8 Benefits Of Using A Compounding Pharmacy

Pharmaceutical compounding has existed for a long time. However, it has gained traction in recent years as more people learn about the benefits it offers and the possibilities it creates for patients. In very simple terms, the pharmacy compounding technique combines science and art to develop customized medications for patients. 

Usually, a trained pharmacist takes the prescription development by a physician and mixes individualized ingredients to come up with medication that is tailored to an individual. This technique enables pharmacists to work closely with physicians to ensure that the unique needs of the patients are met and sufficiently addressed. 

Companies that use this approach have to keep up with the growing need to develop innovative medications that support life-enhancing and life-saving procedures. Visit this site right here to read the history of compounding pharmaceutical companies. 

If you’re wondering whether you should use a compounding pharmacy, here are eight key benefits of using one:

Provides For Alternative Forms 

Patients prefer having medications in specific forms. Good examples are children and the elderly who prefer to take medicine in a chewable tablet or suspension form. While flavored multivitamins in liquid or chewable tablet form can sustain good health, they’d still need medicine once an illness sets in. Besides giving medications a pleasant taste, compounding pharmacy plays an important role in developing medications in forms that are most suitable and preferable to patients. 

Compounding pharmacy also makes it possible for medications to be formulated in topical form. This means that instead of taking the medication by mouth, prescriptions are compounded into gel or cream that gets absorbed by the skin and gets into the bloodstream. In addition to providing medications in alternative forms, compounding pharmacy offers the benefit of customizing medicines in the actual medication dosage and potency that patients need.

Makes Taking Medications Easier

It’s common knowledge that many medicines in the market are difficult to take due to unpleasant taste. As such, many patients, particularly the elderly, children, and even pets, find it challenging to take the medications as prescribed by the physician. Compounding pharmacy helps in addressing this problem. Through compounding pharmacy, pharmacists are able to customize prescribed medications in flavors that patients prefer. This makes the medication palatable and much easier to take. 

Responsive To Patient Needs

Patients with chronic conditions can sometimes have difficulty finding the treatment that suits them. They can try different avenues and options with no result. This can be very frustrating, especially being told by physicians that there isn’t any more available treatment. This situation isn’t limited to patients with terminal illnesses or other extreme cases, but this can also happen to people who suffer from chronic pain. 

However, there’s an available drug that, when used in lower doses, can be effectively used to manage pain. The risk of addiction in low-dose treatment is drastically reduced. Such small doses, unfortunately, aren’t compounded by big pharmacies. For dosages like these, compound pharmacies can be of great help. Drugs are formulated from raw ingredients so they can provide small doses if the doctor prescribes them.  

 Accessibility

One of the biggest challenges that patients experience is getting access to medications they need regularly due to discontinuation. In some instances, this happens because such medications are no longer available in the market. The reality is that discontinuation of some medications doesn’t eliminate the need that patients have for them. 

Compounding pharmacies address this gap by making such medications accessible to patients that need these. To do this, companies use the compounding pharmacy to replicate or even reproduce hard-to-find medications that are no longer available in the market. This ensures that patients who need them are able to access them and continue receiving the medical care they need. 

Allergy-Friendly Medications 

Another important benefit of compounding pharmacies is that it allows for the production of allergy-friendly medications. Traditional medications contain numerous ingredients that can trigger allergic reactions or sensitivities. They include gluten, flavorings, alcohol, lactose, and dyes. Commercial medicines may also contain preservatives that are not tolerated well by patients. Compound pharmacy provides an avenue for producing medications that are safer and well tolerated by patients.

Right Formula For Each Patient’s Needs 

Manufacturing commercial drugs are the product of years of research. Pharmaceutical companies test these drugs extensively and run trials to ensure that medications aren’t only safe, but effective as well.  

However, each patient may have different needs, and effective medication for one patient might work differently for another. Furthermore, the percentage of a medicine’s active ingredients might affect each patient differently. Not only that, each patient’s reaction to other types of ingredients, as well as to the quantity found in the medicine, may not be the same.  

With pre-made medications from regular pharmacies, patients would have to accept whatever inactive ingredients are included. They also won’t have the option of discussing first with their doctors and pharmacists the amount of active ingredient they require. Compound pharmacies are more flexible, and they can work with the patient’s doctor regarding the dosage.     

Can Accommodate Religious Restrictions 

People who have religious dietary restrictions can be accommodated by compounding pharmacies. A compounding pharmacy might not be able to certify as halal or kosher certain medications, but certain ingredients, like gelatin, which could pose a problem concerning Islamic and Jewish laws, can be avoided. Medication suited for vegans, for example, is a way to sidestep issues like this.  

Alcohol in medication could also present problems for Muslims as ingesting alcohol isn’t permitted under the Shariah Law. However, restrictions like these are easily navigated by compound pharmacies. Formulating prescription drugs without ingredients like alcohol is often done. Compound pharmacies can easily accommodate people with religious dietary restrictions. All they have to do is ask.

Cheaper Medicines 

Compound pharmacies can be less costly than commercial drugs. Having access to pure, medical-grade chemicals helps compound pharmacies to produce lower-cost medicines. Moreover, they don’t use patented preservatives and designer dyes from large drug companies. Not using these patented ingredients results in significant savings, enabling compound pharmacies to make drugs cheaper than commercial drugs. 

Final Thoughts 

Compounding pharmacists alter or combine drugs to create specific medications that address the exact needs that patients have. They also utilize ingredients that are used to formulate standard over-the-counter medications to create drugs that have exited the commercial market. By doing this, compounding pharmacies enable patients to access drugs in the preferred form, potency, and flavor.