What is compounding?

Medication compounding is the practice of combining pure chemicals to create personalized medications specific to doctor-prescribed dosages. The experienced pharmacists at The Medicine Shoppe have extensive training in compounding allowing them to create prescriptions tailored to your needs. Whether you have an allergy or intolerance to an ingredient in a commercially available product or you require a strength that is not on the market, The Medicine Shoppe team will work together with your physician to compound the best product for your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: Do I need a prescription for a compounded medication?
• A: Yes. Even if the non-compounded version of a medication is available over the
• counter, all compounded medications must be prescribed by an authorized provider.

• Q: Will my insurance pay for my compounded prescription?
• A: All insurances have different practices for determining what prescriptions are and are not covered. The Medicine Shoppe team will submit a claim to your insurance company to determine if they will or will not cover the medication. Unfortunately, many companies do not cover bulk drug powders which are commonly used to compound prescriptions. This means that products not made using commercial dosage forms are often subject to insurance rejections. All prescriptions that are not covered by insurance will be charged a cash price.

• Insurance plans affiliated with CVS Caremark, a pharmacy benefits manager, are not contracted with the compounding department of The Medicine Shoppe. This prevents us from submitting any claims to these insurance companies. As a result, patients with CVS Caremark affiliated plans and no secondary insurance will have to pay cash prices for compounded prescriptions.

• Q: What kinds of drugs can The Medicine Shoppe compound?
• A: The Medicine Shoppe can compound non sterile and non-hazardous dosage forms, including: capsules, solutions, suspensions, troches/lozenges, suppositories, ointments and creams. Sterile dosage forms, such as injections, eye drops and IV fluids, are not able to be compounded at The Medicine Shoppe.

The Medicine Shoppe is also unable to compound prescriptions made of hazardous drugs. Common hazardous drugs include:

● Tretinoin

● Testosterone

● Estrogen

● Zonisamide

● Spironolactone

● Methimazole

● Cyclosporine

● Etc.

Q: Is compounding safe?

A: Yes, though compounded preparations not directly FDA approved, the FDA allows pharmacists to compound medication for their patient’s needs. The pharmacists at The Medicine Shoppe have received extensive training in compounding to make sure they are up to date on the most recent techniques and regulations.

Q: What is the expiration date on my compounded prescription?

A: Every compounded prescription must be assigned a beyond use date (BUD) in accordance with the guidelines provided in the United States Pharmacopeia chapters. These beyond use dates take a variety of factors about the preparation into consideration in order to determine how long patients can effectively and safely be treated with the compounded medication.

Q: Why does my prescription label say to call in my refill 5-7 days early?

A: Because compounded medications are made by hand there is a larger amount of time required to prepare each prescription. For example, some compounded prescriptions must be set in the refrigerator overnight. Additionally, if one or more ingredients in your compound have to be ordered from one of our wholesalers, then it may take several days to be delivered to the pharmacy. Calling in your refill 5-7 days early will allow for all necessary ingredients and labor to be acquired/performed before you are without your prescription.

Allergies and Intolerances

Many people have allergies and/or intolerances to inactive ingredients in commercially manufactured drug products. These include, but are not limited to: fillers, colors, flavors and sweeteners. The pharmacists at The Medicine Shoppe can work with you to compound the medication at the right dose without the ingredient(s) you may be allergic to. Patients who have dietary restrictions to products such as gelatin, gluten or lactose can also contact The Medicine Shoppe team to discuss availability of compounding preparations that avoid these additives.

Pediatrics

Pediatric patients have their own unique needs compared to the adult population. Many children are too young to swallow tablets or capsules and require that their medication be in liquid form. This can pose a challenge as not all medications have commercially made liquid alternatives, and many of the available liquid drugs contain colors, flavors and sweeteners that the patient may be allergic or intolerant to. The Medicine Shoppe team can work with providers to compound liquid dosage forms that allow patients to get their correct dose in a volume that is appropriate for their age.

Veterinary

Giving medication to your pet is never easy. Animals don’t understand the importance of medicine and sometimes cannot take their prescribed medications because they are allergic to ingredients, the pills are too big or the medications are too bitter for the pet to find appetizing. Animals will typically require different dosages than humans making it difficult for them to find adequate treatment with drugs sold in retail pharmacies. No matter how big or how small they are, the compounding pharmacists at the Medicine Shoppe will compound the right drug, in the right dosage form and the correct strength to best fit your pet’s needs. Liquid preparations can even be flavored with options including chicken, steak and tuna to help pets enjoy the taste of their medicine and make it easier for their owners to ensure they receive proper treatment.

Pain Management

Living with chronic pain is not easy. While there are numerous options for pain control on the market, compounding increases treatment options even further. This is mostly through compounding various topical medications to treat painful areas more directly. These compounded preparations can include a variety of active ingredients to tackle pain and inflammation at the same time. Additionally, since the medication is applied topically, there is little systemic absorption allowing patients to continue any oral pain medicines should they need multiple pathways of pain control.

Dermatology

The skin is the body’s largest organ and requires its own special care. Everyone’s skin is just that little bit different that requires care to be tweaked specifically for the patient’s needs. This means that the products currently on the market might not be available in the necessary strength or might have too many inactive ingredients that react with the skin negatively. Compounding allows the doctor and pharmacist to create patient specific treatments that include only the necessary ingredients at the strength you require.