Frequently Asked Questions

Liv Health is an online health platform that connects you with independent, licensed medical providers for personalized care in weight management, hormones, sexual health, longevity, and hair. If your provider decides treatment is right for you, your medication is filled by a U.S.-based, state-licensed pharmacy and shipped to your door.

Start with a short online health questionnaire. A licensed provider reviews your answers and medical history, may follow up with questions, and decides whether a prescription is appropriate. If you're prescribed treatment, it ships directly to you, and your care team is available to answer questions along the way.

Liv Health serves patients in all 50 states.

No. There is no appointment to book. You start with an online health questionnaire whenever it suits you, and a licensed provider reviews your answers and decides whether treatment is right for you.

Some treatments also require labs, including GLP-1 weight loss medications, testosterone and other male hormone treatments, and most menopause treatments. Your provider will tell you if yours does.

A licensed provider reviews your health history, and your lab results when your treatment requires them. They decide whether treatment is right for you, choose your dose and how much to prescribe, and review your plan before refills.

Depending on your goals and health history, providers may prescribe FDA-approved medications, compounded medications, or peptide therapies. Every prescription is based on a provider's evaluation of what's clinically appropriate for you.

Compounded medications are prepared by licensed pharmacies for individual patients and are not reviewed or approved by the FDA for safety, effectiveness, or quality. Prescription required. Results may vary.

Compounded means a licensed pharmacy mixes the medicine for one person. It is not made in large batches. The FDA does not approve compounded medicines for safety, quality or how they are made.

Some Liv Health treatments are compounded, and others are FDA-approved medicines.

A provider licensed in your state reviews your health history, and your lab results when required, before prescribing, and reviews your care before each refill. Any compounded medicine comes from a licensed pharmacy. Your care team is available between refills.

It depends on the treatment. GLP-1 weight loss medications, testosterone and other male hormone treatments, and most menopause treatments require labs, and your provider reviews the results before approving your prescription.

Other treatments don't need labs to get started. For some, your provider will explain any follow-up tests.

A licensed provider reviews your intake within 48 hours. If your treatment requires labs, your results must also be reviewed before approval. Compounded medicines can take a little longer.

You don't need insurance to get started. Liv Health programs are self-pay with upfront pricing, and you can use your HSA or FSA card for eligible purchases.

There is no membership fee. Your plan includes medicine, shipping and ongoing support, with provider review before every refill at no extra cost. You're billed on the schedule you choose.

Yes. You can change your plan, skip a shipment or cancel from your account. If you want to change your treatment or dose, discuss it with your provider.

Before each refill, you tell us how you're doing. Your provider reviews your progress and adjusts your plan as needed. You'll also have a check-in every three months.

Once your prescription is approved, the pharmacy ships it the same day if it's in stock and approved before 1 PM Eastern. After approval, delivery usually takes 3 to 5 days. Compounding can add time.

Liv Health is not a pharmacy. A U.S.-based, state-licensed pharmacy dispenses your prescription and ships it directly to you.

Yes. Your health information is protected under HIPAA and handled according to our Privacy Policy. It's only shared with the providers and pharmacies involved in your care, or as required by law.

Tell your provider about any side effects or changes you notice so they can review your plan. If you think you are having a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Semaglutide and tirzepatide may help reduce hunger and cravings, so eating less can feel more manageable. Semaglutide is a GLP-1 medication; tirzepatide acts on both GIP and GLP-1 receptors. Results vary, and your provider reviews your progress as you go.

Zepbound is an FDA-approved tirzepatide injection for weight loss and long-term weight maintenance in adults with obesity, or overweight and a weight-related health condition. Ozempic is FDA-approved for adults with type 2 diabetes; prescribing it for weight management is off-label.

A compounded GLP-1 is prepared for one patient by a licensed pharmacy. It is not FDA-approved or a generic version of a branded medicine, and research on the branded product does not establish the same results for a compounded preparation. Sharing an active ingredient does not make them the same product.

