Pharmacy COMPOUNDING
Customized Care For Individual Patients
Pharmacy compounding
offers customized care
to meet the specific needs
of individual patients
- Would a loved one benefit from having multiple medications combined into a single dose?
- Do you struggle to cut prescription tablets in half because they’re not the strength you require?
- Do you wish your child’s medicine tasted better, so they would accept it without a fuss?
Compounding pharmacists provide solutions to all these problems, and more
Compounding
With customized tools – like special flavorings, unique dosage forms and innovative delivery methods, compounding pharmacists work with practitioners to create personalized medicine for people who aren’t served by the “one-size-fits-all” approach of mass-produced drugs. Here’s how they make a difference in patient lives
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Hormone Replacement TherarpyHormones have a powerful effect on your body and many areas of your health, including your mood, your metabolism, and your sexual and reproductive function
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Pain ReliefPain is the most common symptom for which people seek medical help. Acute pain can easily turn into chronic pain, which can be difficult to treat
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VeterinaryPets are members of the family, and you want them to have medical treatment that’s as attentive and innovative as you expect for yourself. Today’s veterinarians understand this, and many rely on compounding as one way to deliver this advanced level of care.
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PediatricsBy putting a drug into a flavored suspension or sugar-free lollipop, medications can become something kids want to take, not something they have to
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DermatologyEven though our skin regenerates every 28 days, everyday life can take a toll on skin health. There are 300 million reasons why maintaining proper balance and hydration of the skin is important to overall well-being – some lie beneath its surface
What is Compounding
Pharmacy compounding is the art and science of preparing customized medications for patients. Its practice dates back to the origins of pharmacy. It declined in the 1950s and ‘60s as the pharmacist’s role quickly changed from a preparer of medications to a dispenser of mass-manufactured products. However, this “one-size-fits-all” approach to medication meant that some patients’ needs were unmet. Within the last few decades, compounding has experienced a renaissance, as modern technology, innovative techniques and new research have allowed more pharmacists to customize medications to meet a patient’s unique needs.
Compounding Benefits
Working with your health care provider, a compounding pharmacist can:
- Alter the form of your medication to make it easier to use or ingest
- Add flavor to your medication to make it more palatable
- Adjust the strength of your medication so that it meets your specific needs
- Combine medications into one, easy-to-use form
- In some cases, formulate medications that are no longer manufactured commercially
The PCCA Standard
Every day, we make a choice to define ourselves by high quality, not low price. We want to do everything we can to help you give your patients reproducible results and the best clinical outcomes possible, because your patients and your pharmacy matter to us. That’s why, every day, we choose to go above and beyond what is required and hold ourselves to The PCCA Standard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is compounding legal? Is it safe?
The Food and Drug Administration has stated that compounded prescriptions are both ethical and legal as long as they are prescribed by a licensed practitioner for a specific patient and compounded by a licensed pharmacy. In addition, compounding is regulated by state boards of pharmacy.
Can my child or my elderly parent take compounded medication?
Yes. Children and the elderly are often the types of patients who benefit most from compounding. If prescribed by your health care provider, a compounding pharmacist can alter the strength of a medication or change the form so that it is easier to use. A compounder can also work with a physician and patient to select a flavor based on the patient’s preference. Flavoring options include bubble gum, grape, tutti frutti and vanilla butternut, among many others. Compounding pharmacists also can help patients who experience chronic pain. For example, some arthritic patients cannot take certain medications due to gastrointestinal side effects. Working with a physician’s prescription, a compounding pharmacist can provide these patients medications as topical creams that can be absorbed through the skin. Compounded prescriptions frequently are used to ease pain, nausea and other symptoms for hospice patients as well.
Can my child or my elderly parent take compounded medication?
Every prescription insurance plan is unique. Some insurance plans cover compounds directly at the pharmacy counter, and others may require the patient to submit a claim form. You should contact your prescription plan to see what their coverage is for your customized medication.
Does my doctor know about compounding?
Prescription compounding is becoming more well-known, but some may not realize the extent of its resurgence in recent years. Ask your physician about compounding, or get in touch with a compounding pharmacy.
What kind of prescriptions can be compounded?
Compounding pharmacists can prepare medication
for a variety of needs and applications, including:
- Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy
- Hospice
- Pediatrics
- Pain management
- Ophthalmics
- Dentistry
- Otic (for the ear)
- Dermatology
- Medication flavoring
- Neuropathy
- Veterinary
- Sports medicine
- Infertility
- Wound and scar therapy
- Podiatry
- Gastroenterology
Will my insurance cover compounded medications?
Every prescription insurance plan is unique. Some insurance plans cover compounds directly at the pharmacy counter, and others may require the patient to submit a claim form. You should contact your prescription plan to see what their coverage is for your customized medication.
Is compounding expensive?
Compounding may cost more or less than conventional medication. It depends on factors such as the type of ingredients and equipment required as well as the time it takes the pharmacist to research and prepare the medication.
Does compounding sound right for you?
Ask your health care provider or pharmacist about compounded medications today.