A prescription is a decision

The order needs a clinician

When a doctor or another legally authorised health professional orders medicine for you, that order is a prescription. Federal law requires that order before a pharmacy hands over a prescription medicine.

Ask who decides whether the medicine fits your health and who explains that decision to you.

The Federation of State Medical Boards considers a menu choice alone too little to base treatment on. That group's guidance says patients need a way to bring up questions after a visit.

A remote visit is not a blanket permission

Federal law has no general in-person visit requirement for medicines that are not controlled drugs. Your state's rules still apply. The clinician still needs to review your health.

Controlled drugs have special rules about misuse. Under federal law, testosterone is controlled; semaglutide and tirzepatide are not.

A medicine’s controlled-drug status leaves separate questions about approval and a pharmacy’s legal permission to prepare it for an order. A pharmacy prepares medicine for an order through compounding.

Ask what the decision means for you

Ask what health problem the medicine is meant to address. Ask what information led to the choice and which other options were considered.

If the answer is that this plan does not fit, ask what the next step is. If a prescription is offered, write down the exact product name before comparing prices or pharmacies.