you a secure message a month after your consultation to make sure the medicine is working. If you want to speak to us sooner, you can message us anytime.

Yes. It's safe to use our asthma care service as long as you answer our health questions fully and accurately. A member of our medical team will decide if it's appropriate to give you a prescription based on our strict medical guidelines.

Please read the information we provide about the risks and benefits of treatment and only take the medicine according to the instructions. If you have any side effects with the medicine, let us know. It’s important that you make an informed decision about whether to use GoMDUSA and take the medicines we prescribe.

If you are currently experiencing severe problems or difficulty breathing or severe asthma attack, this can be a life-threatening emergency. Please contact 911 immediately or go to your nearest emergency room or hospital.

Yes, doctors diagnose asthma primarily based on your history and symptoms. Our medical team will ask you the same questions they’d ask if they saw you in person.

However because of our commitment to safety and strict medical guidelines, we ask that you see a doctor in person for a full evaluation of your breathing if you’ve never been diagnosed with asthma before.

If for any reason our doctor or nurse practitioner thinks it’s not safe to treat you, we’ll ask you to see a doctor in person.

You sure can, as long as it’s safe for us to give you a prescription based on your medical history. We also ship most generic birth control pills for $15 pack with FREE shipping from our own mail order pharmacy.

We write prescriptions for over 100 different birth control pills, for NuvaRing and for Xulane patch. The birth control patch branded as Ortho Evra is no longer available in the US, but the generic version, Xulane, is available at pharmacies.

Yes. We can start you on birth control for the first time, or change you to a method or specific pill that’s a better fit for you personally.

Yes. We can recommend a pill that matches your needs if you don’t already have a specific one in mind. There are 2 broad categories of birth control pills to choose from – combination pills and progestin-only pills - and we can recommend one cost-effective pill from each category. We can ship the pills we recommend for $15 pack from our own pharmacy based in St Louis, Missouri.

We can give you a birth control prescription that lasts close to a year. We write a prescription for 3 packs, with 3 refills. After you’ve used your 12 packs you’ll need to come back to GoMDUSA to complete another visit. When we ship birth control pills to you, we typically ship 3 packs at a time.

Hormones in the pill, patch and ring make it harder to get pregnant because they: a) keep eggs from leaving your ovaries, and b) thicken your cervical mucus. Because of this, it's harder for sperm to reach an egg and fertilize it.

No. They don't protect you from sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. We offer STD testing for the two most common STDs - chlamydia and gonorrhea - through GoMDUSA.

If 100 women are on the pill, patch or ring as instructed, fewer than 1 in 100 women will get pregnant every 12 months. In reality, about 9 in 100 women taking birth control pills will get pregnant every 12 months. The pill, patch and ring are equally effective.

Longer-acting birth control methods such as an IUD are more effective at preventing unplanned pregnancy.

Combination pills, the patch and the ring contain 2 hormones – estrogen and progestin. Most pills are combination pills.

Birth control that contains estrogen come with a higher risk of serious side effects than progestin-only pills, the other type of birth control pill, or birth control methods that don’t contain hormones. Certain health conditions increase the risks of serious side effects from estrogen. These serious side effects can include blood clots, stroke, and death. Because of the risk of serious side effects, our doctors or nurse practitioners will review your answers to our health questions before prescribing any medicine.

If you have high blood pressure, it's not safe to take a combination pill, the patch or the ring. This is why you'll need to tell us your blood pressure. It's important that you give us an accurate blood pressure measurement from the last 6 months.

Progestin-only pills contain just one hormone, progestin.

Progestin-only pills have a lower risk of serious side effects compared to combination pills, patch and ring, because they don’t contain estrogen. The challenge with progestin-only pills is that you need to take them at the same time every day or else they aren't effective.

We can prescribe progestin-only pills to women who aren't suitable for combination pills through our website, such as women 35 and older, women who have high blood pressure, or women with risk factors that make it dangerous for them to take a combination pill.

Bedsider (http://bedsider.org) is a great website with detailed information about all birth control methods. If you're not sure birth control pills are right for you, we recommend using Bedsider Methods (http://bedsider.org/methods) to help you choose the best method for you.

You have a higher risk of serious side effects from a combination pill, patch or ring if you have high blood pressure, which is why we ask for a blood pressure measurement as part of our health questions. Even if you don’t know your blood pressure, just the chance that it might be high makes it unsafe to give you combination pills, patch or ring without measuring it first.

