Compounding Pharmacy

Ever had that dreaded problem where you have to give your child medication and they just won't drink it because it's not a particular flavor? Panadol (tylenol) really only comes in that one cherry vanilla flavor and when your child is running a high temperature and it's the only drug that you have available, more than likely every 8 hours or so you have to steel yourself for another fight, another clean up session as your child spits out half of the stuff and the end result is usually a stressed out parent and an unhappy crying child. This is where the compounding pharmacy comes of its own. Most compounding pharmacies can whip up a drug for you specific to your individual requirements or needs. Don't like the liquid? Then you can opt to make it into a lollipop. Choose from a host of flavorings from butterscotch to banana. Opt to have it free from artificial colors. The possibilities are endless.

What is a compounding pharmacy?

If you're like me then it's a concept that is relatively 'new'. However after researching, it isn't really 'new' per se, it's just that when the big pharmaceutical companies took over the manufacture of drugs, the compounding part of all pharmacies became pretty much obsolete. If you visit a Chinese herbal medicine shop (their pharmacy) you will find that they will make up the drug according to your needs, ie your weight, your health status, what you can or cannot tolerate etc. It is individualized. Let's face it, the large pharmaceutical companies make up pills for the average individual. I can tell you the number of times I've had to use the pill cutter makes me think that I'm not average. How can a 500mg tablet be suitable for a 45kg woman and work just as well for a 100kg man? Does it work optimally for the 75kg individual and the ones on either side have to just live with not getting enough or getting too much? What if I can't swallow pills? There's lots of us around that would prefer what a compounding pharmacy can offer.

What can be compounded?

Pretty much anything really. The stuff you get now can be compounded with the raw materials and delivered in a form which suits your liking - as a syrup, as one free of artificial coloring, as a pill that is the exact dose for you (so you don't have to ever use the pill cutter again) etc.

Is compounding more expensive?

It can be, sometimes it isn't. It all depends on what you want eg if you get the drug compounded in a syrup instead of a tablet, then you can't really compare because the process is different. There are other costs that you should take into account, intangible costs like the stress of taking the medication that's involved if it's not something the patient will eat readily, the wastage that inevitably occurs when that is the case (I don't know how often I have tried forcing medicine down my children's throats only to find half of it on the floor or on my clothes) or if the pill cutter crumbles the tablet instead of cutting it cleanly.

Patient based pharmaceuticals - that's what a compounding pharmacy is about.

If you live in Australia or New Zealand, visit Oz Compounding Pharmacy for more information.

Compounding Pharmacy