7 Reasons Why a Patient May Need a Compounded Medication

A compounded medication is a drug that is currently not being made by a pharmaceutical company and therefore doesn’t have a brand name like other prescriptions you would normally fill at a pharmacy. They are not commercially available, hence the need for a compounding pharmacy to combine ingredients to create a medication that is customized for your specific needs.

Compounding offers numerous advantages in medication compliance. For instance, the dosage can be more carefully controlled and can even be adjusted during the course of treatment. We can eliminate any unwanted components that may cause side effects or are unnecessary fillers and additives.

There are many reasons a patient may need a compounded medication. Here are seven examples:

1. When an individual is allergic or sensitive to commercial products that contain dye, sugar, alcohol or lactose, we can solve the problem by compounding a customized dosage form which contains the needed medication but not the problem-causing additive.
    
2. If a child or adult has trouble swallowing pills, the medication may be put into a liquid that can be taken by mouth, or could even be placed into a transdermal gel that can be rubbed into and absorbed by the skin.
    
3. If a patient needs a reduced strength of medication or a special dosage that is currently unavailable commercially, we may be able to compound a custom medication for their individual requirements.
    
4. For patients who must take a large number of medications every day, we sometimes are able to prepare special compounds containing more than one medication to simplify a confusing dosage schedule and reduce the potential for medication errors.
    
5. For children who have difficulty taking prescriptions that have an unpleasant taste, we have a variety of flavors we could add to the medication and/or put the medication into a liquid that can be easily administered.
    
6. If you have problems giving medicine to your pets, we can help by compounding the drug into a form and flavor that the animal will devour! Cats LOVE our “triple-fish” flavor!
    
7. For our vegetarian customers, we also offer non-gelatin capsules… just ask for “Veggie Caps”!

Only a few select pharmacies have the equipment and highly trained staff needed to compound medications. Compounding requires specialized equipment, filtered ventilation,  bulk chemicals, and specially trained compounding pharmacists and technicians that most traditional pharmacies do not have. Our pharmacists here at Central Compounding Pharmacy in Santa Monica have received extensive training in modern compounding techniques and regularly attend continuing education seminars.

If you are looking to fill your compounded medication, please give us a call at 310-395-3294 or stop in at our compounding pharmacy in Santa Monica!