Care by age: 18 to 21 years
Young adults: your health, your decisions, still your medical home
College, work, moving out, managing your own insurance and prescriptions. We see patients through 21, help you take over your own care, and plan the hand-off to adult medicine when you are ready. Here is what young adults ask us most.
What these years are about
Taking the wheel
At 18 you own your health information and decisions. Many of our patients stay with us through college and their first jobs: yearly well visits, sick visits when home, refills, forms, mental health check-ins and telehealth when you are in Georgia. We also help you learn the practical side of adult healthcare: how insurance works, how to fill a prescription out of town, how to find a doctor in a new city.
For young adults with chronic conditions or disabilities, the transition to adult care is planned over years, not handed over in a letter. See continuity of care.
Most common questions
What young adults ask us
Care from 18 to 21
What changes at 18, how long you can stay, and how we hand off to adult medicine.
College health checklist
Vaccines, forms, prescriptions, insurance out of state and a mental health plan before move-in.
Confidentiality and consent
Your records are yours at 18; how to keep parents involved on your terms.
Mental health
Anxiety and depression peak in these years. What we treat, where we refer, and 988.
Sleep
Shift work, all-nighters and phones: getting 7 to 9 hours in an adult schedule.
Insurance basics
Staying on a parent’s plan to 26, Medicaid after 19, PCP selection, and reading a bill.
Vaping and nicotine
Quitting with support, and nicotine replacement when you need it.
Acne
Adult acne is common; what works and when to see a dermatologist.
Diabetes and weight
Screening for type 2 risk, prediabetes, and a plan that fits an adult schedule.
Medicine cabinet
Over-the-counter basics for young adults
| Situation | What is appropriate | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Pain and fever | Adult doses of acetaminophen, ibuprofen or naproxen; read the maximum daily dose | Acetaminophen over 3,000 to 4,000 mg a day, including what is hidden in cold and sleep products; mixing alcohol with acetaminophen |
| Colds, flu, COVID | Rest, fluids, single-ingredient products for the symptom that bothers you; test for flu and COVID early if you are eligible for antivirals | Antibiotics for viral illness; going to class or work with fever |
| Allergies | Cetirizine, loratadine or fexofenadine; steroid nasal spray | Diphenhydramine for sleep or allergies long term |
| Contraception and sexual health | Condoms; emergency contraception (levonorgestrel) and a daily progestin-only pill (Opill) over the counter; STI testing with us or the campus health center, confidentially | Skipping STI testing after a new partner; assuming a prescription transfers across states automatically |
| Sleep | Fixed wake time, light in the morning, phone out of the bedroom; short-term melatonin | Nightly sleep aids; energy drinks; alcohol as a sleep aid |
| Prescriptions | A 90-day supply before moving; a pharmacy near campus; controlled medications planned monthly | Sharing ADHD or anxiety medication; running out before a break |
| Supplements and “wellness” products | A multivitamin if the diet is limited; vitamin D | Pre-workout and weight-loss products; unregulated gummies; high-dose vitamins |
Questions
Young adult questions
Until what age can I stay a patient?
Through 21. If you have a chronic condition or disability we plan the move to adult care with you and the adult practice, and we do not discharge anyone without a receiving doctor.
Can my parents still call about my care?
Only with your signed release, which you control and can change any time. Many patients keep a parent on the release for scheduling and insurance and keep the visits private.
I am on Georgia Medicaid. What changes at 19?
Children’s Medicaid and PeachCare end at 19. Some young adults qualify for other Medicaid categories, a parent’s commercial plan to 26, or a marketplace plan. Our insurance page explains the options, and we help with the paperwork.
Home for a break, or ready to plan the hand-off?
Call or text (770) 615-7000 or message through the portal. Telehealth is available when you are in Georgia.