Frequently Asked Questions
Find helpful answers about our services, appointments, treatment process, telehealth availability and what to expect when receiving care from the Alpha Hormones® team.
We participate with select major commercial PPO plans and eligible Original Medicare or Medicare PPO plans. Coverage depends on your plan, benefits, service, and location.
We do not accept HMO, Medicare HMO, IPA, TRICARE, Medicaid/Medi-Cal, or Kaiser Permanente plans.
Visit our insurance verification page before scheduling so our team can review your eligibility and available benefits.
Verification does not guarantee coverage or payment. Patients remain responsible for deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and non-covered services.
We offer self-pay services, membership programs, and insurance billing for eligible plans and services. FSA and HSA cards may also be used for qualifying expenses.
CareCredit financing is available for eligible services, subject to approval and CareCredit’s terms.
Review our pricing options or visit our CareCredit page .
Please have your photo ID, current insurance card if applicable, completed intake forms, medication and supplement list, and any relevant laboratory results or medical records.
Telehealth access instructions are sent before the visit. For an in-person appointment, arrive early enough to complete any remaining registration requirements.
Yes. Recent laboratory results and relevant medical records can help your provider understand your history and may reduce unnecessary duplication.
Your provider will determine whether the records are sufficiently current and complete or whether additional testing is clinically appropriate.
Requirements depend on your condition, medical history, prescribed medication, location, and applicable federal and state regulations.
Your provider will explain whether an in-person examination, laboratory testing, or additional follow-up is required before prescribing or continuing treatment.
Parking is available in the building structure near Bellefontaine Street and Fair Oaks Avenue.
Enter Huntington Medical Plaza at 800 Fairmount Avenue, Pasadena and take the elevator to Suite 323.
When medically appropriate, your provider may send a prescription electronically to a local retail pharmacy. Certain customized medications may instead require a licensed compounding pharmacy.
The dispensing pharmacy may contact you to confirm your information, review pricing, and coordinate pickup or delivery. Prescriptions are based on an individual medical evaluation and are not guaranteed.
We work with qualified licensed pharmacies, including Strive Pharmacy and Belmar Pharmacy .
Pharmacy selection may vary according to the medication, availability, patient location, provider judgment, and applicable regulations.
Interstate prescription fulfillment depends on the pharmacy, medication, patient location, provider eligibility, and applicable laws.
Please confirm delivery availability with our team and the dispensing pharmacy. Alpha Hormones does not coordinate international prescription shipping.
A medical consultation is completed to determine whether a hormone program is appropriate for you. Depending on the selected plan, membership may include consultations, laboratory monitoring, medication, supplies, delivery, and stated member benefits.
Monthly and annual memberships renew according to the terms selected during enrollment.
Cancellation requests must be submitted in writing. A 30-day written notice is required, and payments scheduled during the notice period may remain due under the applicable membership agreement.
Review the Subscription and Cancellation Policy for complete terms.
Follow-up frequency is individualized according to your medical history, symptoms, laboratory findings, prescribed treatment, and clinical response.
Monitoring may be more frequent when treatment begins or changes and may be adjusted once your condition is clinically stable.
Yes. We encourage you to maintain care with your primary care provider and other specialists to support appropriate coordination and continuity of care.
Alpha Hormones serves as one part of your overall healthcare team.
Patient education
Clear information about testosterone therapy, menopausal hormone therapy, treatment options, safety monitoring, and what to expect during care.
Hormone replacement therapy uses prescribed hormones to address clinically identified hormone deficiencies or menopausal symptoms. Treatment is individualized according to symptoms, medical history, laboratory findings, treatment goals, potential benefits, and possible risks.
TRT refers specifically to testosterone replacement therapy. “Bioidentical” describes hormones that are chemically identical to hormones produced by the body; it does not mean a product is automatically safer or more effective.
Diagnosis generally requires compatible symptoms together with consistently low testosterone levels. Confirmatory early-morning testing and additional evaluation may be needed to identify the possible cause before treatment is considered.