The formats differ in how much medicine your body absorbs. FDA-approved tirzepatide products are injections; oral tirzepatide is mixed for you by a licensed pharmacy. Tell your provider which format you prefer so they can consider it alongside your health history.

There is no established start date for changes in hunger or weight with a compounded prescription, and results vary. Tell your provider what changes you notice so they can review your progress.

Nausea was reported more often than with placebo in the trials of FDA-approved GLP-1 medicines. In Ozempic's trials in adults with type 2 diabetes, it was reported by 15.8% on 0.5 mg and 20.3% on 1 mg, against 6.1% on placebo. In Zepbound's weight reduction trials, it was 25% to 29% across the doses studied, against 8% on placebo.

Your provider can explain what to expect and how to manage side effects during treatment.

Finasteride 1 mg is a once-daily tablet that can help men with male pattern hair loss keep more of their hair.

Dutasteride is a capsule. In a 24-week study of men with male pattern hair loss, it improved hair count and strand width compared with placebo. Dutasteride is FDA-approved in the U.S. for an enlarged prostate; its use for hair loss is off-label.

Oral minoxidil is a tablet; topical minoxidil is applied to the scalp. Minoxidil tablets are approved for high blood pressure that other medicines cannot manage, not for hair growth, and their label carries a boxed warning about serious heart effects. Your provider can explain which form fits your health history.

The FDA says it can. Approved finasteride tablets have a coating that keeps the active ingredient off your hands during normal handling. A compounded topical has no coating, so there is a greater risk that applied product transfers to other people, and the FDA specifically identifies the risk of transfer to women. Finasteride is not safe for women who are pregnant or may become pregnant. Follow the handling instructions your provider gives you.

Yes. Finasteride lowers PSA, a blood marker used to assess the prostate. Tell the clinician ordering your PSA test that you take it so they can interpret the result correctly. Any confirmed rise in PSA while taking finasteride should be investigated, even if the result is within the normal range.

Evidence that biotin supplements improve hair, skin or nails is limited to a few case reports and small studies. Low biotin levels can cause hair loss, but deficiency is rare.

Taking more than the recommended intake of biotin can make some blood test results read too high or too low. Tell your provider and the person drawing your blood that you take biotin and how much.

Spironolactone may help some women with pattern hair thinning, alongside other hair-loss treatments. It acts on androgens, hormones involved in some types of hair thinning. It is not FDA-approved for hair loss, so this use is off-label, and your provider considers your health history before prescribing it.

Finasteride 1 mg is FDA-approved to treat male pattern hair loss in men only. Women who are or may become pregnant must avoid it. Finasteride changes how the body turns testosterone into another hormone, and in pregnancy that can cause birth defects in the sex organs of a male baby. If someone in your home takes it, let them handle any crushed or broken tablets.

Oral minoxidil is a tablet; topical minoxidil is applied to the scalp. Minoxidil tablets are approved for high blood pressure that other medicines cannot manage, not for hair growth, and their label carries a boxed warning about serious heart effects. Your provider can explain which form fits your health history.

Evidence that biotin supplements improve hair, skin or nails is limited to a few case reports and small studies. Low biotin levels can cause hair loss, but deficiency is rare.

Taking more than the recommended intake of biotin can make some blood test results read too high or too low. Tell your provider and the person drawing your blood that you take biotin and how much.

Guidelines call for symptoms that fit low testosterone together with consistently low blood levels. Testing starts with a fasting morning total testosterone measurement, repeated to confirm the result.

They are different medicines. Testosterone has FDA-approved products in several forms.

Enclomiphene may help raise testosterone while keeping sperm counts in the normal range. Research has focused on overweight men with a specific form of low testosterone. Liv Health offers it as a compounded prescription.

Gonadorelin is a prescription peptide compounded for your hormone plan. There is no currently marketed FDA-approved human gonadorelin product in the U.S., and evidence about testosterone does not establish benefits for gonadorelin.

Your provider considers your history and goals when recommending treatment.

Yes. Testosterone is a Schedule III controlled substance.