If you do have high blood pressure we can prescribe a progestin-only pill. Taking progestin-only pills is safe if you have high blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, but still prefer to take a combination pill, we think it’s safer for you to have an in-person discussion with a doctor or nurse practitioner first so you can review all your options for birth control.

No. To answer our health questions you need to provide us with recent and accurate blood pressure measurements.

Thousands of pharmacies have machines that can measure your blood pressure accurately for free, including most Walmart, Sam’s Club, Safeway, Rite Aid etc. Check these links for your nearest Higi machine and Pursuant Health machine.

It’s important to use a blood pressure monitor that has a cuff for the upper arm and has a label on the box that says ‘clinically validated.’ You can buy them in most drugstores or online. Always read the instructions carefully. We don’t recommend using finger and wrist monitors, as they tend to be less accurate.

Rest for at least 5 minutes before taking your readings. Wait at least 30 minutes after smoking, eating, drinking caffeine, or exercising.

Make sure the cuff for the upper arm fits properly. A cuff that is the wrong size will give an inaccurate reading. You should have just enough room to fit your fingertips between the cuff and your arm.

Make sure you put the cuff on the correct part of your arm. The lower edge of the cuff should be about an inch above your elbow. Rest your elbow on a table so that the cuff is at the same level as your heart.

Take 2 readings in both arms and give us the highest number you record.

We set up GoMDUSA to help Americans get the convenient affordable care they need regardless of insurance.

With our cholesterol service you can get the care and advice you need – including labs - online without having to go to a traditional doctor’s office.

Just like a traditional doctor's office we can order labs, write refills, start you on statin treatments and help you manage your cholesterol on an ongoing basis.

Cholesterol is a type of fat that’s in our blood. Our body needs cholesterol. Our body makes cholesterol and we also get cholesterol from food.

LDL is ‘bad’ cholesterol and raises your chance of heart disease and stroke.

HDL is ‘good’ cholesterol and is linked to a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.

If you have too much cholesterol it can make it hard for blood to flow through the blood vessels that take blood away from your heart. This increases your chance of having a heart attack, heart disease and stroke. 1 in 3 American adults die because of heart attack, heart disease or stroke. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.

Statin medicines can lower your risk of a heart attack or stroke by 20-25%. Lowering your risk of heart attack and stroke is the aim of taking statins.

You need to have a blood test to find out your cholesterol levels. A blood test can tell you your total cholesterol level and the levels of different types of cholesterol.

We can order lab work for you through our partner Quest Diagnostics. They have Patient Service Centers all around the country.

GoMDUSA is simple to use.

The process is different depending upon your personal situation but everyone needs to answer our health questions and create a GoMDUSA account. If necessary we’ll order blood work at Quest Diagnostics.

If we prescribe statin treatment we’ll send the prescription to your local pharmacy electronically so that you can benefit from the advice and care from the great pharmacists in your community.

Most people find generic statins affordable.

How much you pay for the statin medicines we prescribe depends upon the pharmacy you go to and what kind of insurance you have, if you have insurance. You pay the pharmacy for your statins, not us.

If you have to cash pay for your statin medicines then Costco pharmacies can provide generic medicines starting at $10-15 a quarter or $40-60 for a whole year. That’s one hell of a deal.

We sure can. After an online assessment and a review of the lab work we ordered our doctors or nurse practitioners can start you on statin medicines.

We follow strict guidelines to determine when it’s appropriate to prescribe statins online and we can only give you a prescription if your risk of a heart attack or stroke makes it appropriate. It wouldn’t be appropriate for us to start you on statins unnecessarily because all medicines, including statins, can have side-effects and cause adverse events.

Please note, you need to know your blood pressure to get an online prescription for statins from GoMDUSA. See below for the thousands of pharmacies that have machines that can accurately measure your blood pressure for free.

Once you’ve done lab work through GoMDUSA then we can give you a 3-month statin prescription at a time. Without knowing your lab results it wouldn’t be appropriate to provide you with ongoing care.

You need to know your blood pressure to get a statin prescription from GoMDUSA.

There are other medicines that lower cholesterol but we don’t currently prescribe them.

We recommend you see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person if you’re taking these other medicines by themselves or in combination with a statin.

Absolutely. We’ve partnered with Quest Diagnostics, the largest lab company in the US, so that you can get your lab work done cost effectively. Quest Diagnostics have thousands of Patient Service Centers around the US.

When we order lab work as part or our cholesterol service we’ll test your cholesterol, your liver and your thyroid.

In all states other than New York you’ll need to pay GoMDUSA for the lab work.