Candidacy is determined through an individualized medical evaluation that may include symptoms, medical and family history, medications, physical findings, laboratory testing, reproductive goals, and potential contraindications.
Receiving a consultation does not guarantee that hormone therapy will be prescribed.
Certain medical conditions may make hormone therapy inappropriate or require specialist evaluation. Examples can include hormone-sensitive cancers, unexplained bleeding, blood-clotting conditions, recent cardiovascular events, uncontrolled hypertension, severe untreated sleep apnea, elevated hematocrit, liver disease, pregnancy, or other significant medical concerns.
The relevant considerations differ between testosterone therapy and menopausal hormone therapy.
Response time varies. Some patients notice changes within several weeks, while others require more time, additional evaluation, or dose adjustment. Improvement is not guaranteed and should be assessed through symptoms, laboratory monitoring, and follow-up visits.
Depending on the hormone and clinical indication, options may include injections, gels, creams, patches, oral medications, vaginal products, or other formulations.
The recommended route depends on medical appropriateness, symptoms, risks, convenience, response, cost, and patient preference.
Eligible patients may be taught to administer prescribed injections at home. Training may include dosage, preparation, injection technique, supplies, storage, disposal, and when to contact the clinic.
Yes. Previous laboratory results may be submitted for review. Updated or additional testing may still be needed depending on when the testing was performed, which measurements were included, and your current medical circumstances.
A provider may consider continuing or adjusting an existing medication after reviewing your medical history, records, laboratory findings, current treatment, and clinical needs. Refills and dose adjustments cannot be guaranteed.
No. Membership, self-pay, and insurance-based options may be available depending on the service, eligibility, clinical needs, and insurance coverage. Our team can explain the available options before enrollment.
Treatment duration is individualized. The decision to continue depends on your diagnosis, symptoms, response, preferences, laboratory findings, and changing balance of benefits and risks.
The need for continued treatment should be reviewed periodically with your provider.
Testosterone levels and related symptoms may return toward their pretreatment state after therapy is discontinued. Do not change or stop prescribed treatment without first discussing it with your clinician.
External testosterone can suppress sperm production and may significantly reduce fertility. Patients who are trying to conceive now or may want future fertility should discuss this before starting treatment.
Testosterone therapy is generally not recommended for men planning fertility in the near term.
Hormone therapy is not a guaranteed weight-loss treatment. Treating a documented deficiency may support certain body-composition goals in some patients, but nutrition, physical activity, sleep, metabolic health, medications, and other factors remain important.
Monitoring may include symptoms, testosterone levels, blood pressure, blood counts or hematocrit, medication response, side effects, and prostate-related evaluation when appropriate.
The schedule depends on your age, medical history, formulation, dosage, laboratory findings, and treatment response.
Possible effects may include acne, oily skin, fluid retention, increased blood pressure, increased red blood cell concentration, reduced sperm production, changes in urinary symptoms, breast tenderness or enlargement, and worsening of certain sleep-related breathing problems.
Report new or concerning symptoms to your provider.
Yes. FDA labeling now includes warnings that testosterone products can increase blood pressure. Blood pressure should be assessed before and periodically during treatment, particularly in patients with hypertension or cardiovascular risk factors.
Current evidence does not establish that appropriately prescribed testosterone therapy causes prostate cancer. However, prostate history, symptoms, age, risk factors, and appropriate monitoring should be considered before and during treatment.
Known or suspected prostate cancer may require specialist evaluation before treatment is considered.
No. Estrogen-blocking medication, hCG, or other adjunctive treatments are not automatically required for every patient. They should be considered only when clinically appropriate after reviewing symptoms, laboratory findings, fertility goals, benefits, and risks.
Hormone therapy can help relieve symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disruption, and vaginal discomfort in appropriately selected patients.
Potential risks vary by medication, route, dose, duration, age, and medical history and may include blood clots, stroke, gallbladder problems, or certain cancers. These considerations should be reviewed individually.
For many patients who have a uterus and use systemic estrogen, progesterone or another progestogen is prescribed to reduce the risk of excessive growth of the uterine lining and endometrial cancer.
