Oar Health Review: Pros & Cons, Cost, & My Experience

Oar Health at a Glance

Rating:

(3 out of 5)

Cost: $99 monthly for medication after $50 fee
Insurance accepted: No
Location: 42 US states

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Pros & Cons

Pros

• Fast, free shipping
• No telehealth appointment to receive medication
• Ongoing access to medical team & community resources

Cons

• More expensive than just getting a naltrexone prescription
• Must pay $50 consultation fee to get started

Preview Oar Health

Oar Health offers quick, simple, and almost-anonymous access to naltrexone, a medication for alcohol use that can help people limit or totally quit their drinking habits. Users can pay a $50 fee to take the assessment and see if naltrexone is a good fit for them, then, if eligible, medication will be shipped directly to their door within a few days.

Beyond the naltrexone prescription, Oar Health offers ongoing access to the support of a medication prescriber, a health coach, a Facebook group for community support, and extras like educational articles and guided reflections.

We think Oar Health could be a decent fit for those looking for quick access to naltrexone, but its services are not yet available nationwide, and it only provides help for alcohol use disorder (AUD). If you’re struggling with a dual diagnosis, multiple substances, or aren’t within a service area, Ria Health or Workit Health could be better alternatives. If you want an app with more extra features, you could try Sunnyside.

Detailed Review of Oar Health

We signed up for Oar Health’s services to test them out, and we were surprised at how quick and easy the process was. While it’s more expensive than simply getting a naltrexone prescription from an MD, a year-long prescription through Oar doesn’t require any sort of visit (you just have to verify your identity with a photo ID), which could be a big bonus for those looking to get started immediately without any risk of feeling shame from seeking help.

Additionally, its extra services and ongoing support could be useful for sticking to treatment. Its rating got slightly docked for not offering any form of dual diagnosis services or one-on-one mental health support from licensed mental health professionals, plus it doesn’t accept insurance for treatment at this time.

Oar Health earned 3 out of 5 stars

View Details

Detailed Scoring Breakdown

Medication-Assisted Treatment Options (3 out of 5)

Dual Diagnosis Services (1 out of 5)

Mental Health Support (3 out of 5)

Additional Resources (3 out of 5)

Geographic Location (4 out of 5)

Cost of Care (5 out of 5)

Insurance & Out-of-Network Benefits (2 out of 5)

Reliability & Longevity (4 out of 5)

Care Team Credentials & Expertise (4 out of 5)

Customer Service (3 out of 5)

Privacy & HIPAA (5 out of 5)

Review our scoring criteria for online medication-assisted treatment programs here.
Review our complete editorial policies here.

Getting Started

Signing up for Oar Health requires paying a one-time $50 fee. After paying, you’ll fill out a relatively brief assessment of your current alcohol use, answer several questions about your medical history, and verify your identity by adding a picture of a valid ID and getting a scan of your face. This fills the role of a medical provider verifying your identity over a video call, since that is not part of the sign-up process.

After this process, you’ll have access to your member dashboard, which provides a place to see your medication status, a messaging area to talk to your provider, and a help center. You should receive an email from Oar Health within 24 hours of filling out your assessment.

When I went through this process, I had a message from a nurse practitioner in about five minutes asking a couple of clarifying questions about the answers I gave on my assessment, of which I was notified by text and email.

Medication-Assisted Treatment

If you’re deemed eligible for naltrexone, you’ll receive a notification that your medication is being processed and a message from your care provider with detailed instructions for how to take your dose. This will include common side effects you might experience, how to ramp up your dose to avoid these impacts, and contraindications and safety information (naltrexone should NOT be mixed with any type of opioid or kratom).

Medication should be shipped within a day or two of your assessment being processed by the medical provider. If you have any questions about your dosage or any symptoms you experience, you can message your care provider at any time.

Side effects when starting naltrexone are fairly common, and could include:

• Nausea
• Sleepiness
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Vomiting
• Decreased appetite
• Painful joints
• Muscle cramps
• Trouble sleeping

The care provider’s message noted that side effects typically dissipate or go away entirely with continued use, but that it could be a good idea to ramp up your dosage more slowly if your body has any issues adjusting to the medication.

As of October 2026, Oar also offers Clutch, a bitter mint naltrexone tablet that dissolves under the tongue. Clutch is a compounded medication, so unlike standard naltrexone tablets it is not FDA approved, and Oar’s site does not list a separate price for it.

Coaches, Community Support, & “Pilot”

The Oar Health dashboard lists a section called, “Chat with a coach,” in which you can send and receive asynchronous messages with a “naltrexone expert.” There’s a bubble at the top of the messaging thread that says, “Send us a message, and we’ll get back to you within 48 hours.”

When I sent a message in the coaching portal saying I was nervous to start treatment, I got a response back from a coach in about a day. She sent a thoughtful response about how I’m not alone in how I’m feeling, gave me a few different approaches I could try and see what might work best for me, and asked some follow-up questions about my goals.

