5 Benefits of a Compounding Pharmacy

Compounding Pharmacy and its history

Pharmacy has an interesting, well-documented history.

The roots of this noble profession can be traced back to 2600 BC. In fact, Apothecary is the correct term used back then. The profession can be dated back to ancient Babylon (circa 2600 BC), which provides one of the earliest records of the practice of the apothecary. Clay tablets were found with medical texts recording symptoms, the prescriptions, and the directions for compounding it.

Apothecaries would dispense herbs and medicine, besides offering general medical advice and a range of services that are now performed by other specialist practitioners like doctors, surgeons. In 17th century England, they also controlled the trade of tobacco which was imported as a medicine.

More recently, this role is now taken over by the pharmacist. The pharmacist assesses the patient and takes recommendations from the doctor before returning to the apothecary to hand-create a precise formula for the patient. In German-speaking countries, such as Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, pharmacies or chemist stores are still called apothecaries.

With the coming of the industrial era, huge batches of pre-mixed formulas became available to the masses at pharmacies. Generalized medication became the preferred option as they were readily available for distribution.

Hence we see two different kinds of pharmacies: Retail and Compounding pharmacy.

The role of compounding pharmacies is to make drugs prescribed by doctors for specific patients with needs that can’t be met by commercially available drugs. They combine the ingredients in-house to meet the individual patient’s needs. Patients require a prescription for all compounded medications, just as they do for retail pharmaceutical prescriptions.

Here are 5 Benefits of Compounding Pharmacy:

Experience Zero Side Effects:

Most of the medication that is manufactured at a commercial scale is produced with a host of ingredients that can be unfavorable in certain ways. In fact, many people are not even aware of the fact that they have been taking a certain medication due to which some side effects occur, or perhaps they do not have the choice to avoid them. For example, some medications are known to make one feel drowsy or dizzy, or nauseous. However, in the case of a patient whose body functioning does not build space to experience such type of a condition, the doctor can prescribe the pharmacist to remove the particular ingredient so as to avoid experiencing discomfort in any manner.

Specified Dose Strength:

If you consider taking a medication straight from a pharmacy, you will notice that each medicine is available in a specific set of dosages only. In that scenario, patients who might require slightly higher or lower amounts of dosage cannot find a balance with the given availability. In case of compounding pharmacy, this issue is also resolved as the medicine will be provided in the exact dosage that your doctor has prescribed for your treatment. Therefore, you don’t have to go searching from one pharmacy to the other to find the dosage that you require.

Discontinued Medication:

There are lots of medications that are banned by the government or medical authorities for strong reasons such as drug abuse or similar other purposes. However, for a few patients, this medication is necessary to solve their medical issues. In such a situation, compounding pharmacy comes to the rescue since these pharmacists also own rights to provide a medicine that is no longer available for general use to the public.  

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy:

Hormones are responsible in controlling the basic functions of a body.  In a lot of males and females, there is often an imbalance of hormones which leads to a host of conditions in the form of osteoporosis, menopause, insulin resistance, fibromyalgia, etc. With the help of compounding pharmacy, such hormones can be created that are chemically identical to the kind that a human body manufactures naturally. As per the doctor’s prescriptions, these bioidentical hormones are tailor-made to a patients’ requirements, thereby offering them a safe and specific solution to their health issues.

Different Dosage Type:  

A lot of times patients face the challenge of consuming a particular medicine in a certain form. In certain cases, it can be very critical to his or her treatment as well. For example, some people are unable to take syrups that are in liquid form while others are only comfortable taking the same in a lozenge form. However, a pharmacy does not provide such an option to all. In the case of compounding pharmacy, there is a solution for even children who struggle with medication in a certain form. The doctor can prescribe them treatment in a form they will be able to consume easily like a lollipop. Medication can be given in a wider variety that is customized to the patient’s comfort such as troches, liquids, suppositories, transdermal form, etc.

 

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