For a patient, the ease of going to a pharmacy in a store where you do other shopping can’t be beaten for convenience. That’s where regular retail pharmacies can shine, but sometimes they do not have all the medication answers. Here at Dispensaries Ltd, as a compounding pharmacy, we partner with physicians, specialists and sometimes other retail pharmacies when specialized medication is needed.
A compounding pharmacy is a pharmacy that specializes in compounding medications..we make stuff up from scratch! Compound drugs are, like they sound, a mix of various ingredients or compounds made into a unique medication.
When You May Need A Compound Medication
1. Customized medication strengths
Regular pharmacies dispense drugs and medical supplies in the forms and strengths that drug manufacturers provide. Prescribing physicians are limited to what is commercially available, but what if a patient needs a medication outside its available state or power? Such a pediatric infant dose? Here is where we can help.
2. Customized formulation
Sometimes a patient can have tolerance issues such as allergies to ingredients of commercially available medication. Many tablets and capsules may contain gluten, lactose or gelatine as part of the medication. Here at Dispensaries Ltd, we can formulate medicines with the same active ingredients, non-essential ingredients, and allergens removed; it’s personalized medicine. All the compounded capsules we offer are now gluten, lactose and gelatine free.
Sometimes we can take multiple medications and combine them in one easy-to-take and convenient dosage form. This is particularly helpful for parents who have children on many daily medications.
3. For Topical Medications
It’s not uncommon for dermatologists to prescribe combination ointments or creams to treat various skin conditions or for general practitioners to prescribe combination creams for topical skin infections, hormone assistance, or joint pain.
A compounding pharmacist will typically mix two or three ointments with different active ingredients for these topical medications. The compounded medication makes it easier for patients to use just one cream rather than multiple treatments at once.
Similarly, we combine several active ingredients into pain creams and deliver them in a remeasured dose for convenience and safety.
4. Personalized treatment for common but hard-to-treat illnesses
A compounding pharmacy is often involved in the treatment plan for chronic conditions that typically have few treatment options. An example would be autoimmune diseases. Prescribers are finding that off-label uses of some commercial medications, such as Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN), have been very effective in treating autoimmune disorders and long haul COVID. LDN is only available through a compounding pharmacy.
5. Unavailable medications and specialized dosages retail pharmacies can’t handle
When a patient’s clinical picture requires a customized medication because either the prescribed dosage is unavailable or the drug is not available, the services of a compounding pharmacy are needed. A compounding pharmacy can provide the prescribed medication in the dose AND dosage form best suited to the patient. Most recently, we made children’s acetaminophen in litres to fill the local demand.
Specialized dosages routinely benefit patients of doctors, dentists, and even veterinarians, as compounding pharmacies create customized medicines for patients of all types. We can make anything from creams, gels, troches, oral capsules or tablets, sprays, sterile eyedrops, injections, and more.
At Dispensaries Ltd, we are your full-service pharmacy….with a compounding niche!