New TRT in San Francisco

[MalibuSurfer]

Wanted to know if anyone has tried out Helix Mobile Wellness and Research in San Francisco?

My friend just started with them. For $250 a month, he's getting 200 mg of Test weekly, 600 iu of HCG and 1 mg weekly of Anastrozole. The concept is really neat - they are a mobile service, so you never have to go to a doctor's office (they come to your home or office). The first visit is a mobile phlebotomist who takes your blood. From there, it goes to their blood lab, so within 24 hours, you have your results for: hematocrit, hemoglobin, total testosterone, SHBG, estradiol, progesterone, PSA, TSH, Total T3, Total T4, Cortisol, DHEA-S, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D. The $250 monthly covers medications, doctor consults and all blood work.

From there, they prescribe based on the blood test, but they send a second practitioner to your door to administer a physical and show you how to inject all the medications. I was pretty impressed with what my friend relayed. Apparently, the price is going to go up to $300 a month, as they're offering $250 for a limited time.

Also, they're willing to treat customers from all over California. You just have to fly in for at least one visit with the doctor and they can send you your meds from there.

I'm tempted to fly out and try it. This is far cheaper than what's offered around LA. Website -
http://helixmwr.com/san-francisco/

 

[torrential]

Golly. $3,600 per year is a lot of money. There are several well known, high quality, lower cost, nationally available and similarly convenient options out there. It's gonna be tough to establish a value proposition with no apparent differentiation other than at-home blood draw.

Consider that at least $2,000 of that annual fee is just for convenience. A quick check of their web sites show that Defy + Discounted Labs provide equivalent services for (worst case) under $1,500 including meds. The Helix web site also weaves in numerous opportunities for upselling additional services.

If I'm paying $2,000 for a home visit, a needle stick isn't the kind of happy ending I would want. -0

 

[CoastWatcher]

That is a lot of money for services that can be obtained for a fraction of the cost.

 

[Vince]

MalibuSurfer, thanks for the information. Did your friend check out Defy Medical?

 

[ERO]

Not at all impressed with the prices or their 'cookie cutter' protocol of 200 mg of Test weekly, 600 iu of HCG and 1 mg weekly of Anastrozole.

You may want to call Defy Medical to compare prices, plus they are top TRT providers that customize the treatment to the individual.

 

[torrential]

MalibuSurfer,

Back on December 28 you mentioned you were involved with the HelixMWR startup as a test patient. Do you have any info about the weekly 200mg T + 2mg Anastrozole + HCG 'cycling' protocol they put you on? Would really like to see the before and after labs and your thoughts on how you're doing. That's a hefty dose of T, and that much anastrozole would tank most guys. Hope that isn't happening to you.

 

[MalibuSurfer]

Deleted for making inaccurate statements/providing no references.

 

[MalibuSurfer]

MalibuSurfer,

Back on December 28 you mentioned you were involved with the HelixMWR startup as a test patient. Do you have any info about the weekly 200mg T + 2mg Anastrozole + HCG 'cycling' protocol they put you on? Would really like to see the before and after labs and your thoughts on how you're doing. That's a hefty dose of T, and that much anastrozole would tank most guys. Hope that isn't happening to you.

Not with Helix - a different company but I'm planning on switching to Helix and have my appointment lined up next week.

Most of these clinics, as I said above, are not testing thyroid and adrenals. I like being with a company that will monitor the entire scope of the body.

Regarding my friend - he's been on Helix for just a few weeks now, so tough to say what the outcome is, but so far he feels terrific. Of clarification, he's on HCG for 45 days, off it for 45, and then back on, so that the LH stays active.

Hope that all helps! Thanks for the convo fellas.

 

[maxadvance]

Spam Shill, you're selling it way too hard dude. California has been at the forefront of telemedicine for over 5 years. Controlled substance can be prescribed interstate as long as a physical has been performed and ID has been confirmed.

So you're the test patient, your friend is the patient, or you're a prospective patient? right. Glad your buddy's LH is going to stay active lol

 

[ERO]

yes, definitely a shill.

 

[BeeGee]

San Francisco user here. Subscribed to Helix and couldn't be happier.

A mobile phlebotomist visited my home, took my blood and I was off from there. A doctor was also sent to visit me at home for the physical, which finished my qualification.

I looked into Defy. I didn't follow-up with them because the costs of my lab work would have been quite high. Helix covers all blood work, and I appreciate the flat-fee pricing, which ultimately is a cheaper package for me. I also appreciated that a doctor visited me at my home to qualify me and do my physical.

I'm currently on test cyp, hcg and anastrozole. So far, a great experience.

 

[Gardner]

Going to have to agree with BeeGee on this one. I'm a Helix patient in Santa Cruz.