The appropriate regimen depends on your medical history and treatment plan.
Hormonal changes can sometimes cause spotting, but bleeding should still be discussed with your clinician.
Seek prompt evaluation for bleeding after menopause, heavy or persistent bleeding, bleeding after sex, bleeding associated with pain, or bleeding that changes unexpectedly.
Birth control and hormone therapy should be coordinated with your prescribing clinicians. Do not start, stop, or combine hormonal medications without discussing your medical history, contraceptive needs, symptoms, and potential risks.
Compounded hormones have not been shown to be safer or more effective than FDA-approved hormone products. Compounded preparations are not reviewed by FDA for safety, effectiveness, manufacturing quality, or consistent potency in the same way as FDA-approved medications.
Compounding may be considered when a patient has a specific clinical need that cannot be met by an available FDA-approved product.
Each route is absorbed and metabolized differently. Effectiveness, convenience, dosing, interactions, skin transfer precautions, and potential risks vary by hormone and patient.
No route is universally best. Your provider will recommend an option based on your individual circumstances.
Telehealth prescribing depends on the medication, patient location, provider licensing, clinical circumstances, pharmacy requirements, and current federal and state law.
An audio-video medical evaluation, in-person examination, laboratory testing, or additional follow-up may be required. Telehealth availability does not guarantee that a controlled medication will be prescribed.
Understand how our board-certified providers evaluate peptide medications, including FDA-approved treatments, medically appropriate off-label uses, compounded preparations, regulatory categories, and ongoing monitoring.
Schedule a ConsultationClear information about peptide medications, off-label prescribing, 503A compounding, FDA classifications, treatment, and monitoring.
Peptides are short chains of amino acids. Some function as signaling molecules in the body, but their effects vary considerably depending on their structure and biological target.
“Peptide therapy” is a broad term—not one single treatment. Each medication must be evaluated according to its clinical use, supporting evidence, safety profile, product quality, and regulatory status.
Safety depends on the specific medication, indication, dosage, route of administration, product quality, medical history, and monitoring plan.
Some peptide medications are FDA-approved for particular conditions. Other products are compounded, investigational, or supported by more limited clinical evidence. Our board-certified providers evaluate each option individually and discuss potential benefits, limitations, alternatives, and risks.
Numerous FDA-approved medications are peptide-based. Examples include insulin products, glucagon, certain GLP-1 receptor agonists, selected fertility medications, osteoporosis medications, and other peptide-based drugs approved for specific medical conditions.
FDA approval applies to a particular product, formulation, manufacturing process, dosage, route of administration, and labeled indication. It does not automatically apply to every compounded product containing a similar ingredient.
Because approvals and availability may change, our board-certified providers review the current status of the specific medication being considered.
Yes. Once FDA approves a medication, licensed healthcare providers generally may prescribe it for an unapproved—or “off-label”—use when they determine that the use is medically appropriate for an individual patient.
Off-label prescribing may involve a different condition, dosage, patient population, or route of administration from the approved labeling. FDA regulates medication approval, labeling, manufacturing, and marketing, but generally does not regulate the practice of medicine.
FDA has not determined that the medication is safe and effective for the particular off-label use. Our board-certified providers therefore consider available evidence, potential benefits, alternatives, contraindications, and risks.
No. Off-label prescribing usually refers to using an FDA-approved medication for a purpose, dosage, route, or patient population not included in its approved labeling.
A compounded medication is not itself FDA-approved. FDA does not conduct premarket review of the finished compounded product for safety, effectiveness, or manufacturing quality.
Compounded medications may serve an important medical need in appropriate patients, but they are governed by separate federal and state compounding requirements.
Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act describes conditions under which a licensed pharmacist in a state-licensed pharmacy—or a licensed physician—may compound a medication for an identified individual patient pursuant to a valid prescription.
When applicable requirements are satisfied, the compounded preparation may qualify for exemptions from certain federal requirements, including premarket drug approval and particular labeling provisions.
