Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice. All statements are merely the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to prescription medication.

For Hers is an online mental health platform for women. The brand describes their services as “health care that feels like self-care,” and connects patients with doctors who can prescribe medication to be delivered in the mail, with no need for an in-person visit.

But how does the price of the same medication compare between For Hers and other platforms? Does gendered mental health treatment even make sense? And how do real users describe their experience using For Hers?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we compare the price of the same medication between For Hers and Cost Plus Drugs, a low-cost prescription medication startup.

We’ll also share our thoughts on gendered treatment of mental health, give our take on whether or not the For Hers platform is worth the money, and share real For Hers user reviews.

Is For Hers Overpriced?

For Hers prescribes generic medications which tend to be just as effective but cheaper than brand-name versions.

Cost Plus Drugs, the low-cost prescription medication venture founded by Mark Cuban, also sells generic drugs. 

Below is a price comparison between the two platforms for some of the most commonly-prescribed medications.

For Hers does not currently detail the medication dosage or quantity on their product pages, so we will compare the price listed on each For Hers product page to the price listed for the default settings for dosage and quantity on Cost Plus Drugs:

Citalopram (antidepressant)

• For Hers: $49
• Cost Plus Drugs: $5.90

Fluoxetine (antidepressant)

• For Hers: $49
• Cost Plus Drugs: $3.90

Busprione (anti-anxiety)

• For Hers: $49
• Cost Plus Drugs: $5.60

Venlafaxine (antidepressant)

• For Hers: $49
• Cost Plus Drugs: $6.20

Paroxetine (antidepressant)

• For Hers: $49
• Cost Plus Drugs: $6.20

Clearly on a cost basis alone, Cost Plus Drugs vastly outperforms For Hers.

For Hers also sells a minoxidil foam at a concentration of 5% for $15 per month. As we documented in our minoxidil for women review article, this is a leading FDA-approved hair loss treatment.

However, various minoxidil foams are available on Amazon at the time of updating this article for $10 per month or less.

Overall, we consider For Hers to be somewhat overpriced.

Is Gendered Mental Health Illogical?

Our issue with gendered marketing for mental health medication is that it may confuse patients.

All of the FDA-approved psychiatric medications sold by For Hers are currently approved for use in both sexes, so we find the marketing somewhat confusing.

As an example, bupropion is an antidepressant (generic for Wellbutrin) that’s approved for use in both men and women.

The exact same medication is sold on the For Hims website and the For Hers website (which are owned by the same company).

We hope that a male patient doesn’t see a medication branded as “for her” and have hesitations about using it, and vice versa.

We only take issue with gendered marketing of mental health medications but not with therapy, because there is some clinical evidence that therapy outcomes can be optimized based on matching sex.

A medical review published in the Psychological Reports journal found that women experienced better results from therapy when matched with a female therapist.

Many health companies use gendered marketing, but we haven't previously encountered it related to prescription drug marketing for drugs approved for both sexes.

Real People Try For Hers

A TikTok creator named Karen Maritza found that the convenience of booking an appointment with a short turnaround time with a psychiatrist is an advantage given how long it can take to book an in-person appointment:

@itskarenmaritza 🔔 talk to your doctor about medications and risks 🔔 this is my personal experience on antidepressants. More than happy to keep posting about my experience on them. #wellbutrin #antideppressants #mentalhealth #latinasoftiktok #bupropion #forhers @hers ♬ Aesthetic - Tollan Kim

A YouTube creator named Pamela Ross reviewed a wide range of non-prescription For Hers products:

Our Take: Is Hers Worth It?

For Hers may be worth the money for some patients, but we don’t recommend the platform to all patients.

For patients with disposable income who need to see a psychiatrist as soon as possible, it may be well worth it to sign up for Hers and see how soon an appointment becomes available.

It may require significantly less waiting than trying to book a local provider.

For patients shopping based on retail price alone, Cost Plus Drugs seems like the clear winner.

Their site has the lowest out-of-pocket prices for generic drugs by far of any online health platform we’ve analyzed to date on Illuminate Health.

Patients with good health insurance but low income may benefit from working with local providers, because the cost can in some cases be 100% subsidized.

However, this varies significantly based on the insurance plan.

Our Mental Wellness Picks

Brightside Health is our top overall mental wellness pick.

Brightside is an online therapy and medication platform that connects patients with licensed therapists and psychiatrists from the comfort of their home.

A medical review published in the Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy journal found that online therapy was equally effective to in-person therapy for treating depression, anxiety and PTSD.

Mindbloom is our top alternative mental wellness pick.

Mindbloom offers ketamine therapy, and over 88% of patients experienced relief of anxiety and depression symptoms in a clinical trial on the brand.

For Hers Pros and Cons

Here are the pros and cons of For Hers in our opinion:

Pros:

• FDA-approved medications
• Licensed psychiatrists
• May reduce wait times compared to local providers
• May be convenient option for wealthy patients
• May be convenient option for patients with great health insurance

Cons:

• Sex-based prescription drug marketing may confuse patients
• Much higher retail prices than Cost Plus Drugs
• Company doesn't currently accept insurance
• Higher retail prices on some OTC items than Amazon

Conclusion

For Hers does not currently accept insurance, and their cost of coverage and medication prices are relatively high compared to alternative platforms like Cost Plus Drugs.

In our opinion, Hers is not the best option for low-income patients.

There is definitely a convenience of being able to have a videoconference with a psychiatrist within a week or two, since local bookings can be months out.

For this reason, we think that Hers may be a good resource for high-income patients who don’t need to worry about the costs of paying out-of-pocket.

Online reviews of this service are relatively favorable, but we take issue with the gendered branding of generic drugs that are FDA-approved to treat both sexes.

Our concern is that this may confuse patients.

We don’t recommend For Hers overall, but the brand reports that 75% of users feel better after signing up, so we have no issue with users trying this service.