Testosterone is started at a low dose and adjusted gradually based on your response. Your provider also monitors hematocrit, a measure of red blood cells, when reviewing your care.

Approved testosterone gel labeling carries an FDA boxed warning about secondary exposure: children who touched an unwashed or uncovered application site have developed male traits. Cover the skin where you apply the gel, wash your hands afterward, keep children away from that skin, and follow the handling steps that ship with your prescription.

Estradiol, taken by mouth or worn as a skin patch, can help ease moderate to severe hot flashes and night sweats due to menopause.

If you prefer to avoid hormones, there are hormone-free options taken by mouth. Low-dose paroxetine is FDA-approved for moderate to severe hot flashes and night sweats due to menopause. Desvenlafaxine may help make hot flashes less frequent and less intense, but study results have been mixed, and prescribing it for hot flashes is off-label. Both carry an FDA boxed warning about suicidal thoughts and behaviors, so tell your provider about any current or past mental health concerns.

Your provider can explain which option fits your health history.

Progesterone works alongside estrogen to help protect your uterine lining. Take it at night on the schedule your provider prescribes.

Vaginal estradiol is used for vaginal symptoms after menopause, such as dryness, irritation and pain during sex. Estradiol tablets have approved uses for moderate to severe hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal symptoms. For vaginal symptoms alone, the tablet label says to consider a topical vaginal product first.

Some estrogen from vaginal cream can be absorbed into your body, so the warnings, precautions and side effects for estrogen taken by mouth also matter. Your provider can explain which form fits your symptoms and health history.

Not on your own. Tablets, patches, creams and vaginal inserts are separate products with different uses and directions. Talk with your provider before switching.

The labels for estradiol tablets, estradiol patches, vaginal estradiol cream and vaginal estradiol inserts carry an FDA boxed warning. Depending on the product and whether a progestin is also used, it covers cancer of the uterine lining, stroke, blood clots in the legs or lungs, heart attack, invasive breast cancer and probable dementia.

Using a patch or a vaginal product does not remove these risks. Discuss how they apply to your health history and the treatment prescribed to you.

Sildenafil and tadalafil each help you get and keep an erection firm enough for sex.

No. Sildenafil is not safe with nitric oxide donors, including organic nitrates and nitrites in any form; it was shown to make the blood pressure drop from nitrates stronger. Tadalafil is not safe with any form of organic nitrate either, and the same goes for guanylate cyclase stimulators such as riociguat. If a nitrate is anywhere on your medicine list, include it in your intake.

Daily tadalafil is taken once a day, so you don't have to plan each dose around sex. As-needed medicines are taken before sex. Your provider can help you decide which approach suits you.

Liv Health's sexual health formulas are compounded prescriptions that contain one to four active ingredients in different combinations. Compounded medicines are not FDA-approved.

Some formulas include apomorphine. In the U.S., apomorphine is approved for Parkinson's disease; its use for erection problems is off-label.

The approved labels do not support calling one formula stronger, faster or more reliable than another. Your provider reviews your health history to decide whether a formula is right for you.

Get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. Stop taking your medicine and get medical help right away for sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes, or a sudden decrease or loss of hearing.

NAD+ helps your cells turn food into energy and supports enzymes that maintain DNA. Liv Health offers it as a compounded injection, a nasal spray and oral drops.

Tell your provider which format you'd prefer and whether you have trouble absorbing medicine through your gut. They'll review your health history and help you choose.

There is not enough evidence to know whether NAD+ improves day-to-day energy. NAD+ has an essential role inside cells, but that alone does not tell us how you might feel. Tell your provider about tiredness or other changes so they can review what may be causing them.

It depends on the treatment. B12 + MIC and glutathione are shots under the skin, and L-carnitine is a shot into a muscle. Your provider sets your schedule, and instructions come with your shipment.

Lipo-C combines methionine, inositol and choline with L-carnitine and vitamin B12. Tell your provider what you already take so your doses aren't doubled. They'll look at everything you take and adjust your plan as needed.