There’s also a Facebook group for Oar members wanting additional community support. You must be added by an admin to join the group.

As of October 2026, Oar also hosts a weekly SMART Recovery meeting led by a licensed mental health professional. Its FAQ says the coaches are National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coaches and reply to messages within 24 hours.

In addition to its other services, “Pilot” is a section on the Oar Health dashboard with tons of other recommendations and activities. These include book recommendations, guided reflections, advice for figuring out your alcohol substitutes, and other educational articles. When I was exploring these features, each article or activity opened in a new web page on my phone, which I found a bit clunky. An app with these features built in would allow for a much smoother user experience, but there’s still lots of good information and helpful tools in this section of the dashboard.

Cost of Oar Health

If you plan on using Oar Health, regardless of whether or not you end up getting a naltrexone prescription, you must pay an initial $50 consultation fee. This covers the cost of a licensed prescriber looking over your diagnostic assessment and determining whether medication is right for you.

If you are prescribed naltrexone, an Oar Health subscription costs $99 monthly, charged every three months at $297 (checked October 25, 2026). While it doesn’t accept insurance at all, many FSA and HSA plans will allow funds to be used toward a subscription. If you want to use your FSA or HSA, be sure to double-check with your plan, as Oar Health can’t guarantee eligibility.

Here’s what comes with that membership:

• Ongoing access to medical providers
• Check-ins with health coaches
• Monthly medication prescriptions (with free shipping)
• Access to the other resources on Oar Health

If you are not prescribed medication, you can still access Oar’s resources after you pay the one-time $50 consultation fee, and you are not charged for a membership. Oar Health does not refund the consultation fee or membership fees.

Plans renew automatically every three months. You can pause or cancel any time before the renewal date from the member dashboard.

Who Does Oar Health Serve?

As of October 2026, Oar Health can serve adults 18 and older in 42 US states who want help with their alcohol use. It does not yet have clinicians available to diagnose and treat AUD in the following states: Arkansas, Delaware, Kansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia.

Note that you cannot sign up for a partner or family member, because medications can only be prescribed directly to a patient.

Oar Health Reviews: What Users Report

Oar Health users most often report that signing up was quick and private, and that they drink less, or less often, once they settle into the medication. Trustpilot holds more than 850 reviews of Oar Health with a 4.6-star average as of October 2026, and 79% of them give five stars.

The complaints that come up most are side effects in the first weeks and charges from plan renewals. Oar Health doesn’t have an app, so there are no app store ratings to compare, and a few reviews on the Better Business Bureau report issues with billing or with the medication.

Is Oar Health Legit?

Yes, Oar Health is a legitimate telehealth company that connects adults with licensed medical providers who can prescribe naltrexone for alcohol use disorder. Its providers are medical doctors, nurse practitioners, and other qualified professionals licensed in the states where they treat patients, and medication ships from licensed US pharmacies such as Honeybee Health and Health Warehouse.

Oar Health was founded in 2020, and its care model was designed by Joshua D. Lee, MD, an addiction medicine professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Oar says it has treated more than 50,000 members (checked October 25, 2026).

Does Oar Health Work?

Yes, Oar Health works for many people, since the naltrexone it prescribes is a first-line treatment for alcohol use disorder with strong evidence behind it. A 2023 JAMA review of 118 clinical trials found that people taking 50 mg of oral naltrexone a day were less likely than people taking a placebo to return to heavy drinking. For every 11 people treated, one fewer returned to heavy drinking.

Oar’s team tells members to give the medication at least three months before judging it. Reviewers who say it worked describe fewer cravings and drinking less at a time, while a smaller group says it did not curb their urge to drink.

You can read more about how naltrexone compares with other options in our guides to getting naltrexone prescribed online and medication for alcoholism. Talk to a doctor or licensed clinician before starting or stopping any medication.

Common Complaints About Oar Health

The most common complaints about Oar Health are side effects in the first weeks and the way its billing works. Nausea, headaches, and stomach upset come up most in negative reviews, and a few reviewers stopped after the first doses.

Oar’s plans renew every three months unless you cancel, and some reviewers say a renewal charge took them by surprise. Oar says it emails a reminder two weeks before each renewal, and because fees are not refundable, it helps to note your renewal date when you sign up.

History & News About Oar Health

Year Founded: 2020
Founder: Jonathan Hunt-Glassman
Headquarters: Brooklyn, NY
Publicly Traded? No

Oar Health was founded by Jonathan Hunt-Glassman, a former healthcare executive who struggled with addiction before finding relief through medication. Oar Health’s care model was designed by its Chief Medical Officer, Joshua D. Lee, MD, Professor of Population Health and Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Director of the NYU Fellowship in Addiction Medicine.¹

The goal of Oar Health is to provide stigma-free help to those with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder through quick, online access to naltrexone without requiring in-person or video visits before providing prescriptions.

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