Our depression and anxiety service provides you with a private, convenient and affordable way to manage your symptoms, and empowers you to do so appropriately and safely.
You can get the care and advice you need online without having to go to a traditional doctor’s office. Our goal is to work with you to provide personalized treatment that manages your symptoms and reduces side effects.
We don’t know exactly what causes depression or anxiety. The cause can be factors specific to you (internal factors), changes related to your overall environment and situation (external factors), or a particular significant event.
You can use the depression and anxiety service if you are between the ages of 25 and 63 years old. If you have a history of bipolar, manic depression, psychosis, schizophrenia, current alcohol or drug abuse, or a current eating disorder (such as bulimia), we recommend that you see a healthcare provider in person instead of using our service.
If you require a work note for your employer, or need to be evaluated for a disability or worker’s compensation, then you should see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person and not use our service.
If you feel like you’re a danger to yourself or others or might harm yourself or others, please contact 911 immediately, go to your nearest emergency room or hospital, or contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988.
Our doctors and nurse practitioners can treat depression and/or anxiety based on your history and symptoms and will ask you similar questions as an in person provider. We help you understand the treatment options and answer any questions you may have. Our medical team follows strict guidelines to make sure we only treat you when it's safe and appropriate to do so. It’s important that you answer our questions fully and truthfully, and read any information we provide.
If, for any reason, our doctor or nurse practitioner thinks it’s not safe to treat you, we’ll ask you to see a provider in person.
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Our medical team will then determine if treatment with medication is safe and appropriate for you.
If we prescribe treatment, we can ship your medication directly to you from our own Lemonaid Pharmacy. Shipping is discreet, fast and free. Alternatively, our medical team can send the prescription electronically to your local pharmacy.
All consultations with a member of the medical team and medications shipped from our pharmacy are included in your membership.
There are risks and benefits to taking any medication. It’s important to answer our health questionnaire fully and truthfully and be open and candid with our medical team during the consultation so that our providers can help you make an informed decision about whether the benefits of a medication outweigh the potential risks.
The medications we prescribe can be effective when used correctly. It is important to follow the instructions and read the information we provide in your treatment plan to learn more about the risks and benefits of treatment.
We can prescribe a few different types of medications to help with depression and/or anxiety. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) include sertraline (Zoloft®), citalopram (Celexa®), fluoxetine (Prozac®), escitalopram (Lexapro®), and paroxetine (Paxil®). Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) include venlafaxine (Effexor®) and duloxetine (Cymbalta®), and desvenlafaxine (Pristiq®). We may also prescribe atypical antidepressants including bupropion (Wellbutrin®).
We do not prescribe benzodiazepines (such as Xanax®) or sedatives.
If you feel like you’re a danger to yourself or others, or might harm yourself or others, please contact 911 immediately, go to your nearest emergency room or hospital, or contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988.
The medications typically take 4 to 6 weeks of daily use to see some improvement, and up to 2 to 3 months before depression and/or anxiety symptoms may subside. We can adjust your medicine dosage after 4 weeks, based on how you feel.
As a precaution, and to evaluate your individual response to the medication, our medical team may require a phone or video consultation prior to providing dose adjustments or additional refills of your medication. If you experience side effects or worsening symptoms, let us know right away.
Reach out if you have questions about discontinuing your medication so our medical team can provide more information. In certain situations, your healthcare provider may not advise you to abruptly stop the medication.