Specialty Compounding

SPECIALTY COMPOUNDING

Anti-Aging / Cosmetic

There are many desirable aspects of growing older. Longevity brings with it experience, wisdom and maturity. But the physical signs of this maturity are much less enthusiastically met – the loss of elasticity, the age spots, and the crows’ feet, laugh lines, and other wrinkles that are inevitable as the skin begins to age.

Cosmeceuticals – Rejuvenating Aging Skin

Though the aging of skin can’t be halted, in many cases it can be slowed down. Recent biotech research has identified many of the factors that cause the wrinkling and loss of elasticity that come with age. These factors include:

Damage from sun, cold, or wind
Stress
Smoking
Fatigue
Poor nutrition
Environmental irritants such as years of harsh makeup, soaps, or detergents.

Over the years, these assaults on the skin lead it to show signs of aging. It’s impossible to avoid coming into contact with many of these skin-devastating factors on a regular basis. Everyone has been exposed to the sun at some point. All of us have experienced stress and fatigue. While we can’t turn back the clock, we can begin to protect against further damage, and even rejuvenate skin that already has begun to age. How? Through innovative cosmeceutical products.

Solutions for Every Skin Type

Just as every face has its own distinctive features, every person has his or her own skin type. Your compounding pharmacist can customize a therapy of cosmeceutical creams especially for your needs, which can help your skin appear younger and healthier.

The results are both short- and long-term. Cosmeceutical products provide cosmetic results by using scientific research and pharmaceutical-grade ingredients to improve the appearance of skin. Custom-prepared cosmeceutical creams can soothe and diminish the appearance of skin irritations, rashes, redness and inflammation. They also may be useful for soothing dry, cracked skin, improving moisturization, and treating blemishes and problem areas. Most importantly, they begin to protect your skin from the harmful, external forces of aging.

Younger-looking Skin

Through cosmeceuticals, your skin can begin to look and feel like it did five, ten, or even fifteen years ago – moist, smooth, protected, and with reduced appearance of wrinkles. Many commercial creams and lotions may claim to offer the same results, but why use a mass-produced product when you can use one that has been custom-prepared to meet your exact needs?

Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)

BHRT

Are your hormones out of balance?

Unbalanced hormones can make you feel like a stranger in your own skin. Anyone who has been through puberty knows that hormones have a powerful effect on one’s body. Hormones affect many areas of your health, including your mood, your metabolism, and your sexual and reproductive function. If your hormones become unbalanced, whether due to menopause or other factors, you may end up feeling like a stranger in your own skin. However, compounded hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a way to restore balance and help you feel like yourself again.

Hormone therapy designed specifically for your body

HRT is most often prescribed to ease the symptoms of menopause, but it also can be used to treat a variety of conditions that women of all ages may experience, including:

Pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)
Irregular menstrual cycle
Moodiness
Infertility
Post-partum depression
Weight gain
Endometriosis
Fibrocystic breasts
Sleep disturbances
Hot flashes
Night sweats
Decreased libido
Painful sexual intercourse
Vaginal dryness

These conditions affect millions of women. As the number of women seeking hormone-related treatment has grown, so has the mass production of pills, patches and creams by the drug industry. However, each woman’s body is different and has its own unique needs, but commercially manufactured products tend to be “one-size-fits-all,” and do not always account for the differences between individuals.

No two women are alike, of course, and compounding pharmacists understand this fact. Pharmacy compounding is the art and science of preparing customized medications for patients. The advantage of compounded HRT is that it can be adapted specifically to fit each individual’s body and hormone levels. HRT can utilize hormones that have the exact chemical structure as the hormones in the human body. The body recognizes them and allows them to mimic the function of the hormones the body produces on its own.

A compounding pharmacist can provide a hormone evaluation for the patient to fill out. A pharmacist experienced in HRT may assist the healthcare provider in helping interpret the results of serum of saliva tests which measure a patient’s hormone levels. The healthcare provider, compounding pharmacist, and the patient can use the results of these diagnostic tools to help determine a course of treatment which will give the patient the exact amount of hormones her body needs.

