Can I get Xanax or diazepam from an online doctor?
Almost never from a direct-pay service, and never instantly. Benzodiazepines carry real risks of dependence, withdrawal seizures and fatal interaction with alcohol or opioids, and most telehealth companies have decided that prescribing them without an in-person relationship is not responsible. Plunge Care, Amazon One Medical, GoodRx Care and the pharmacy chains' virtual clinics do not prescribe them.
Teladoc states that its clinicians do not prescribe controlled substances, which includes Xanax. Hims and Hers focuses on non-controlled medications; it does not prescribe Xanax. Some dedicated telepsychiatry practices will prescribe a benzodiazepine to an established patient after video evaluation, within the federal rules, but that is a specialist relationship, not an on-demand visit.
If you have been on a benzodiazepine prescribed in person and need continuity, the right path is your prescriber or a psychiatrist who can take over your care. Stopping suddenly is dangerous; tell any clinician you see that you take one.
What is the closest thing to diazepam that is not controlled?
There is no non-controlled drug that works the same way as diazepam, and anything marketed as a legal substitute should be treated with suspicion. What a clinician can do is treat the underlying problem with options that are not controlled substances.
- For ongoing anxiety: SSRIs and SNRIs, which are first-line treatment and can be prescribed by telehealth, and buspirone.
- For short-term or situational anxiety: hydroxyzine, an antihistamine with calming effects, or propranolol for physical symptoms such as a racing heart before a specific event.
- For sleep: addressing the cause, cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, and non-controlled options such as trazodone or melatonin when a clinician judges them appropriate.
- For muscle spasm: non-controlled muscle relaxants and physical therapy.
- Talk therapy, which for many anxiety conditions is as effective as medication and lasts longer.
Which of these, if any, is appropriate is a clinical decision made by a licensed clinician who has reviewed your history.
Can I get Adderall via telehealth?
Stimulants are Schedule II controlled substances, the most tightly regulated category that can be prescribed at all. Several telehealth companies prescribed them widely under the pandemic waiver, which drew federal scrutiny, criminal charges against at least one company's executives, and pharmacies refusing to fill telehealth stimulant prescriptions. Most services pulled back.
Today a few specialist ADHD telehealth practices still prescribe stimulants under the current extension, with video visits, formal diagnostic evaluation and ongoing monitoring, and only in some states. General telehealth services do not. Teladoc, Amazon One Medical, GoodRx Care and Plunge Care do not prescribe Adderall or any stimulant.
If you think you have ADHD, a telehealth evaluation with a psychiatrist or psychologist is a reasonable first step, and non-stimulant medications such as atomoxetine, which are not controlled, can be prescribed remotely when appropriate.
Can telehealth prescribe pain medication?
Non-opioid pain medication, yes. A clinician can prescribe prescription-strength anti-inflammatories, topical treatments, muscle relaxants, nerve-pain medications such as duloxetine, and migraine medications after a telehealth review, and can advise on over-the-counter options.
Opioid pain medication, essentially no. Opioids are controlled, the risks of misuse are high, and acute pain severe enough to need them usually needs an exam to find the cause. Nearly every telehealth service, Plunge Care included, declines opioid requests outright. Established chronic-pain patients should work with their pain specialist, who may offer telehealth follow-ups within their own practice.
What Teladoc, Hims, Amazon One Medical and GoodRx actually do
- Teladoc: states that its clinicians do not prescribe controlled substances, including Xanax and Adderall.
- Hims and Hers: prescribes non-controlled medications for hair loss, sexual health, skin, weight and some mental health conditions; does not prescribe Xanax or stimulants.
- Amazon One Medical pay-per-visit: non-controlled medications only; does not prescribe Xanax.
- GoodRx Care: non-controlled medications for common conditions; does not prescribe Adderall or other controlled substances.
- Plunge Care: never prescribes controlled substances. Clinicians treat anxiety, depression, sleep and pain with non-controlled options when appropriate, and refer you in person when that is what you need.
Why saying no is the responsible answer
Benzodiazepines, stimulants and opioids are the three drug classes most involved in dependence, diversion and overdose. The in-person requirement exists because a clinician needs to know a patient before starting them, and telehealth makes it easy to shop between prescribers. A service that will not prescribe them is protecting you and everyone else who uses it.
If you need one of these medications, the path is a clinician who knows you: your primary care doctor, a psychiatrist or a pain specialist, who can prescribe within the rules and monitor you properly, often with telehealth follow-ups once the relationship exists.
If you are in crisis or thinking of harming yourself, call or text 988 or call 911. If you have taken too much of any medication, call Poison Control or 911.
