Pharmaceutical Compounding

[savory]

We are foutunate to have required many pharmaceuticals. DW just received a very expensive prescription. In our search to find the least expensive alternative, we learned about Pharmaceutical Compounding. I wanted to share this with the forum in case there are others where this is a new idea.

Here is a summary. Lots on-line:

What is compounding, and why is it necessary?
Compounding is the creation of a pharmaceutical preparation—a drug—by a licensed pharmacist to meet the unique needs of an individual patient (either human or animal) when a commercially available drug does not meet those needs. A patient may not be able to tolerate the commercially available drug, the exact preparation needed may not be commercially available, or a patient may require a drug that is currently in shortage or discontinued. The U.S. Pharmacopeia Convention (USP) formally defines compounding as “the preparation, mixing, assembling, altering, packaging, and labeling of a drug, drug-delivery device, or device in accordance with a licensed practitioner's prescription, medication order, or initiative based on the practitioner/patient/ pharmacist/compounder relationship in the course of professional practice.”

Following are a few examples of how a compounding pharmacist can customize medications based upon a doctor’s prescription to meet a patient’s needs:

Customize strength or dosage.
Flavor a medication (to make it more palatable for a child or a pet).
Reformulate the drug to exclude an unwanted, nonessential ingredient, such as lactose, gluten, or a dye to which a patient is allergic.
Change the form of the medication for patients who, for example, have difficulty swallowing or experience stomach upset when taking oral medication.
Compounding pharmacists can put drugs into specially flavored liquids, topical creams, transdermal gels, suppositories, or other dosage forms suitable for patients’ unique needs. Compounding does not include making copies of commercially available drug products, as this is not allowed by law.

[Another Reader]

Compounding works with ethical pharmacists. Had to use a couple for pet drugs that aren't available through veterinary pharmacy channels.

Unfortunately, one local compounding pharmacy was shut down because they were cheating by skimping on the drugs to increase profits. Apparently, some compounding mistakes were also made. So I will only use compounding pharmacies when there is no alternative.

[braumeister]

During my mother's last years, we had to utilize a large compounding pharmacy for one of her meds. I was horrified at the high price they charged, and making it even worse was that their prices for virtually everything else they sold were also roughly 3X what any other pharmacy in the city charged.

So I agree that there are good ones and bad ones.

[Bamaman]

My parents' pharmacist got off into compounding and had dozens of people working in his lab.

Last thing we saw of him was at his sentencing hearing for Medicaid fraud where he received jail time and has to pay back $ millions in retribution.

My wife is now receiving all of her prescriptions prepackaged in rolls--morning, noon and nignt by mail order. There is no savings but they are very handy.

[travelover]

DW's cat was on Prozac, but compounded at like $50 a month. I switched to a tablet form from Target for $4 a month. I just dissolved it in water and squirted it into its mouth.

[Mr._Graybeard]

In 2012 a compounding pharmacy was connected to a deadly meningitis outbreak. You gotta do what you gotta do, but be informed.

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/...eaths/1626753/

[grasshopper]

Yea one of my cats takes more drugs than I do, one of which is compounded.

[audreyh1]

Scary stories. I use a couple of compounded steroid creams. At least it’s topical. Doctor vets the two local pharmacies that produce it.

[Gotadimple]

Compounding
*+1 on going with a compounding pharmacy known by your doctor.
* Always check for certification PCAB is a good one for human drugs, VIPPS an excellent one for both human and pet medications from veterinary pharmacies (mostly online).
* Some online sites carry .pharmacy in their URL, this is part of the VIPPS accreditation
* Be aware that if a drug is manufactured in the dose you need, a compounding pharmacy may not dispense unless your doctor asks for something not in the commercial product, i.e., flavoring, or turning a pill into liquid.

- Rita