I absolutely love HELIX!

I was going to start Defy, but there were some things that just didn't appeal to me. Namely, California users have to find a PCP who will sign-off on a physical (here in California), and then you have to make sure the physical is sent to Defy. From there, the Defy doctor qualifies you from Florida. In addition, you have to go to LabCorp every 3 to 6 months for blood tests (if your insurance covers it). If not, you have to get a TRT panel from DiscountedLabs.com, which is also going to run around $250, and has to be done 2 or 3 times a year. Of course, other hormones will then be recommended to be tested, so you're looking at blood test costs of about $1000 yearly. For me, in doing all the math for the visits I would have to undertake and out-of-pocket costs for blood work, the cost of Defy and Helix was about equal.

As far as Helix goes, it couldn't be more convenient. Helix sent phlebotomists to my home and had my blood drawn here. A doctor also visited my home to do my physical. Blood results are reported over the Helix mobile app on your iPhone or Android and prescriptions are sent directly to you. The Helix system is all under one roof, with no medical office visits needed for physicals or blood work. Again, Helix is beyond convenient and basically the same price.

As far as upsells go, I haven't been upsold on a single thing by the administrators at Helix. Helix charges more for additional mobile visits, so that's about the only upsell I've had.

For Bay Area users needing TRT, Helix is terrific.

 

[trtsecondgo]

Their service is a good idea(mobile), but their follow-up and care are substandard. Miguel was on point up until I paid him my membership fee. After that it was like, got your money and you're just another number. He appears he does not have much control over the Dr's or the mobile NP that came. His phlebotomist was cool and nice. I had higher expectations of the service than what was provided. My fault for setting the expectation. For 3k a year, there are better options in my opinion.

 

[sfpowerlift]

I'm on my third refill with Helix. I couldn't be happier! I haven't even visited a doctor's office at this point.

The staff has been extremely responsive. The doctor has also been very informative. I particularly appreciate that vitamins have been recommended (no upsells - links from Amazon were sent to me). The monitoring also includes adrenals and thyroid, which I like making sure are in order.

The two times I've had concerns, a quick email or phone call resolved each matter.

I live in San Francisco. There's a ton of snake-oil out there. Helix is the fourth hormone institution I've tried. This has definitely been the best experience our of the four. For a working professional with limited time, you're not going to find better.

 

[paralyzer]

I've been really happy with Helix (signed up 2 months ago in LA).

Helix is very different than most of the companies discussed on here and that's because they look at way more than just testosterone.

My blood report was done showing testosterone, free testosterone, shbg, estrogen, adrenal, thyroid (free t3 and free t4?), progesterone and other levels. The goal, I was told, was to optimize not just my testosterone, but all of my hormones.

Long story short - the protocol I was issued includes: testosterone, hcg, estrogen blockers, t3 tablets, and hydrocortisone tablets (yes - I have a lot of issues).

A friend of mine who joined received testosterone, hcg, estrogen blockers and vitamin b12 injections. The base price did not change for either of us and all meds were included in the price.

The doctor also spent a ton of time going over which vitamins would be most beneficial. I was sent links to Amazon with recommendations to purchase various kinds.

When all is considered, Helix is looking at all of your hormones and giving you prescriptions on whatever hormones you need help with (including testosterone). This is in addition to a very lengthy recommendation on vitamin levels. It's really not just TRT - if you subscribe, they're going to prescribe and send you hormone meds for all of your hormones, with the price not changing.

 

[trtsecondgo]

250 a month is still outrageous. Lol

 

[sfpowerlift]

250 a month is still outrageous. Lol

$250 a month is a bargain for the services I receive from Helix.

The monthly fee covers all hormone meds, blood work, and concierge service. I had a mostly good experience with Defy. The reason I switched was because:

1. I wanted my cortisol and thyroid (T3 and T4) levels to be monitored. Helix offers this on their in-house blood labs, so its included in the subscription. Defy doesn't include cortisol in their standard blood panel (and didn't have T3 and T4 when I was a patient). I think monitoring thyroid and adrenals is critical, and most hormone doctors overlook that.

My understanding is that you can order more tests through Defy, but you have to pay more to discuss them. Not criticizing the setup - it's an 'ala carte' service and I like that their prices are transparent, but I hate having to remember all the things I want monitored (I always forget something).

2. There were a couple times that I had to call Defy about meds not being delivered. Everyone there was very nice, but they're not really setup to handle large amounts of concierge issues and replies can take awhile.

3. I'm a working professional with good insurance. But even my insurance didn't cover the cost of thyroid testing, DHEA testing, Estradiol testing, SHBG testing, and they definitely do not cover cortisol testing. When you factor in how expensive bloodwork can get, Helix seems like a bargain, since all those levels are included.