Working closely with a woman and her healthcare provider, a compounding pharmacist can help a woman start and maintain a hormone replacement regimen that brings her hormones back into balance and closely mimics what her body has been doing naturally for years. With a healthcare provider’s prescription, the pharmacist can prepare hormones in a variety of strengths and dosage forms, including:

Capsules
Topical or vaginal creams, gels, and foams
Suppositories
Sublingual drops or troches

Once the therapy is begun, the pharmacist will continue to work with the woman and her prescriber to make sure the HRT is working correctly, adjusting the dosage if necessary, ensuring that the medication is just right for her body.

It’s your body…why not give yourself the option of a customized, compounded hormone therapy?

Dental

Making the dentist’s chair more comfortable…

Trips to the dentist do not have to include unnecessary anxiety or discomfort. For a variety of reasons, a trip to the dentist can occasionally be met with some apprehension. The culprits are ingrained into our culture – the ominous whirring of a dentist’s drill, the shiny steel of sharp instruments. Tooth pain or not, some patients simply cannot get past the anxiety associated with dental work. One of the best tools to fight these fears is pharmacy compounding. Compounded medications can lessen the physical discomforts involved in a trip to the dentist and help ease the patient’s anxiety.

Compounding is the art and science of preparing customized medications for patients. In recent years, compounding has experienced a renaissance as modern technology and innovative techniques and research have allowed more dentists and other healthcare providers to work with pharmacists to customize medications to meet specific patient needs. Due to its variety of patients, dentistry is an ideal arena for compounded medications. From an eight-year-old getting a cavity filled to an eighty-year-old getting fitted for dentures, each patient is unique and may benefit from custom-compounded medication.

Working closely with a compounding pharmacist, a dental practitioner can prescribe medications for:

Procedural anxiety
Pain relief
Dry socket treatments
Fluoride treatments
Gum disease
Plaque removal
Oral ulcers
Canker sores
Tooth whitening
And more!

Unique Dosage Forms

As with many medical treatments, the therapeutic options available to dentists can be limited. Some patients may not respond well to standard medications. Compounding enhances the acceptability and application of medications through its ability to customize dosage forms.

Some nauseated patients or those who cannot swallow a pill may receive the medicine through a gel rubbed into the skin.
Patients who suffer from needle anxiety may receive a topical anesthetic to allow for painless dental injections.
Other creative solutions for medication problems may include liquids, pastes, lip balms, or even lollipops.

Flavored Medication

One obvious challenge with dental-related medication is the involvement of the taste buds – some dental rinses, solutions and gels have an unpleasant flavor. A compounding pharmacist can help the medicine taste better without changing its vital properties and performance. For instance, a bitter pain reliever can be enhanced with chocolate flavor to make it taste better, and children will be glad to take a topical oral anesthetic if it’s delivered through a cherry-flavored lollipop.

From cosmetic medications like bleaching gels to unique formulations to treat oral ulcers or gum disease, compounding can have benefits for all areas of dental medicine.A caring dental practitioner working closely with a compounding pharmacist can provide the compassionate, customized care a patient deserves.

Hospice

Bringing dignity and personalization to end-of-life care

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the subject of caring for individuals at the ends of their lives. The final stages of terminal illness are a very difficult time for both the patient and their loved ones, but hospice care aims to ease the stress and discomfort as much as possible. At the heart of hospice care is the belief that each person has the right to die pain-free and with dignity. In many cases, care is provided in the patient’s home with a loved one serving as the primary caregiver.

Along with physician services to attend to a patient’s medical needs, the skills and caring of a knowledgeable compounding pharmacist may be necessary to provide symptom control and pain relief in an end-of-life situation.Pharmacists play a major role in the hospice environment, as caring for the hospice patient generally centers around providing comfort by using pharmaceuticals to relieve and manage symptoms. Pharmacy compounding can offer a practical and compassionate way to meet these needs. Compounding is the art and science of preparing customized medications, and it is especially suited to the concept of providing personalized, individual care to a dying patient.

