Many pharmacies don’t want to spend hours researching compounding and taking the time to properly prepare, document, and perform quality assurance checks on compounds. Some may not even have the time to spend counseling you about your medication with the thoroughness required, since your medication may be in a form that you’ve never seen before. The actual compounding of a medication is only one step in the process. Determining the best delivery system to meet the need is usually the first step. Some people prefer topical creams over suppositories; I certainly do. A child might not be able to swallow a “horse pill” and would much prefer a lollipop. We try to include the patient in the process as much as possible. Here are some of the many different “delivery” methods we can provide:
One of the primary reasons to compound is to make liquid preparations from tablets and capsules for children. If a pediatric patient has a heart condition, not only can he not swallow a pill, he needs only a fraction of an adult dose. Making liquid medications involve more than just crunching up a tablet and throwing it into a sweet liquid. Some medications can’t be mixed in water and some need a certain pH (level of acidity) to maintain their effectiveness. With new medications becoming available all the time, it requires continuous research to make sure you are preparing the best. That’s what we all want for our children, the very best.
The ability to apply medications topically for local or systemic absorption is a huge benefit. Topical preparations don’t enter the stomach first; therefore, it may eliminate stomach upset caused by many medications. If you don’t need to treat the whole body, just a foot or a shoulder, topical applications might be an excellent solution. Some side effects, like the drowsiness and dizziness caused by some muscle relaxants, might be reduced by topical application.
As much as we don’t want to have to use one, there are some cases when it’s the best route. For example, if your child is too ill to take the necessary medications by mouth, we can compound most antibiotics into a suppository form. You may just need a few doses, until they get better and can take their medication by mouth. This may be an alternative to hospitalization and IV medications. We can also compound ibuprofen into suppository form.
Hormone imbalances are frequent causes of miscarriages. Your physician will determine any imbalance you may have. We, at Kings Compounding Pharmacy, realize the importance of quality compounding, especially in these circumstances. We have our preparations tested by independent laboratories to make sure that you have exactly what you need.
Nobody wants a urethral suppository - that’s why no drug company makes them anymore. If that’s what you need, we can meet that need.
Capsules are our most common compound. This is because our hormone combinations are frequently in capsule form. We can also make capsules that are dye free. It’s pretty uncommon, but some people absolutely can’t tolerate certain dyes. We can use natural ingredients like B12 and turmeric to color if needed. We also compound traditional medication in different strengths as needed. We have a sweet little lady that just can’t tolerate the full strength of her blood pressure capsule, so we make half strength capsules for her. We can do the same for you.
This technology is a little difficult, but can be an suitable alternative if needed. The tablets dissolve on your tongue leaving the mediation to be absorbed.
Depending on the creativity of your physician, we can compound just about anything you need. We’ve put antifungals, steroids, and antibiotics in liquids for you to irrigate through your sinuses. We can also compound ear powder combinations with antibiotics, anti-fungals and pH adjusters (to prevent further bug growth) and dispense the powder in capsules to be used with powder puffers. It sounds more difficult than it is, and it really seems to work.
We have an excellent environment to prepare sterile eye drops. Our “clean room” meets the newest guidelines and we test the room and our compounding techniques regularly. Often the medication needed to treat your exact infection is not available in an eye drop. We have taken injectible versions of these medications and made them into an eye drop. It is imperative that these drops be compounded in a sterile environment, after all, you’ve already got one infection and you surely don’t need another one.
We’ve compounded lollipops with pain medication, electrolytes (needed in chronic dehydration), anti-fungals (stays in contact with the mouth longer than something that you just swish in your mouth) and anesthetics. An interesting lozenge is one with an appetite suppressant that you pop in your mouth instead of eating that candy bar or donut. Once again, all of our compounding is on prescription basis only.
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