Read the offer slowly
An unclear offer can wait.
Keep the written offer in front of you. Mark the points that need a clear answer before deciding.
Write here, or print a page to keep.
Approval used as a sales pitch
The Food and Drug Administration oversees U.S. medicines; FDA is its short name.
Look for wording such as “FDA registered” or “FDA listed” on the offer or on a document the seller shows you.
Registration records a business with the FDA; a product listing records a drug in its database.
Neither record establishes FDA approval, according to the federal rule checked in September 2026.
When a medicine is compounded, a pharmacy or doctor makes it to order.
Compounded medicines lack approval from the FDA, which has not checked their quality, safety or benefit before sale, as of September 2026.
A research label offered as treatment
A research label describes a product as something for lab experiments, with words such as “for research use only”.
A label saying “not for human consumption” says it is not for use by people.
In letters reviewed in September 2026, the FDA accused sellers of offering unapproved drugs for people despite those label words.
Those letters make allegations about specific firms; they are not court decisions.
A shortcut around the prescription
A licensed health professional issues a prescription to order medicine.
Receiving a medicine that requires a prescription depends on having a valid one, under federal law checked in September 2026.
A menu without a conversation
The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) is a group of medical boards.
The FSMB’s May 2026 guidance rejects care based solely on menu selections and calls for a means for patients to raise further questions.
These suggestions are for the boards responsible for licensing doctors in each state; they do not have the force of nationwide law.
- Have the clinician explain the assessment planned for your concern.
- Ask what could lead the clinician to suggest a different approach.