Hospice compounding – custom-prepared compassion

Every individual is unique, and experiences during the end of life can vary from person to person. However, common symptoms experienced include:

Pain
Nausea/vomiting
Constipation
Diarrhea
Bedsores
Anxiety

Personalized, compounded medications may be the best way to deal with these symptoms. By working closely with a compounding pharmacist, a healthcare provider can prescribe a regimen of care which is tailored to the hospice patient’s individual needs.

Ordinarily, the first symptom requiring relief is pain, and managing it often requires medication around the clock. Compounding pharmacists can provide specialized medications for patients who suffer from acute and chronic pain. To keep the administration of medicine to a minimum, unique drug combinations can be prepared to allow patients to live more comfortably within their pain threshold while potentially minimizing sedation or other adverse side effects.

Due to differences in patients’ body size, drug tolerance, or various organ failures, commercially available medications often do not provide the exact strength a patient requires. Through compounding, a prescriber and pharmacist can adjust medications to the exact dosage needed by the patient.

Many hospice patients have trouble taking medications in traditional dosage forms. In such cases, compounding can provide a more suitable method of administering medicine. For instance:

A patient who is unable to swallow may be given topical medication through the skin to help provide relief, which also may help avoid stomach upset.
Other patients may prefer medications prepared in as flavored lozenges or rapid-dissolve tablets that melt in the mouth.
Medications also may be prepared as suppositories, oral liquids, or even as lollipops.

Caring for a loved one in a hospice environment can be both challenging and rewarding. Through the relationship between a caring prescriber and a compounding pharmacist, the relief of pain and other symptoms can be tailored to a patient’s specific needs.

Men's Health

Maintain your health and vitality with customized care

Compounding pharmacists can help with many health issues that affect men of all ages.

Many men have concerns about:

Erectile dysfunction
Low libido
Loss of zest for life
Prostate and bladder health
Aches and pains
Fungal infections, such as athlete’s foot or jock itch
Hair loss
Excessive sweating
Chronic bad breath
Aging skin

A compounding pharmacist can create customized treatment options for these and many other health issues, including nutritional support to help maintain your health.

Maintain your health with treatments that are customized for you

Pharmacy compounding is the art and science of preparing customized medications for patients. Modern technology and innovative techniques and research allow many healthcare providers to work with pharmacists to customize medications, which provide their patients with the benefit of medications tailored specifically for certain needs.

A compounding pharmacist can tailor a prescription to the exact strength required by the individual patient, and make it in a dosage form that is easy for the patient to use. This may allow the patient to comply better with the dosing instructions, resulting in a more positive experience and treatment outcome.

Unique Dosage Forms

An important benefit is the compounding pharmacist’s ability to alter the delivery system of medications. Working closely with a healthcare provider, a compounding pharmacist can develop a dosage form that works best for the patient.

Many medications, such as some used to treat aches and pains, are commonly available as capsules or tablets. However, medications taken orally must pass through a patient’s digestive tract before making their way into the system, which may delay the effect of the medication or result in gastrointestinal side effects.

With a prescriber’s consent, a compounding pharmacist can prepare many of these medications as topical preparations – creams, lotions, solutions, or gels which are applied directly to the skin. Topical preparations allow the drug to be absorbed through the skin and enter the bloodstream, bypassing the gastrointestinal tract and potentially minimizing the related side effects.Some medications also may be formulated in dosage forms like flavored troches, which dissolve in the mouth and quickly enter the bloodstream.

Testosterone Supplementation

Your compounding pharmacist can tell you that hormone replacement therapy isn’t just for women – many men can benefit from it too! Recent research has identified a number of common physical and emotional symptoms experienced by men as they age, including:

Decreased libido, muscle mass, strength, and stamina
Impotence
Osteoporosis
Heart disease
Sleep disorders
Depression
Anxiety

Termed “andropause” or “male menopause”, these symptoms are related to decreasing levels of testosterone or increasing levels of estrogen.

