Bring these questions
Ask about the problem, then the product.
Take these questions to a care visit. Put your gut problem at the top of the page. Add the full product name underneath.
Ask for an answer in words you understand. Keep the answer with the question so it is easy to compare later.
About the care
Which condition is this care meant to address?
Ask what still needs to be assessed. Keep a symptom and a confirmed condition separate in your notes.
Why this medicine for this problem?
Ask what studies in people show that this medicine helps your gut problem. Ask what other care could be considered.
What is known, and what remains unclear?
Ask which new or worsening symptoms mean you need to call. Ask whom to call, how soon and what to do if that person is unavailable.
About the product
Does the exact medicine have US approval?
If the answer names another product, return to the one being offered.
If it is compounded, which need does that meet?
Compounded means prepared or changed for a patient's need. Ask what will be changed. May the pharmacy legally use this ingredient? Ask the prescriber to explain why.
Which pharmacy prepares and sends it?
Get the name that will appear on the medicine's label. Ask how to find the pharmacy's licence on the state pharmacy board's website.
People receiving online care may be unsure which compounder made their medicine, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notes. From FDA compounding Q&A.
How to check the names
As of September 2026, state medical boards make licence status public for doctors, together with any action against a doctor for breaking board rules.
For a doctor, use the link below to find your state's medical board. On the board's own website, search the doctor's full name. Confirm that the licence is current, then read any board action listed against the doctor.
For the pharmacy, use the FDA page that leads to state pharmacy-board searches. Match the name on the proposed label.
If no action against a doctor is listed, the board has taken no action recorded for the public; this does not rate the doctor's care.
Before you pay
What is the whole bill?
Ask what it includes and what could be charged separately. Ask for the details in writing.
How does follow-up work?
Find out who replies, how to contact them and what happens when the care plan changes.