A 503A pharmacy is not an “FDA-approved pharmacy,” and its compounded medications are not FDA-approved. The pharmacy, prescription, active ingredient, preparation, and dispensing must comply with applicable federal and state requirements.
A bulk drug substance is an active ingredient used to prepare a compounded medication. Section 503A limits which bulk substances may be used for compounding.
FDA maintains a formal 503A bulks list and publishes administrative categories for nominated substances while the agency evaluates whether they should be added to the formal list.
Placement on the bulks list or in an evaluation category is a compounding classification. It is not FDA approval of the substance, a compounded preparation, or any particular clinical use.
FDA may add, remove, or reclassify substances as evidence, nominations, safety findings, and regulatory policies change.
“Category 2 peptides” generally refers to peptide substances placed by FDA in Category 2 because the agency has identified significant safety risks associated with their use in compounding.
Concerns may include immunogenicity, peptide aggregation, impurities, limited human safety information, adverse events, or other substance-specific risks.
Placement in Category 2 does not necessarily mean the substance can never be studied or used under any legal pathway. It means its use in routine compounding raises significant regulatory and safety concerns and should not be represented as ordinary Category 1 compounding.
FDA approval still provides important information. For the approved product and indication, FDA has reviewed evidence concerning safety, effectiveness, manufacturing quality, labeling, dosage, and the balance of benefits and risks.
Providers are not limited exclusively to approved indications. Our board-certified providers may prescribe an FDA-approved medication off-label when permitted by law and supported by their medical judgment.
FDA approval of a medication does not mean FDA has evaluated every off-label use. Likewise, off-label prescribing does not convert an unapproved compounded product into an FDA-approved medication.
No. Placement on the formal 503A bulks list—or placement in an administrative category while FDA evaluates a nomination—does not mean that the substance or resulting compounded preparation is FDA-approved.
It also does not independently establish that the medication is safe, effective, medically appropriate, or legally available in every state.
No. Category 1 means FDA accepted the nominated substance for further evaluation and had not placed it in Category 2 at that time.
FDA’s applicable interim enforcement policy is conditional. The patient-specific prescription, clinical need, active ingredient, pharmacy, preparation, and dispensing must still comply with applicable federal and state requirements.
Yes. FDA may add, remove, or reclassify a nominated substance as its review progresses or when new evidence or safety information becomes available. State pharmacy requirements and product availability may also change.
Our board-certified providers and dispensing pharmacies must review the current status when treatment is considered rather than rely on an older website, pharmacy catalog, or social-media post.
Candidacy begins with an individualized medical evaluation, including symptoms, diagnoses, medical history, current medications, treatment goals, contraindications, and relevant laboratory findings.
Treatment is considered only when one of our board-certified providers determines that it is medically appropriate and that a suitable medication may lawfully be prescribed and dispensed.
Monitoring may include follow-up consultations, review of symptoms and potential side effects, physical measurements, and laboratory testing when appropriate.
The schedule depends on the medication, clinical indication, individual risk factors, treatment response, and applicable prescribing requirements.
Yes. Relevant medical records and recent laboratory results may help inform your evaluation. Medical information should be submitted only through the secure method provided by our team.
Additional or updated testing may still be required before one of our board-certified providers makes a prescribing decision.
Yes. When medication is prescribed, our team will review its purpose, prescribed dose, administration, storage, anticipated effects, potential risks, follow-up plan, and circumstances in which you should contact the clinic.
Cost varies according to the medication, dosage, treatment duration, required testing, dispensing pharmacy, and insurance coverage when applicable.
Your recommended treatment plan and anticipated costs will be reviewed before treatment begins.
Shipping depends on the medication, dispensing pharmacy, patient location, provider licensing, pharmacy authorization, and applicable federal and state requirements.
Availability in one state does not guarantee that the same medication may be prescribed or shipped to another state.
Every patient’s health history, concerns, and goals are different. Schedule a consultation with one of our medical providers to ask questions, discuss available care options, and determine the most appropriate next steps for you.
Schedule Your ConsultationPrefer to speak with our team? Call (213) 334-4111.
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