Yes, you need to know your blood pressure to complete our health questions.

We use your blood pressure along with other factors - whether you smoke, your age and cholesterol test results – to determine your risk of having a heart attack over the next 10 years.

We also need to know your blood pressure because giving guidance on blood pressure is an important part of providing responsible care for decreasing your risk of heart attack, heart disease, or stroke. If you have uncontrolled high blood pressure you need to get it investigated.

Many pharmacies have a machine where you can accurately measure your blood pressure for free. Most Walmart, Sam’s Club, Safeway, Rite Aid pharmacies have a machine.

Here are two links to help you find your nearest Higi machine and Pursuant Health kiosk. Both machines are FDA approved to check blood pressure accurately.

Managing your cholesterol is only one part of managing your overall health. We’ll give you guidance on other aspects of your health that you need to manage, such as your blood pressure. When necessary you’ll need to compliment care from GoMDUSA with a visit to a doctor or nurse practitioner in your community.

You only need to get your lab done one time if we start you on a statin.

If you’d like to get a repeat blood test after starting a statin, we recommend it no sooner than 6 weeks after you start the statin.

We recommend waiting 3-6 months after making significant lifestyle changes before retesting your cholesterol. We can re-order labs for you no problem.

Most patients who start a statin should continue taking statins for life. The risk of heart attack, heart disease, or stroke increases as we get older so if you wish to benefit from the protective effects of a statin medicine, you should take the medicine every day for life.

For now we only prescribe statins. If you need other medicines to treat high cholesterol then you should visit a doctor or nurse practitioner in your community.

GoMDUSA is a convenient way to get prescription-strength cold sore medicines without going to a doctor’s office. If our medical team thinks you have cold sores, we can send a prescription to your local pharmacy for you to pick-up and pay for your medicines.

Anyone age 18 or over and who lives the states that GoMDUSA serves.

Some health conditions mean we won’t be able to give you a prescription for cold sore treatment, but we’ll ask you about those when you complete your online visit.

If you’ve never had a cold sore before we won’t be able to give you prescription because we think you should see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person for your initial diagnosis. First time infection of cold sores can be quite painful for some patients and can include severe sore throat, swollen neck glands, and fever. Other symptoms can include neck stiffness or eye pain. If you have these types of symptoms we recommend you see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person.

Yes. Based on your symptoms and medical history we can diagnose cold sores. We don’t need to see a photo of your cold sores.

There are 2 types of treatment: treatment for an immediate outbreak or daily preventative treatment. The prescription medicines we prescribe for both types of treatment are antivirals.

Treatment for an immediate outbreak aims to make your symptoms go away faster.

Daily preventative treatment aims to stop you getting so many outbreaks, and if you do get outbreaks, they should be less severe and not last as long.

We prescribe the oral antiviral medicines acyclovir 400 mg, valacyclovir 1g or 1000 mg, and famicyclovir 500 mg tablets to treat an immediate outbreak.

For daily preventative treatment we prescribe acyclovir 400mg and valacyclovir 500mg.

The FDA approved use of valacyclovir or famicyclovir for treating cold sores when they come on. We offer these medicines explicitly for these uses.

Although commonly prescribed in the US to treat cold sores, the FDA has not approved use of acyclovir for immediate outbreak or acyclovir or valacyclovir for daily preventative treatment to treat cold sores the way we prescribe them. This means the way we prescribe them is ‘off-label’ use. Please note, these medicines are commonly in this manner and as outlined in peer reviewed medical references.

The risks of taking any medicine include side effects or allergic reaction to the medicine. This is true with any prescription or over-the-counter medicine. In addition, the treatment we give you at first may not work as well as expected, which may mean you'll need to change your medicines, add medicines, or see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person.

It's possible that you may see no improvement because your symptoms are due to something else besides cold sores. In this case, you'll have used medicine for cold sores unnecessarily and delayed your care.

If you don’t feel like your cold sores are getting better after 3-5 days of treatment, please send us a message so that we can give you additional advice. We may encourage you to see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person.

There are over-the-counter (OTC) medicines treatments as well as other prescription medicine available for cold sores. OTC medicines are typically less effective and generally have fewer potential side effects.

You also have the option of not taking any treatment for your cold sores. Only take a treatment if you think the risks outweigh the benefits.

With treatment, a cold sore outbreak should go away within 5-10 days.

If you take the daily preventative treatment, you should have fewer cold sore breakouts and when they occur they should be less severe and last a shorter amount of time.