Your natural balance may be restored though supplementation of the hormone testosterone, which has been shown to relieve the symptoms of andropause. Of course, not all men are the same – different men need different amounts of testosterone to help address their individual symptoms. The value of hormone replacement through pharmacy compounding is its ability to fit your unique body and hormone levels, resulting in better accuracy and a healthier balance.

Pain Management

Don’t let chronic pain keep you from enjoying life

Everyone experiences some sort of pain in their lives. It can take the form of a stress-induced headache, a muscle group strained from sports activities, or be the result of an injury at work or an automobile accident. For some, pain can be chronic in nature and something they live with on a daily basis.

Pain is the most common symptom for which individuals seek medical help. Acute pain easily can evolve into chronic pain, which can become difficult to treat. Many commonly prescribed, commercially available pain relief medications help the symptoms associated with chronic conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraine headaches, and other nerve and muscle pain, but they can also result in unwanted side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness or stomach irritation. Many patients taking these medications come to accept these conditions as part of daily life, but they may find a better solution through pharmacy compounding. Compounding offers personalized pain relief.

The Compounding Solution

Struggling through chronic pain or the side effects of pain medication does not have to be a daily activity. Pharmacy compounding offers patients customized options for pain medication. Compounding is the art and science of preparing customized medications for patients. It provides valuable benefits to those for whom pain management has become a way of life.

Every individual is unique, and the types of pain experienced can be equally diverse. By working with a compounding pharmacist, your healthcare provider can prescribe treatments tailored specifically for your pain management needs.

Alternate Dosage Forms

Many patients experience stomach irritation or other unpleasant side effects from taking pain medication. Some have difficulty taking the medication in its commercially available form. Pharmacy compounding can provide alternate methods of delivery to make the process easier. Instead of a capsule or tablet, pain medications often can be compounded as dosage forms such as:

A topical gel, cream or spray form that can be applied directly to the site of the pain and absorbed through the skin.
A custom-flavored troche that dissolves under the tongue, a nasal spray, or a suppository.

Such dosage forms may bypass the gastrointestinal tract, providing optimal results with less GI irritation, and help patients who have difficulty swallowing pills, removing yet another source of aggravation.

Combined Formulations

Some chronic pain sufferers are placed on a variety of medications to help address the symptoms associated with their condition. On many occasions, multiple medications can be combined into a single dose of a specially prepared compound that combines the medications into a single capsule or topical preparation, providing greater convenience for the patient.

Strength Variations

Because patients vary in size, symptoms, and pain tolerance, commercially available medications sometimes may not provide the appropriate dosage strength for an individual patient. Through compounding, a prescriber and pharmacist can customize the dosage to the exact amount the patient requires, and find a dosage form that best suits the patient’s needs.

Pain can be debilitating, whether it’s acute muscle or nerve pain resulting from an accident, or a chronic condition such as arthritis or fibromyalgia. Pharmacy compounding may help improve a patient’s quality of life by providing relief with potentially fewer side effects and less overall medication.

Pediatric

Do You Want a Better Way to Give Your Child Medicine?

It’s no secret that most kids don’t like taking medicine. There’s nothing fun about being sick, and taking medicine just seems to make it worse. But it doesn’t have to be that way. While there’s no guarantee that taking medicine ever will become an entirely pleasurable event, there are some ways to help.

One of the best involves contemporary pharmacy compounding, the art and science of preparing customized medications for patients. From flavoring medications to make them taste better, to providing individualized strengths and dosage forms, a compounding pharmacist can help make medication time easier and less stressful for your child – and you!

Pediatric compounding – more effective than a spoonful of sugar

Children are especially suited for custom compounded prescriptions. For various reasons, commercially manufactured drug forms sometimes may not meet the needs of every child. Compounding can benefit young patients in a variety of ways.

Working closely with a compounding pharmacist, your child’s pediatrician can prescribe medications for:

Pain relief
Respiratory disorders
Oral thrush
Diabetes
Head lice
Diaper rash
Skin disorders
Cold sores/fever blisters
And much more!

