How Hims Works: Online Visit, Prescription, Pharmacy and Shipping

Below: each step, who the providers are, where the medicine comes from, how billing and cancelling work, and how Hims compares with other programs.

Step 1: the online visit

You start on hims.com or in the Hims app. You pick a treatment area, such as ED or hair loss, and answer questions about your symptoms, health history and other medicines. Hims says "There's no in-person visit required" and that you answer "100% online" (Hims sexual health).

Be complete about heart problems and medicines. ED drugs must never be mixed with nitrate heart medicines, and the provider can only check what you tell them.

Step 2: a licensed provider reviews it

A licensed medical provider reads your answers and decides whether a prescription fits. Hims puts it this way: "Prescription products require an online consultation with a healthcare provider who will determine if a prescription is appropriate." (Hims ED page, read 14 November 2026)

The provider may prescribe, suggest a different treatment, ask more questions, or say no. Hims's record on our site lists its providers as licensed in all 50 states for ED.

Does Hims require a prescription?

Yes, for prescription drugs. Hims's ED page says: "Some medications available through Hims, such as PDE5 inhibitors sildenafil and tadalafil, are only available with a prescription." (Hims ED page) PDE5 inhibitors is the drug class name for sildenafil and tadalafil.

You do not need an existing prescription. The Hims provider writes it after the online visit. A few Hims products, such as minoxidil foam and serum for hair, are sold over the counter and need no prescription.

Are Hims doctors real?

Hims says the people who review your visit are licensed medical providers. That can mean a doctor or another licensed prescriber, such as a nurse practitioner. Its sexual health page says: "Your free online consultation, online check-ins, and health questions are handled by our team of licensed medical providers at no extra cost." (Hims sexual health)

You can check any prescriber's license with your state's medical or nursing board. Hims also shows a LegitScript seal in its footer, linked to LegitScript's checker. LegitScript is a company that reviews online pharmacies and telehealth sites.

Hims telehealth: what follow-up looks like

After you start, care goes on in the app. Hims lists what its ED subscription includes:

• ED medication
• Free shipping
• A free assessment by a licensed medical provider, online
• Periodic check-ins with medical providers
• Unlimited messaging with medical providers
• The app to manage your subscription

Source: Hims ED page, read 14 November 2026. Hims says you can "message your Care Team" and change your refill schedule in the app.

Step 3: the pharmacy

Hims does not make the medicine at your local drugstore. Partner pharmacies fill and ship it. Hims's terms name its dispensing pharmacies, including Apostrophe Pharmacy, XeCare and Curexa, as recorded in our Hims review on 31 October 2026.

Some Hims products are FDA-approved generics, such as sildenafil, tadalafil and finasteride tablets. Others are compounded, which means a pharmacy mixes them to order. Hims flags this on its pages: "Compounded drug products are not approved or evaluated for safety, effectiveness, or quality by the FDA." (Hims sexual health) The FDA says the same: "Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved." (FDA: compounding questions and answers, read 14 November 2026) Hard Mints, chews and the 3-in-1 Pill are compounded.

Step 4: shipping

If prescribed, Hims says "your treatment ships discreetly to your door, for free" (Hims ED page). The box is plain. Refills ship on the schedule you set.

Billing, insurance and cancelling

Hims prices its ED products per month and marks them "Paid upfront in full." It adds: "Actual price depends on product and plan purchased." (Hims sexual health) So a longer plan is billed at once.

Hims does not bill insurance. Its ED page says: "No insurance is required to receive your ED treatment through Hims." To cancel, our review records that you must do it at least 48 hours before the next order date. Once the pharmacy processes an order, a refund is not certain.

Every Hims ED price is in our Hims ED cost guide.

How Hims compares

Hims does many things well: one login for several conditions, free shipping, a starting price on every product, and named pharmacies. Other programs work the same way with different prices. The lowest all-in ED plan we track is $16 a month at Strut Health. Our Hims alternatives guide lists the closest options, and Hims vs Ro compares the two biggest programs.