Wisp is an online women's sexual health marketplace. The company claims to offer "hassle-free sexual and reproductive health" options which are "affordable and accessible."
But how does the cost of medications on Wisp compare to other marketplaces like Cost Plus Drugs? Is the company's symptoms quiz effective? Does Wisp sell research-backed products? And do you need health insurance to use Wisp?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we compare the price of various randomly-selected prescriptions on Wisp to Cost Plus Drugs.
We'll also share our concerns about the company's "Symptoms Quiz," analyze the formulation of one of Wisp's branded supplements, and document whether or not health insurance is required to use Wisp.
Key takeaways:
- Higher average prices than Cost Plus Drugs
- Branded supplement fails to disclose inactive ingredients
- We do not currently recommend Wisp
Is Wisp Overpriced?
Wisp primarily sells prescription medications.
To determine whether or not this service is overpriced, we will compare the cost of the same medication on Wisp and Cost Plus Drugs, which is the cheapest online marketplace for prescription medications that we've come across.
Here's a comparison for five randomly-selected drugs (prices accurate at the time of publishing this article):
Paxil
Wisp: $60
Cost Plus Drugs (generic version): $5.66
Acyclovir Cream
Wisp: $30
Cost Plus Drugs: $6.68
Minoxidil
Wisp: $36
Cost Plus Drugs: $6.67
Levonorgestrel
Cost Plus Drugs: $99.88
Wisp: $12.50
Yaz Birth Control (Generic)
Wisp: $15
Cost Plus Drugs: $7.36
Cost Plus Drugs has better average prices, so we would recommend that any consumer considering Wisp check the prices on both platforms.
It's also notable that the prices on Wisp are "starting at $X," whereas the prices on Cost Plus Drugs are transparently published.
We consider Wisp to be overpriced based on this analysis.
Our Issue With "Symptom Quizzes"
Wisp has a "Symptom Quiz" section of their website, where the company diagnoses medical conditions based on symptoms input into a website form.
We input some random, test responses and received the following result:
image source: https://hellowisp.com/
It is highly inappropriate and unscientific to diagnose serious health conditions based on results of an online quiz, and we recommend that patients entirely disregard such quizzes and speak to a healthcare professional if experiencing health symptoms.
If the purpose of this quiz were to simply push users to their online consultation, we wouldn't take issue with it, but diagnoses should never be given based on an online quiz.
Wisp Libido Supplement Analysis
Wisp sells a supplement for increasing sex drive and pleasure in women, called "Wisp Lift for Her."
Its active ingredients are shown below:
image source: https://hellowisp.com/
Vitamin E is the first-listed ingredient, and we cannot identify any clinical studies showing it to be effective for enhancing libido in women.
In fact, a clinical trial published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior journal reported that vitamin E supplementation caused no changes to sex drive.
Maca root powder is clinically shown to improve sexual desire in women, but the minimum dose in any of the studies used in the linked meta-review was 1,500 milligrams (mg), or 300% of the dose in Wisp Lift for Her.
Further, this supplement uses raw maca root powder, which can cause digestive upset because maca is an indigestible root fiber (like potato).
We always recommend that consumers look for products containing gelatinized maca, rather than raw maca.
Korean ginseng is clinically shown to improve sex drive in women, as we documented in our Addyi review article, but again we take issue with the format in this supplement.
Wisp's supplement utilizes raw ginseng powder, while the vast majority of clinical trials we've come across on ginseng for women's sex drive use a concentrated, extracted version.
It's extremely important to note that this Supplement Facts panel does not include any inactive ingredients, which is a consumer safety issue.
We urge Wisp to publish a full ingredient list including both active and inactive ingredients, because consumers may be allergic to inactive ingredients, and deserve to know what they are.
We do not consider this supplement likely to be effective for improving sexual health in women, because we're unable to identify any effectively-dosed active ingredients, and we don't currently recommend it due to the inclusion of raw maca, and the lack of clear inactive ingredient disclosures.
Do You Need Health Insurance?
You do not need health insurance to use Wisp.
Health insurance is not even accepted on the platform at the time of publishing this article.
Wisp has a blog article explaining this decision, which suggests that their choice to not accept health insurance helps to "keep costs transparent," which we disagree with based on their "starting at $X" pricing model we outlined in the price comparison section.
For consumers in the US with high-quality health insurance, this suggests that Wisp may not be the best option, because health insurance often significantly subsidizes the cost of treatment.
However, for certain specific products like levonorgestrel, Wisp may be a good option.