Flavored Medicine

Many children refuse medication because of its texture or color, or simply because they know it is medicine. The child who refuses to take his or her medicine because of the taste is a prime candidate for compounded medication.

Many medications can be transformed into colorful, pleasantly flavored dosage forms, which are dispensed in childproof packaging. Dozens of enticing flavors are available to compounding pharmacists, who can enhance the taste and color of a medication without changing the medication’s effectiveness.

Unique Dosage Forms

Many children have a very difficult time swallowing capsules or tablets, especially if they have to take more than one medication during the day. To solve this problem, your pediatrician and compounding pharmacist can develop and prepare medications in alternate dosage forms your child won’t mind taking. These include:

Oral liquids
Lollipops
Gummy treats
Topical gels
Effervescent drinks

Some compounded medications can be administered using special pacifiers or bottles for infants – and most can be administered in any number of great flavors.

Strength and Ingredient Variations

Each child is unique. Children differ in size and individual needs. Some have allergies and varying drug tolerances, requiring medications which are sugar-free, gluten-free, casein-free, soy-free, or dye-free. As a result, can be a challenge to find a commercially available medication suitable for your child’s individual needs. A compounding pharmacist working closely with a caring pediatrician can formulate a medication which meets all the child’s requirements.

Autism

Children affected by autism often have unique physical or psychological challenges that can be exacerbated by ingredients found in food and medicine – for instance casein, soy, sugars, gluten, dyes, carbohydrates, and heavy metals (such as aluminum). Parents must manage their child’s unique dietary restrictions, including the ingredients in the medications they take.

Because each child’s body has its own unique needs, commercially available medications sometimes may not provide the appropriate dosage form or ingredients needed. For these children, compounded medications are a critical tool.

Sports Medicine

Make sure your active, healthy lifestyle stays that way

Running backs for pro football teams rely upon topical compounds to help them recover from game aches. Major league pitchers recover from inflammation to the throwing shoulder more quickly due to topical agents prepared by compounding pharmacists working in conjunction with team healthcare providers. The secret they use to get back in the game is pharmacy compounding, and it’s available for everyone – not just the pros.

Whether you’re a workout enthusiast who needs to soothe aches and strains, a high school player recovering from a sports injury, or a weekend warrior trying to ease pain during the work week, compounding can provide serious benefits for every kind of athlete. Sports medicine compounding – the best way to get back in the game.

Unique Athletes, Individual Medication

Pharmacy compounding is the art and science of preparing customized medications for patients. In recent years, compounding has experienced a renaissance as modern technology and innovative techniques and research allow many healthcare providers to work with pharmacists to customize medications to provide their patients with the benefit of medications tailored specifically for certain needs.

Sports activities and fitness programs focus upon an athlete’s strengths and are customized to meet his or her individual needs. So why not do the same with medication needs?

A compounding pharmacist may be able to combine various drugs into a single dosage form to combat nerve pain, customize topical antifungal medications, or formulate special preparations to heal blisters or calluses.
Compounded sun block creams, lotions, and lip balms may help protect athletes participating in outdoor sports.

Working closely with both the athlete and a healthcare provider, compounding allows pharmacists to prepare medication in strengths and delivery systems that are just right for that particular athlete’s body, for the ultimate in therapy.

Strength Variations

Just like a football player and a marathon runner require different training programs, their body types may require different amounts of medication to speed recovery or treat muscle pain. Yet commercially available products often come in a limited variety of strengths. Compounding offers a way to calibrate the exact amount of medication to a certain need and body type, resulting in more accurate dosing.

Unique Dosage Forms

Another important benefit is the compounding pharmacist’s ability to alter the delivery system of medications. Capsules and tablets taken orally must pass through a patient’s digestive tract before making their way into the system. For anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants and other medications, this can result in gastrointestinal side effects. Topical medications allow the drug to bypass the gastrointestinal tract and potentially minimize those side effects. A compounding pharmacist can prepare custom topical creams, transdermal gels or solutions that may not be commercially available. By treating the pain at its trigger point, relief and recovery can be strengthened. Personalized prescription compounding may be just what you need to get back in action!