Pharmacy compounding is when a medication is personalized for a patient by changing it into a different form. Many patients experience issues in taking medication (upset stomach, poor taste, sensitivity to ingredients, challenges with swallowing medication, etc.) Compounding is when the pharmacist creates a new form of the medication, such as changing a pill into a liquid, so that it is easier for the patient to ingest. This opportunity allows the compounding pharmacist to work with the patient and the prescriber to customize a medication to meet the patient’s specific needs.
Who Benefits From Compounding?
Many people (and pets) can benefit from compounding. Here are some examples of how a compounding pharmacist can help:
- Oral medication (ie: pill, capsule) causes an upset stomach
- The taste of the medication results in a reluctance to take it
- Patient has a difficult swallowing pills
- There is an issues of an allergy or sensitivity to ingredients such as flavors or dyes, lactose, sugar, alcohol, gluten, or casein
- The patient may require a different dose than what is available from a manufacturer
- A patient has multiple medications and is challenged to keep track of them
- Patients require a medication that has been discontinued by the manufacturer
In addition, patients who do not want to take medication at all, especially children, can benefit from a compounded prescription.
ALSO FOR PETS! Compounding is available for pets! Often pets have the same challenges as people (difficulty swallowing pills, not liking the taste, etc.) and compounding can help ensure your pet gets the medication they need. Ask us, or your veterinarian, about how we can help.
More Information
Joe Conway, the owner of Conway’s Pharmacy and Healthcare, and a pharmacist for more than 40 years, has written an article for Health Matters magazine on the benefits of compounding. You can read it here.