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.
Hims is an online health platform for men. The brand describes their service as “personalized, doctor-backed treatment plans” and sells everything from prescription erectile dysfunction (ED) meds, to hair loss meds, to anxiety and depression meds.
But does Hims have better options for men than other online health platforms? How does the cost of the same medication compare between Hims and other sites? Does gendered mental health care even make sense? And how do real users rate and describe the drugs and products sold by Hims?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we compare the price of the same medications on Hims and Cost Plus Drugs, which is a discount prescription medication site founded by Mark Cuban.
We’ll also share our thoughts on why gendered mental health treatment may not make sense, give our overall take on whether or not Hims is worth the money, and share real Hims customer reviews.
Is Hims Overpriced?
Hims prescribes generic medications, which means that the same medications prescribed by Hims can be accessed at other online healthcare platforms.
Cost Plus Drugs is the online pharmacy with the best prices that we’ve come across, so we’ll use this site as a benchmark to compare drug prices to Hims.
Below is a price comparison for five randomly-selected drugs:
Finasteride (hair loss)
- Hims: $22
- Cost Plus Drugs: $6.20
Sildenafil (generic for Viagra – ED)
- Hims: $22
- Cost Plus Drugs: $6.80
Tadalafil (generic for Cialis – ED)
- Hims: $32
- Cost Plus Drugs: $6.80
Propranolol (anti-anxiety)
- Hims: Public pricing removed
- Cost Plus Drugs: $6.20
Valacyclovir (genital herpes)
- Hims: Public pricing removed
- Cost Plus Drugs: $11.30
We consider Hims to be overpriced. You can get the same drugs for sometimes under one-third of the price on Cost Plus Drugs.
Hims has also removed some of the public pricing information since our initial publication of this article, and we prefer the transparent pricing model of Cost Plus Drugs.
Is Hims Selling Knockoff Drugs?
An exposé published by Hunterbrook alleges that Hims has been selling knockoff GLP-1 drugs (used for weight loss), and that this process may be putting consumers at risk.
The article states the following:
"A Hunterbrook Media reporter qualified for GLP-1 knockoffs from Hims after a 4-minute survey — then got a prescription without speaking to a doctor or submitting medical records."
We have concerns about the proliferation of online healthcare companies, and we urge patients to speak with their regular doctor before getting prescription drugs online (even if the online platform feels "legit").
The Hunterbrook article suggests that due to the compounding pharmacy used, the quality of drugs may be lower than standard GLP-1 suppliers.
Gendered Mental Healthcare Issues
We take issue with gendered marketing of mental health medication, because we haven’t seen any indication from the FDA or in clinical research that these drugs are more effective in one sex than the other.
An antidepressant like bupropion is prescribed to both men and women if they suffer from depression.
As we discussed in our For Hers reviews article (another gendered online pharmacy run by the same company as For Hims), our concern is that patients may be wary of using a medication that’s branded to the opposite sex, thinking it may not be effective in their sex.
For example, if bupropion is marketed as an antidepressant for men, women may be less likely to want to try it, even though it’s equally effective regardless of gender or sex.
The one type of mental health treatment that may be more effective in a gendered context is therapy.
A medical review published in the Psychological Reports journal found that women experienced better results from therapy when matched with a female therapist.
But to our knowledge, Hims does not provide therapy. They just sell medications.
Real People Try Hims
A YouTube creator named Steve Hogue claims to have experienced side effects from a medication prescribed by Hims:
A YouTube creator named George Schirra tried a variety of Hims products for hair loss over the course of two years, and shares his experience in this video with over 70,000 views:
Hims Customer Complaints
Hundreds of customers have submitted complaints about the company behind Hims on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website.
Many customer complaints related to refund issues, such as this complaint from Feburary 21st of 2023:
“The company misleads and automatically charges your card on file without any approval nor letting you know how Much its going to cost. I was shocked to be charged ****** USD over the weekend and when i informed them to cancel and refund me because i was unaware of this , they refused. They mislead the patients and fraudulently charge the card on file.”
To the credit of Hims & Hers Health Inc., they respond to the majority of customer complaints trying to resolve the issue, which is the sign of a high-quality brand.
Hims Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Hims in our opinion:
Pros:
- Effective, FDA-approved treatments
- Great branding
- Discreet packaging
- More convenient than in-person doctor's office visits
Cons:
- May be selling "knock-off" GLP-1 drugs
- Dramatically more expensive than competitors
- Gendered mental healthcare may be confusing
- Some users complain of sexual side effects
- Some customers complain about the company’s billing practices
- Unclear value proposition
