5 Important Reasons for Compounding

You just received a prescription that requires compounding, what do you do next?

Steveston Medicine Shoppe has been an established compounding pharmacy in the Richmond BC area for the last 10 years. We'd like to give you 5 important reasons compounding can be a great tool for your health:

1. Compounding pharmacies can remove unwanted fillers and allergens

People can be sensitive or allergic to various ingredients used in the medication manufacturing process, for example, dyes, lactose, glutens, PEGs, flavors, preservatives...etc. We can compound your prescriptions without the allergens so you won't have to suffer the reactions from these ingredients

2. Compounding pharmacies can compound commercially discontinued and unavailable prescriptions

Some prescriptions or certain dosage forms may be discontinued commercially due to lack of profit. And often, there is manufacturer shortages for prescriptions. However, patients are still in need for these medications. We can create these medications using the pharmaceutical grade ingredients that are still available so your treatments do not get disrupted.

3. Compounding pharmacies can compound different dosage forms

The prescriptions commercially available may not be tolerated by the patients. For example, patients may have sensitive stomach that can not tolerate the oral tablets, or the coatings on the commercially available prescription prevents the medications from being absorbed because patients' unique digestive tract situations.

Medications can be compounded into liquid, topical creams, gels, lozenges, and suppositories depending on your needs.

4. Compounding pharmacies can flavor prescriptions to increase compliance

Certain commercially available liquid

medications are available in flavors you do not like. For example, we have children patients who refused to take mint flavor liquid medications because children have more sensitive taste buds and can find mint flavor too strong.

We can recreate the medication using pharmaceutical grade ingredients with a more friendly flavor that increases the compliance.

5. Compounding pharmacies can make a more effective dosage form

Your specialists may have prescribed a medication based on the latest studies, but the dosage form may not be commercially available.

For example, a lozenge form may allow the medications to be absorbed under the tongue and by pass the stomach acid that destroys them, a nasal spray form may deliver the medication to the site where the medication is needed the most.

You can learn more about the compounding process here.