How to Get an ED Prescription Online: What Happens and What to Check

You can get an ED prescription online by completing a health questionnaire with a licensed telehealth service; a clinician reviews it and, if a medicine is appropriate, sends the prescription to a pharmacy that ships to you. A prescription is never automatic: the clinician has to check your heart health and every medicine you take, and some states require a live video visit rather than a form.

NIDDK, part of the National Institutes of Health, gives one rule that applies to every option on this page: do not order an ED medicine online before talking with a health care professional. A legitimate online service is one way to have that conversation. A website that sells ED pills with no clinician involved is not.

How Online ED Prescriptions Work, Step by Step

1. 1.Choose a service and a medicine you want to discuss. Common choices are generic sildenafil, tadalafil and vardenafil.
2. 2.Answer a medical questionnaire about your symptoms, health conditions, current medicines and recreational drug use. Some services also ask for a recent blood pressure reading.
3. 3.A licensed clinician reviews your answers and may message you with follow-up questions. Depending on your state, the service may require a video call.
4. 4.If the clinician decides a medicine is appropriate, the prescription goes to a pharmacy. If not, you should be told why and where to get in-person care.
5. 5.The pharmacy ships the medicine. Ask how refills, renewals and follow-up questions work before you pay.

As one published example, Lemonaid Health's ED page describes this sequence: choose a medicine, answer health questions including a recent blood pressure reading (it points to free pharmacy kiosks for this), have its medical team review the request, then ship after approval. The same page states that some states require a video chat. Other services use similar steps, but the details differ, so read each provider's own page.

What the Clinician Needs to Know

Sildenafil, tadalafil and vardenafil belong to a class called PDE5 inhibitors, oral medicines that improve blood flow to the penis. A few situations can rule them out or change the plan, which is why the questionnaire asks so much. Answer it completely, even the questions that feel awkward.

• •Nitrate medicines for chest pain, such as nitroglycerin. MedlinePlus says these must not be combined with sildenafil.
• •Street drugs that contain nitrates ("poppers"). MedlinePlus says a doctor will tell you not to take sildenafil if you use them, and advises the same caution for tadalafil.
• •Riociguat (Adempas), a medicine for pulmonary hypertension, which MedlinePlus lists as one to tell your doctor about with tadalafil.
• •Heart, blood pressure, liver or kidney problems, and every other prescription, nonprescription medicine and supplement you take.
• •Any medicine you suspect is causing ED. NIDDK advises asking a clinician to review it rather than stopping it on your own.

The clinician also decides the schedule, which affects cost. MedlinePlus describes sildenafil as taken as needed, usually about one hour before sexual activity and generally not more than once every 24 hours. Tadalafil can be prescribed as needed or once daily. The prescriber sets the medicine, strength and frequency; do not change them on your own.

Is It Safe to Get ED Medication Online?

It can be, if the medicine comes from a licensed pharmacy on a real prescription. The risk is in websites that skip those steps. FDA warns that counterfeit medicines may contain the wrong ingredient, the wrong amount of the active ingredient, or none at all, and it lists buying from an online pharmacy as one situation to watch. Separately, FDA keeps a running list of sexual enhancement products found to contain hidden drug ingredients, says they are sold online and in stores, and notes that a product missing from the list is not proof that it is safe.

• •Always requires a doctor's prescription
• •Provides a physical address and telephone number in the United States
• •Has a licensed pharmacist on staff to answer your questions
• •Is licensed with a state board of pharmacy

• •Does not require a doctor's prescription
• •Is not licensed in the United States and by your state board of pharmacy
• •Sends medicine that looks different from what your local pharmacy dispenses, or packaging that is damaged, in a foreign language, undated or expired
• •Offers deep discounts or prices that seem too good to be true
• •Charges for products you never ordered or received, or does not clearly protect your personal and financial information

To check a pharmacy yourself, use FDA's BeSafeRx locator, which links to each state board of pharmacy's license database. FDA's instruction is direct: if your online pharmacy is not listed, do not use it. A telehealth service should be able to tell you which pharmacy fills its prescriptions so you can look it up.

What an Online ED Prescription Costs

Prices depend on the medicine, the strength, how many doses you get each month, and whether the service charges a visit or membership fee on top. The headline price on a landing page is usually the lowest one available. As an example of how a published offer reads, Lemonaid Health's ED page lists a one-time $25 consult that it says covers 12 refills, pills "starting at $2/pill," and free shipping. The "starting at" figure is not necessarily what your prescribed strength and quantity will cost, so confirm the full price at checkout.

• •Is there a visit or consult fee, and is it refunded if no prescription is issued?
• •What does the medicine cost for my prescribed strength and quantity, per order and per month?
• •Is the order an automatic subscription, what is the price after any introductory offer, and how do I cancel?
• •Are follow-up messages, dose changes and refills included?
• •Which licensed pharmacy fills the prescription?

Also compare the online price with your insurance or a local pharmacy discount price for the same generic. For some people a regular doctor's visit plus a local pharmacy works out cheaper; for others, the bundled online price is lower. Our provider reviews list each service's published prices with the date we checked them.

When an In-Person Visit Is the Better Choice

Online care works best for a straightforward first prescription or a refill. NIDDK notes that clinicians try to treat the underlying cause of ED where possible, and that options beyond pills include counseling, testosterone for men with low levels, injections, urethral suppositories, vacuum devices and, rarely, surgery. If you have heart disease symptoms, take nitrates, have not had a checkup in years, or pills have not worked, an in-person exam with your own doctor or a urologist is the better first step.

Common Questions About Getting ED Medication Online

• •Can I get an ED prescription online without seeing a doctor? You still need a licensed clinician to review your health information. Many services use a written questionnaire, but some states require a video visit.
• •Is it legal to buy ED pills online? Buying from a state-licensed pharmacy on a valid prescription is the route FDA recommends. FDA lists a site that does not require a prescription as a warning sign.
• •How fast can I get ED medication online? It depends on how quickly the clinician reviews your answers and on shipping. Lemonaid, for example, states 2 to 3 business day delivery after approval, with a next-day option.
• •Can I get tadalafil for daily use online? Tadalafil can be prescribed once daily or as needed, according to MedlinePlus. Whether daily use suits you is the clinician's decision.