Cold sores occur whenever the virus wakes up (reactivation) in the body. Things that can trigger cold sores include exposure to sunlight, having a menstrual period, stress, injury to the skin where the cold sore appears, dental work, or having some other illness. Each person's trigger may be different.

Avoiding these triggers can help decrease the number of cold sore breakouts you have.

If you have cold sores 5 of more times per year consider taking a daily medicine to prevent outbreaks (preventative or suppression therapy). You can get a prescription for this through our service.

If you have cold sores breakouts 5 or more times per year we recommend trying a daily medicine to help keep the blisters from popping up. This is known as preventative or suppressive therapy. If the medicine is working we would usually recommend taking it for a year and then stopping to see if the cold sores still come back. If you don't want to take a daily medicine you can also try taking a medicine as soon as you feel the cold sores coming back.

Cold sores are caused by a type of ‘herpes simplex virus’ (HSV) that infects the mouth and then hides out in the nerve of the face. Most people don't know they’ve been infected by the virus and you can have the virus for years before you have your first cold sore outbreak.

Your first outbreak can be quite painful with severe sore throat, swollen neck glands, and fever. Other symptoms can include neck stiffness or eye pain. If you have these types of symptoms yourself then we recommend you see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person.

Once the virus is in the nerve, it can come back as an outbreak of small blisters or sores on or around the mouth any time. You may notice a tingling, itching, burning around your lips before a cold sore outbreak. Within a few hours to a couple of days, painful blisters will appear. The blisters usually heal within 1 week

Once you have the virus that causes cold sores, it never goes away. The good news is that most people get fewer outbreaks as they get older.

Dark spots or blemishes on your skin can be unattractive and make you feel self-conscious. The good news is that our medical team can assess your dark spots to work out what’s causing them and, if appropriate, prescribe and deliver an effective treatment to your door.

We prescribe a cream that contains 3 active ingredients: hydroquinone, a retinoid and a steroid. We ship a 3 month supply at a time.

Hyperpigmentation is the technical term for when your skin darkens. Dark spots are often caused by excess melanin, which is the pigment that gives skin its color. The melanin can sometimes build up in patches and makes the skin appear darker than the skin around it. Many different things can cause the melanin to build up - prescription medicines, certain health conditions, skin conditions, excessive sun exposure, infections.

Sometimes dark spots can be caused by more serious conditions such as skin cancer. Therefore it’s very important to be familiar with your own skin. Make sure you go for a yearly physical exam with your doctor or nurse practitioner in person, and tell them about any suspicious skin spots you have. If you notice spots or marks on your skin that are changing in number, size, or shape over time, you should also see a dermatologist for a more comprehensive skin exam.

You can use our service if you're between the ages of 18 and 70 and you have defined areas of dark spots on your skin. GoMDUSA doctors or nurse practitioners can help with dark spots related to specific conditions such as PIH (postinflammatory hyperpigmentation), melasma, and solar lentigines (age or liver spots).

We aren’t able to help you if:

• You want to lighten your overall skin color, rather than lighten specific dark spots.
• Your dark spots are caused by something other than PIH (postinflammatory hyperpigmentation), melasma, or age or liver spots (solar lentigines).
• Your medical history suggests it’s best for you to see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person - history of skin cancer, vitiligo, other skin conditions that are uncontrolled (active eczema, psoriasis) pregnant/breastfeeding

We prescribe a compounded cream that typically contains 3 active ingredients:

• Hydroquinone - works as a skin ‘bleaching agent’ to lighten dark spots.
• Tretinoin - works by promoting skin cell turnover which allows for brighter skin cells to surface. Also helps the cream to work more effectively.
• Hydrocortisone - a steroid that reduces any irritation or inflammation that in patients with sensitive skin can be caused by tretinoin and hydroquinone.

A compounded cream is one that’s customized for particular patients and made by a licensed pharmacist in a pharmacy that’s licensed to do compounding. Although the FDA doesn’t approve specific compounded medicines, compounding is tightly regulated and serves an important role in patient care.

You’ll typically need to apply our cream for at least 3 months to start seeing benefits.

Let us know if the cream doesn’t seem to be working. We’ll likely check that you’re applying it properly and then give you more advice based on what you tell us.

It’s simple to use our service. Most people complete the process in 15 minutes:

1. Complete our simple dark spots health questionnaire
2. Upload photos of your face and any other areas of skin that have dark spots. Make sure you follow the instructions and provide close-ups if needed.
3. Create an account (make sure you do this to save your answers)
4. Make payment with a credit or debit card (we won’t charge your card until after one of our medical team reviews everything)
5. If required in your state, we may need to do a short video or telephone consultation.
6. We’ll prescribe and ship the appropriate cream. If instead we think you should see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person, we’ll explain why.
7. Get your cream in the mail and start treating your dark spots!

