Pharmacy compounding is the art and science of preparing medicines at the exact dosage and strength required for the individual patient and in the dosage form for optimal pharmaceutical care.
What Does Compounding Provide?
With custom compounded prescriptions we can work with the patient and prescriber to meet the specific needs of the individual patient. Whether the patient is child, adult or even our four legged friends. This individual care is often times not met by the commercial profit driven maufactured pharmaceuticals. When it comes to your body, each person or animal is different and this often times requires individual medicine for optimal results.
Reasons for Compounding
There are several reasons why pharmacists compound prescription medications; yet, one of the most important is patient noncompliance. Many patients are allergic to preservatives or dyes, or are sensitive to standard drug strengths. With a physician’s consent, a compounding pharmacist can change the strength of a medication, alter its form to make it easier for the patient to ingest or add flavor to it to make it more palatable. The compounding pharmacist also can prepare the medication using several unique delivery systems, such as a sublingual troche, lozenge, lollipop, or a transdermal gel. For those patients who are having a difficult time swallowing a capsule, a compounding pharmacist can make a suspension instead. Compounding pharmacists can also help when medications are no longer available commercially as some medications that work are not profitable enough for manufacture.
Often parents have a tough time getting their children to take their medicine because of the taste. A compounding pharmacist can work directly with the physician and the patient to select a flavoring agent, such as vanilla, butternut or tutti frutti, that provides both an appropriate match for the medication’s properties and the patient’s taste preferences.
Compounding pharmacists also have helped patients who are experiencing chronic pain. For example, arthritic patients who cannot take certain medications due to gastro intestinal side effects. Working with their physician, a compounding pharmacist can provide them with a topical preparation with the anti-inflammatory or analgesic their doctor prescribed for them.
Union Square Pharmacy @ Belmar can meet your compound needs in a variety of areas including Mens Health, Womens Health, Pediatrics, Pain Management, Podiatry, Dental and Veterinary Compounding
For further information on compounding please visit www.pccarx.com or www.iacprx.org.
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