Natural Treatments

To be eligible for certain alternative therapies, you must have a diagnosed health condition where conventional treatments have not been effective or have caused unacceptable side effects. Standard treatments may include medications, physical therapies (such as physiotherapy, massage, exercise, acupuncture or TENS), psychological therapies, or surgical interventions.

While there are no restrictions imposed by the TGA on the condition or indication for which a healthcare practitioner may apply to access an unapproved therapeutic good, eligibility alone does not guarantee a prescription. All prescriptions are issued at the discretion of the doctor, based on your individual medical history and clinical suitability.

Each case is assessed individually. Some alternative therapies are not considered first-line options and should only be explored when other appropriate treatments have been tried or are not suitable.

Your doctor may recommend trialling additional standard medications before considering an alternative, depending on your condition and medical history.

To support the best outcome, please provide as much detail as possible about what you’ve tried, how long you used it, and why it was ineffective or unsuitable.

Alternative therapies can be prescribed in various forms and administered in different ways, depending on what is clinically appropriate for your condition. Your doctor will discuss the available options during your consultation and determine the most suitable approach based on your individual needs and medical history.

Smoking is not a recommended route of administration for alternative therapies. It increases the risk of serious health conditions, including cancer, stroke and heart disease, and makes accurate dosing difficult to achieve.

If inhalation is considered clinically appropriate, your doctor may discuss other suitable routes of administration, such as vaporisation, during your consultation.

Not all alternative therapies have psychoactive effects. Some are non-intoxicating and do not produce changes in mood, perception or cognition. Others may have psychoactive properties, and individual responses can vary.

If prescribed a therapy with potential psychoactive effects, some people may experience symptoms such as euphoria, confusion, or altered perception, particularly at higher doses. Your doctor will assess your suitability and work with you to find the most effective dose while minimising unwanted side effects.

All medications have the potential to cause unwanted side effects, and prescribed alternative therapies are no exception. Side effects can vary depending on the type, dose and method of administration.

Reported side effects may include (but are not limited to): fatigue, sedation, dizziness, confusion, nausea, vomiting, changes in appetite, dry mouth, diarrhoea and mood or perception changes. In some cases, symptoms such as disorientation, low mood, hallucinations, or paranoia may occur, especially at higher doses.

These effects are often dose-dependent, which is why it’s important to follow medical advice and only use prescribed therapies under the guidance of your doctor. Some therapies may also interact with other medications, so make sure to disclose your full medical history during your consultation.

If you experience any side effects or have concerns during treatment, please consult your Candor GP or regular doctor. For serious or urgent symptoms, seek immediate medical attention or call 000. Candor is not able to provide emergency assistance.

Certain therapies and medications are not recommended for patients who:

• Are pregnant or lactating
• Have a history of psychosis
• Have a personal or family history or schizophrenia
• Have a serious cardiac or heart condition
• Have a history of drug abuse or dependence

Some other factors may also impact your suitability for these treatments. For example, if you take a medication that is known to have negative interactions with it.

Con­sults are $59. This fee in­cludes a con­sul­ta­tion with our doc­tors as well as the com­ple­tion and sub­mis­sion of all permits and approvals.

Products costs vary depending on the type of product, strength and dosage. Prescription products are shipped by our partner pharmacies.

At Candor we are agnostic with our prescribing. This means our doctors will work with you to tailor a treatment plan to suit your needs.

Some prescription medications in Australia are classified as unapproved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), meaning they have not been assessed through the standard registration process.

If an alternative therapy is considered clinically appropriate, medical practitioners can apply for access through the TGA’s Special Access Scheme (SAS) or the Authorised Prescriber Scheme. These pathways allow doctors to legally prescribe unapproved products in specific circumstances.

At Candor, your doctor will manage any necessary approvals and issue a prescription if appropriate. This process is included in your consultation fee.

Your Can­dor doc­tor will ap­ply for ap­proval once your con­sult is com­plete (in­cluding any fol­low up ques­tions). The approvals process can take up to 5 days. The phar­ma­cy then needs to or­der and dis­pense your med­ica­tion. We sug­gest allowing 2 weeks from your con­sul­ta­tion to re­ceiv­ing your med­ica­tion.

Please note providing us with a referral or health summary can help fast track your application. You can upload this after your consultation is complete.

No. Just like any oth­er treat­ment, our doc­tors need to as­sess how safe and ap­propri­ate it is for you. Pre­scrip­tion plans are at the doc­tors dis­cre­tion.

While it is not mandatory for all patients, having a referral or health summary also helps make the approval process quicker and easier.

Your health is the most im­por­tant thing. There are many med­ica­tions that can in­ter­act with other prescriptions, so an accu­rate health sum­ma­ry or re­fer­ral that con­tains your med­ical con­di­tions and med­ica­tions helps your doctor consider which treatments are suitable for you.

If your Candor GP feels that a referral or health summary is necessary in your particular situation you will need to organise one before they can prescribe treatment.

No. Candor encourages all our patients to have a regular GP . Some prescriptions can interact with other prescriptions. If you are taking any of these medications your regular GP can adjust the dosage as required. You may also require blood tests during your treatment that your regular GP can help organise and monitor.

We may request to contact your regular GP to obtain further information if needed. We can also provide you with a let­ter de­tail­ing your pre­scrip­tion plans and we recommend taking this letter to your regular GP so that they are aware of your treatment.

The use of cretain prescription prod­ucts may im­pair­ mental alert­ness and phys­i­cal co­or­di­na­tion, de­creasing your abil­i­ty to perform some tasks. You should avoid driving when us­ing certain prescription products.

Can­dor rec­om­mends check­ing your state or ter­ri­to­ry laws with re­gards to driving and your prescriptions. Depending on where you live it may be il­le­gal to drive while using certain prescriptions.

Candor recommends checking your state or territory laws regarding traveling with alternative therapies. International laws may differ from local laws. Having a prescription does not necessarily entitle you to travel with it.

No. You cannot share your prescription treat­ments with any­one else, even if they have the same con­di­tion or symp­toms as you. Every­one re­acts dif­fer­ent­ly and your pre­scrip­tion is tai­lored to you.

Wait un­til you are due to take your next dose. Don’t dou­ble up on your intake as this will increase your risk of side ef­fects.

No. At this stage Medicare does not cover any costs for con­sul­ta­tions or pre­scriptions.

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To start, we ask you to fill out an online assessment. This assessment is tailored to your specific health concerns and has been created by experienced, Australian-registered GPs to ensure we provide comprehensive, evidence-based medical care.

Your responses are reviewed by a medical professional, who will then consult with you via telehealth to discuss your needs. If suitable, you may be prescribed a tailored treatment plan. If you’re happy with the plan, your prescription will be sent to a pharmacy experienced in dispensing scheduled medications for dispensing and delivery.

Your Candor doc­tor will generally re­quire a fol­low up 2 weeks after the first con­sult. After that your consults will likely be based on how frequently you need repeat prescriptions. You can request additional follow ups if needed.

Follow up consultations are important to assess your response to your treatment and help find the correct treatment for you. Failure to attend follow up consultations may result in further prescriptions being declined.

In most cases, yes. It does depend on the state you live in, as there are some restrictions. Let us know your preferred pharmacies details and we'll co-ordinate with them to get your prescription ready for pick up. Please note, an additional $30 admin fee applies for this option. This is to cover the time it takes for your Candor GP to liaise with your selected pharmacy and the postage cost to send your paperwork to them.

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