We’ll send you a secure message a month after your consultation to make you’re doing ok and to see if you have any questions. If you want to speak to us sooner, you can message us anytime.

Yes we can. Your photos and answers to our health questions give our medical team the information we need.

If we think you need to see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person for a more detailed examination or a skin biopsy, we’ll explain that to you and we won’t charge you anything.

One option is not to treat dark spots. Typically they aren’t caused by a condition that’s life-threatening so you don’t need to treat them from a medical perspective. That said, we still recommended you go for a yearly physical exam with your doctor or nurse practitioner in person, and tell them about any suspicious skin spots you have. If you notice spots or marks on your skin that are changing in number, size, or shape over time, you should also see a dermatologist for a more comprehensive skin exam.

To prevent your dark spots getting worse you can also focus on lifestyle changes such as wearing sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) and wearing protective clothing to avoid exposing your skin to sunlight.

If you want to treat them then there are some over-the-counter treatments that aren’t as strong as our prescription cream.

Avoid excessive exposure to sunlight, use sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher), and wear protective clothing. You should also avoid picking at acne lesions or scabs, as this can damage the skin further and create dark spots.

The GoMDUSA medical team can help by giving you anxiety medicines (SSRIs or SNRIs) or depression medicines (antidepressants) that should improve how you feel. Our service is private, convenient and affordable and based around a video consultation with one of our doctors or nurse practitioners. The GoMDUSA Pharmacy can ship your medicines direct to your door in discreet packaging.

We don’t know exactly what causes anxiety. The cause can be factors specific to you (internal factors), changes related to your overall environment and situation (external factors), or a particular significant event.

Depression is the most common mental health condition. Someone’s got depression if they have a depressed mood and little interest in doing things more days than not for over a 3 months.

We don’t know exactly what causes depression. The cause can be factors specific to you (internal factors), changes related to your overall environment and situation (external factors), or a particular significant event.

You can use our service if you’re between the ages of 25 and 60. If you have a history of suicidal thoughts or actions, bipolar, mania, psychosis, schizophrenia, alcohol or other drug use, HIV, seizures, glaucoma or family history of glaucoma, pregnant, or breastfeeding, we recommend that you see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person instead of using our service.

If you require a work note for your employer, or need to be evaluated for a disability of work compensation, then you should see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person and not use our service.

If you feel like you’re a danger to yourself or others or might harm yourself or others, please contact 911 immediately, go to your nearest emergency room or hospital, or contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

We can prescribe anti-depressants known as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), SNRI (serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors). SSRIs include sertraline (Zoloft), citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac), escitalopram(Lexapro), and paroxetine (Paxil). SNRIs include venlafaxine (Effexor) and duloxetine (Cymbalta). Atypical antidepressants include bupriopion (Wellbutrin).

We do not prescribe benzodiazepines or sedatives.

You can get the medicine shipped to you from 95$/month, including free fast delivery.

Yes, but like any medicine an anxiety treatment isn’t guaranteed to work. The goal is to improve your mood and keep it there. All of the medicines we prescribe have been demonstrated to be effective through extensive research studies. You’ll be able to discuss which treatment option is right for you with a member of our medical team during your video consultation.

It can take 4 to 6 weeks of taking the medicine every day before you feel an improvement - during this period you’re ‘responding’ to the treatment. Typically you’ll feel the full benefits after 3 months. We can adjust your medicine dosage after 4 weeks, based on how you feel.

Once you feel that you’re on the appropriate dose of medicine - what doctors or nurse practitioners generally refer to as a patient being ‘in remission’ - we recommend you take your medicine for a minimum of 9 to 12 months before thinking about stopping. If you’ve had 2 or more episodes of anxiety or 3 or more episodes of depression that required prescription medicine you should talk to our team about the option of ongoing ‘maintenance’ treatment. Talk to your doctor or nurse practitioner if deciding to stop medicine and if tapering off the medicine is necessary.

It’s very easy to use our anxiety and depression service. It should take you no more than 15 minutes to complete. The steps are:

1. Complete our simple health questionnaire
2. Create an account (make sure you do this to save your answers)
3. Pay consultation fee with your credit/debit card (we’ll place a hold on your card straightaway, but we won’t charge your card until after your consultation)
4. Video consultation with a GoMDUSA doctor or nurse practitioner.
5. Receive your medicine in the mail with our free fast delivery.

