Sometimes, standard medication just doesn’t work for some people. Personalised medication will, in many instances, be the only solution. This is where compounding pharmacies help. In this article, we’ll start by looking at why standard medication sometimes doesn’t work. Then we will determine what these alternative types of pharmacies are, and finally, we’ll discuss in more detail how they help people to receive the right medicines.
Reasons for using alternatives
When medicine is not effective, it doesn’t necessarily mean that an incorrect medicinal remedy has been prescribed, or that the illness is not treatable at all. Reasons to try alternative medication include the following:
- Usually, commercialised products are only available in specific doses.
- Substances such as preservatives, gluten, and lactose are often used when medication is manufactured commercially. If a person is allergic to one or more of these substances, the mixture couldn’t be used.
- Sometimes they are not in a “user-friendly” form for the patient. This is often a problem with small children or the elderly who encounter problems swallowing large pills. If there is for example, no syrup with the same ingredients commercially available, the medication can’t be taken.
- The medication needed has, for commercial reasons, been discontinued.
What are compounding pharmacies?
In many countries, such as Australia, the concept of a custom compounding pharmacy is well known and is frequently used. The reasons why people use them include the following:
Provides custom-made remedies
A care compounding pharmacy cares about its customers and compounds and creates custom-made remedies that don’t put patients’ health at risk. The chemists are highly qualified and licensed to prepare mixtures to meet specific needs.
The compounded product you get is prepared only from substances prescribed by the medical practitioner. It has only the ingredients needed without preservatives and other unnecessary substances.
The chemist is able to provide the remedy in a form that is easier to use. A syrup instead of a pill can, for instance, be prepared for a child or an elderly person.
Home delivery service
Usually, medical practitioners send the prescription directly to the chemist. It takes a few hours to prepare the script. To make it easy for clients, the chemist then delivers the mixtures to the delivery addresses provided by the doctors. Pharmacy delivery in Sydney is quite common, but sometimes people prefer to visit the compounding pharmacy near them and build good relations with the pharmacist.
How people in need of medicine are helped
There are many instances where over-the-counter medicine is just not the right fit for a person. Let’s look at some of the areas where homeopathic remedies can assist::
Hormone replacement
Bio-identical hormones can be prepared and provided. In this way, a person is provided with an almost natural treatment option.
Flavoured remedies
Sometimes, pills and syrups have a very bad taste and are not taken by the patient. The pharmacist changes this by using natural and harmless flavours to make medicine more appealing, especially for toddlers.
Natural flavouring is also often done with pet remedies to make the intake of the medicine easier for the pet.
Customized forms
When someone is struggling to swallow pills, for instance, the pharmacist changes the form to a syrup or liquid to allow it to be taken. They may also provide other custom-made objects. Suppositories, as an example, can be made for the specific needs of the patient. This is not possible with commercial products.
Customised strength and dosage
Children and the elderly often need a lower strength or dosage than what is possible with standard products. The pharmacy customises the strength to be exactly what the medical practitioner has prescribed. If the dosage needs to be more than what is available commercially, the alteration will be done.
Conclusion
Compounding pharmacies help people who encounter problems using commercialised products for specific reasons. The pharmacists at these chemists compound and mix only the substances that are needed and prescribed by the medical practitioner. They produce mixtures that are correctly compounded and easily taken by the patient, especially toddlers and elderly people. Their remedies are efficient because they are actually used by the patient!
