Navigating life with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is enough of a challenge already; accessing services for treatment shouldn’t be difficult.
And yet, obtaining an ADHD diagnosis as an adult is often a frustrating and time-consuming process. Getting an appropriate prescription medication, even more so. In fact, one of my favorite ADHD content creators, Jessica McCabe, gets vulnerable as she talks about How ADHD Treatment is not ADHD-Friendly. I found her story heartbreakingly similar to my own, and to that of countless coaching clients I’ve had over the years.
Fortunately, several new companies have been trying to meet the need for accessible and affordable ADHD diagnosis and treatment. If you're considering seeking ADHD medication for yourself or someone you know who has ADHD, this post is for you. I’ll compare some of the options to give you a place to start.
Adult ADHD Diagnosis and Medication: Top 5 Virtual Rx Services
Let’s dive right in with a quick description of each service.
ADHD Online
($179 assessment, $169/follow-ups, $99/session therapy)
Pros: Offers diagnosis, medication, and therapy; FSA/HSA eligible; costs may be reimbursable by insurance; offers Klarna to break fees into more manageable payments; site is easy to navigate; no subscription required, also screens for comorbidities like depression, anxiety, eating disorders
Cons: Higher ongoing costs, high initial investment, assessment is required even if previously diagnosed, not available in all US states, doesn’t accept insurance directly
One of the older services out there, ADHD Online claims to have “streamlined the process of ADHD diagnosis and treatment so that you can get the care you deserve.” They promise a quick and easy 3-step process. Their timeline seems more realistic - three to five days to get assessment results, and seven to get your appointment and medication.
Overall I found ADHD Online’s site easy to navigate, and their FAQs were extensive, so I was able to find the answers to just about every question I had before signing up for anything. Their online chat support was helpful, too.
The initial cost is a bit steep in comparison to some of the other services at $179 for the assessment, and $199 for the visit with the doctor–a total of $378. However, I appreciated the option to use Klarna to make payment a little more manageable. And, since there’s no subscription, the overall costs may be lower over a longer period of time, assuming you only need to meet with the doctor every few months or less.
Additionally, if you have a local doctor who can prescribe your medication, and only need an assessment, you don’t have to go through ADHD online for medication if you don’t want to. You can take your assessment results to any other provider.
Klarity
(Initial consult fees vary by provider and condition - can be anywhere from free to $200)
Pros: FSA/HSA eligible; costs may be reimbursable by insurance; also offers treatment for anxiety, depression, insomnia, OCD, weight loss, fibromyalgia and asthma; therapy also available in some states; no membership or subscription required; same day & next day appointments available
Cons: Not available in all states; doesn’t directly accept insurance (you can get a superbill printout to submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement); initial appointment is required even if previously diagnosed; each provider sets their own rates & policies
Klarity describes itself as “your trusted marketplace for health and well-being.” Their mission? “Affordable, accessible, and professional health diagnosis and treatment for all.” Sounds pretty good to me.
As described in the image above, the Klarity patient journey consists of four steps. You start by selecting a condition and your state. You can also filter by availability (options are next 2 days, or next 2 weeks).
Assuming they have providers in your state who treat the condition you’re looking for, you’ll be shown a list of providers and their next available appointment times. Click on a provider to see more details about their specialties, education, experience, and credentials, and to schedule an appointment. You’ll pay a $10 fee to hold your appointment, which will go towards your total payment for the session.
I looked through every state to get a sense of availability. 40 states had at least one provider available. But there were several states with ONLY one available, and I didn’t see any states with more than 4-5 providers, which means options may be pretty limited.
Also, since Klarity is just a marketplace, and each provider operates differently, finding exact answers to several of my questions proved challenging.
RedBoxRx
(For non-stimulant ADHD meds: $50-55/month covers consultation plus meds. One-off 60-min therapy sessions available at $129 per session)
Pros: Offers treatment for a wide range of mental and physical health conditions; more affordable than most other options; can have meds delivered; HSA and FSA-eligible; offers therapy and medication; available in all states
Cons: doesn’t prescribe stimulants, doesn’t directly accept insurance
I actually hadn’t heard of RedBoxRx before writing this article. It’s not ADHD-focused; RedBoxRx offers treatment of numerous mental and physical health conditions and symptoms, and even primary care. They describe themselves as “Affordable online healthcare on your terms,” promising 100% online telehealth services and transparent pricing.
Like Cerebral, they don’t prescribe controlled substances, so you won’t be able to get stimulants for ADHD. But if you’re open to non-stimulant meds, and they work for you, RedBoxRx seems like a decently-priced service at $50-55/month for meds. Which is not a subscription or membership fee, by the way - you won’t be charged automatically (theoretically - I didn’t test it myself). While another part of the site said $25/month for meds, I’m assuming the $50-55/month cost means that each time you need a refill you have to also schedule a consult. I may be wrong.
The low cost consult and medication cost is probably the biggest draw for RedboxRx. Since they don’t offer stimulants for ADHD, and that’s what I take, I looked up my depression meds instead, and discovered that I could get mine through the RedboxRx pharmacy for about $20 less per month. Of course, that $20 goes right back to them with the monthly subscription fee - but if I were getting all of my meds and all my conditions treated through them, the savings would probably be worth it.
The other big perk for RedboxRx is that like Klarity, they offer care for quite a wide range of conditions, and you can even go through them for primary care if you don’t have a local physician you like. Even without insurance, the cost of primary care is really low at just $49 per visit (which you can use to discuss multiple different conditions).
Talkiatry
(Cost depends on your insurance)
Pros: Accepts insurance; treatment available for ADHD, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and bi-polar disorder; offers both medication and therapy; may prescribe stimulants
Cons: Not available in every state
Talkiatry is another new one for me. I was glad to see another platform that accepts insurance directly, and getting started seems pretty clear and simple: take a 15-min assessment, have your first visit within a few days, then get your treatment plan (which may include both medication and/or therapy).
Importantly, it also looks like stimulants for ADHD are an option. It’ll of course depend on the prescriber, your assessment & symptoms, and probably your location (some states ban online stimulant prescriptions, even if the platform itself offers them).
Honestly, I was impressed with Talkiatry. Finding downsides was a challenge here, the only one being that they don’t serve all 50 states. Otherwise, though, the website was pretty clear and easily navigable. I was able to find answers to my questions much more quickly than I did with other services. They will potentially offer both stimulant and non-stimulant medication for ADHD depending on your needs and location. AND they accept insurance.
Virtual ADHD treatment options
Virtual healthcare is a rapidly-expanding industry, and I expect more services to pop up in the coming years. So, if you don’t see one you like now, you can always go the traditional route - typically, that means finding a psychiatrist in your insurance network who has experience with ADHD, though occasionally primary care providers are willing to treat it. CHADD has a decent article with more info on finding a provider here.
Personally, after investigating all these platforms, I personally liked Talkiatry best. Ultimately, though, which service is best for you is going to be a deeply personal decision. Hopefully, though, this article gives you a sense of where to begin (or continue) your search.
In the meantime, Shimmer is here to support you with affordable 1-on-1 virtual ADHD coaching and body doubling. If you need some extra accountability, someone to vent to or answer questions about ADHD, or someone to help you clarify and work toward your goals, check it out!