We’ll follow up with your after your consultation to make sure you’re doing ok. You can also message us anytime, or call the GoMDUSA Pharmacy and ask to speak to one of the pharmacists.

Not initially, no. Typically we’ll write a one month prescription after your initial video consultation. We’ll want you to come back before the end of the first month to tell us how you’re doing and to complete a follow-up video consultation. Assuming the treatment is working as desired and depending upon your personal medical history, our medical team can then prescribe a 30, 60 or 90 day course at a time.

Make sure you come back to us for a follow-up consultation before your medicine runs out as we don’t want you to have a gap in care.

Yes. It's safe to use our anxiety and depression service as long as you answer our health questions fully and accurately and are open and candid with our medical team during the video visit. A member of GoMDUSA’s medical team will decide if it's appropriate to give you a prescription based on our strict medical guidelines.

The medicines we prescribe come with risks, and it’s important you make an informed decision about the trade-offs of starting treatment. Please read the information we provide about the risks and benefits of treatment and only take the medicine according to the instructions. If you have any side effects with the medicine, let us know.

If you feel like you’re a danger to yourself or others or might harm yourself or others, please contact 911 immediately, go to your nearest emergency room or hospital, or contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

Yes, our medical team can diagnose anxiety and depression by asking you the same questions that they’d ask if they saw you in person. On video we can also help you understand the treatment options and answer any questions you have. Because our medical team works to such strict medical guidelines, we maintain the same or higher standards than if we saw you in person. The doctor or nurse practitioner will let you know if they think you need to see a clinician in person rather than use GoMDUSA.

We pride ourselves on great clinical and customer service. We have a fantastic support team and medical team who will all take as much time with you as you need. Unlike other telehealth companies, for anxiety and depression we provide live video consultations with our medical team. This ensures that you get the best quality care and can ask any questions you have. The pharmacy team at GoMDUSA Pharmacy is also available to answer any questions you have if you want to call them.

The medicines typically take 4 to 6 weeks to see some improvement and up to 2 to 3 months before anxiety and depression symptoms resolve. It depends on how an individual person responds to the particular dose and medicine prescribed.

You’ll typically need to take the medicine every day for 4 to 6 weeks before you feel an improvement. During this time you’re ‘responding to treatment’.

It can take 4 to 6 weeks of taking the medicine every day before you feel an improvement - during this period you’re ‘responding’ to the treatment. Typically you’ll feel the full benefits after 3 months. We can adjust your medicine dosage after 4 weeks, based on how you feel.

As a precaution, our medical team will need to have a video consultation before you receive a new refill prescription to ensure you are responding to the right medicine and the right dose. Make sure you either go to the website to initiate a consultation before you run out of medicine. You’ll answer the questionnaire again just like the first time. Our medical team prescribes in 30 days, 60, or 90 days of medicine at a time.

You always have the option of not doing anything about your anxiety or trying to improve your anxiety through techniques that don’t involve taking any prescription medicines. This can include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

We list the following online sources for therapy for your convenience. We don’t endorse or recommend any of these individual third party programs.

www.online-therapy.com

https://www.betterhelp.com/

Although there’s no clear evidence that exercise alone can improve depression, for general health we do recommend moderate exercise (fast walking, running, or cycling or upper and lower body weight training), 3 to 5 times per week, and 45 to 60 minutes each time. It may take up to 3 months to see overall improvement in mood.

Physical activity by exercising 60% to 90% of maximal heart rate three times a week for 20 minutes or yoga can be helpful to decrease anxiety. Avoiding triggers like caffeine, stimulants, nicotine, and stress) and improving your quality and quantity of sleep can also be helpful.

Do not stop your prescription medicine without consulting your doctor or nurse practitioner.

Men across the US love GoMDUSA because our doctors and nurse practitioners provide great care with amazing customer service. In addition, our mail order pharmacy based in St Louis Missouri offers transparent fair pricing with free fast delivery in discreet packaging. Because we run our own US pharmacy you know that the medicines we ship you are the real deal.

Our medical team treats men aged 25-72 and can prescribe affordable ED medicines. We typically write prescriptions with 11 refills.

GoMDUSA is a convenient way to get prescription-strength genital herpes medicines without going to a doctor’s office. If our doctors or nurse practitioners think you have genital herpes, we can send a prescription to your local pharmacy for you to pick-up and pay for your medicines.