4. The Helix panel also includes Progesterone (I was low on this, with lack of libido. They gave me Pregnanelone to up my Progesterone and it's helped greatly. It took awhile, but it did help, and the pregnonlone was included in the subscription). Free Testosterone is also on the report. Progesterone gets no attention, but I think its an underrated hormone in men's health and is probably a window into pregnanolone production.

With Helix, my adrenals, thyroid, and progesterone are monitored. The meds I get are covered. And they have a concierge service that I can text (I normally get an answer back within a few hours, if not shorter).

At $250 a month, this is a bargain.

Depending on your insurance, and what it covers for blood (and how many levels you want monitored) being with Defy will cost around $50 to $70 less per month than Helix. You have to remember, at Defy, you are leading your care. You're in charge of getting the blood test requisitions, going to Labcorp, making sure your prescription gets to the pharmacy, etc - doing this every three months is a hassle. I'm glad Defy exists, but at $50 to $70 more per month, I love having the concierges at Helix take care of everything, including a phlebotomist coming to my home and drawing me.

My current protocol with Helix is: testosterone, anastrozole, HCG, pregnenolone (sorry for bad spelling). I also have added their Sermorelin-GHRP2 add-on, which is a bargain compared to other shops.

The Sermorelin-GHRP2 program in particular has been incredible. My sleep immediately improved. I also have almost no soreness from post-workouts, at least the next day. I've gotten a few coworkers to sign up with Helix (Helix gives you a free month every time you have a referall that signs up) so that's also been nice.

I'm a huge fan.

 

[sfpowerlift]

I'll also just quickly add: no matter what hormone doctor you're with, get your adrenals and thyroid checked - pay extra if you have to. I also highly recommend checking progesterone. These hormones are probably going to get unstable over time, and correcting them when they do will help to keep your edge.

 

[DragonBits]

$250 a month is a bargain for the services I receive from Helix.

The monthly fee covers all hormone meds, blood work, and concierge service. I had a mostly good experience with Defy. The reason I switched was because:

1. I wanted my cortisol and thyroid (T3 and T4) levels to be monitored. Helix offers this on their in-house blood labs, so its included in the subscription. Defy doesn't include cortisol in their standard blood panel (and didn't have T3 and T4 when I was a patient). I think monitoring thyroid and adrenals is critical, and most hormone doctors overlook that.

My understanding is that you can order more tests through Defy, but you have to pay more to discuss them. Not criticizing the setup - it's an 'ala carte' service and I like that their prices are transparent, but I hate having to remember all the things I want monitored (I always forget something).

2. There were a couple times that I had to call Defy about meds not being delivered. Everyone there was very nice, but they're not really setup to handle large amounts of concierge issues and replies can take awhile.

3. I'm a working professional with good insurance. But even my insurance didn't cover the cost of thyroid testing, DHEA testing, Estradiol testing, SHBG testing, and they definitely do not cover cortisol testing. When you factor in how expensive bloodwork can get, Helix seems like a bargain, since all those levels are included.

4. The Helix panel also includes Progesterone (I was low on this, with lack of libido. They gave me Pregnanelone to up my Progesterone and it's helped greatly. It took awhile, but it did help, and the pregnonlone was included in the subscription). Free Testosterone is also on the report. Progesterone gets no attention, but I think its an underrated hormone in men's health and is probably a window into pregnanolone production.

With Helix, my adrenals, thyroid, and progesterone are monitored. The meds I get are covered. And they have a concierge service that I can text (I normally get an answer back within a few hours, if not shorter).

At $250 a month, this is a bargain.

Depending on your insurance, and what it covers for blood (and how many levels you want monitored) being with Defy will cost around $50 to $70 less per month than Helix. You have to remember, at Defy, you are leading your care. You're in charge of getting the blood test requisitions, going to Labcorp, making sure your prescription gets to the pharmacy, etc - doing this every three months is a hassle. I'm glad Defy exists, but at $50 to $70 more per month, I love having the concierges at Helix take care of everything, including a phlebotomist coming to my home and drawing me.

My current protocol with Helix is: testosterone, anastrozole, HCG, pregnenolone (sorry for bad spelling). I also have added their Sermorelin-GHRP2 add-on, which is a bargain compared to other shops.

The Sermorelin-GHRP2 program in particular has been incredible. My sleep immediately improved. I also have almost no soreness from post-workouts, at least the next day. I've gotten a few coworkers to sign up with Helix (Helix gives you a free month every time you have a referall that signs up) so that's also been nice.

I'm a huge fan.

So how much is the Sermorelin-GHRP2 add-on?

 

[Stu4090]

How much control do you have on dosage? If you want 200 weekly injection would they comply or is it more of you get what what we tell you type of thing?