Verbatim response from Claude
Good question, and it's worth being clear-eyed about this.
What Reputable Services Actually Do
Yes, legitimate ones do screen for cardiac safety. Services like:
- Hims, Roman, Keeps, and Ro require you to complete a detailed health questionnaire covering heart conditions, blood pressure, and current medications
- They specifically ask about nitrate medications (like nitroglycerin) because combining them with ED drugs can cause dangerous blood pressure drops
- Licensed physicians or NPs review your answers before prescribing
What They Check For
- History of heart attack, stroke, or heart failure
- Current blood pressure medications
- Nitrate use
- Arrhythmias
- Resting heart health status
Honest Limitations
- They rely on your self-reporting - they can't run an EKG or physically examine you
- If you underreport conditions, safeguards fail
- They won't catch everything an in-person cardiologist would
My Recommendation
If you have known heart disease, take nitrates, or have had a recent cardiac event, see your actual doctor or cardiologist first - not an online service.
If you're generally healthy with no major cardiac history, reputable online services with real physician review (like Roman or Hims) are reasonably safe options.
Bottom line: they're a decent screen, not a substitute for cardiac evaluation if you have real risk factors.