Compounding pharmacies have become more popular than retail pharmacies in recent years. While these pharmacies have been around for a long time, they are now the most preferred source of prescription medications for many people.
Compounding pharmacies are becoming more popular because they can create custom medications for patients. This can be beneficial for patients who need medications that are not commercially available, medications in different strengths or forms than what is commercially available, or medications that are hypoallergenic or free of certain allergens.
Compounding pharmacies can also be a good choice for patients with complex medical conditions or who are taking multiple medications.
This article will discuss the six benefits of compounding pharmacies and explore what makes them a better choice over retail.
Alternative Dosage Forms
Many patients often wish to change their dosage form to increase the ease of consumption based on personal preferences. Thus, compound pharmacies play a critical role in helping them meet their dosage form requirements. For instance, a patient suffering from mouth sores or severe throat infection will find it more comfortable to consume liquid medication than hard-to-swallow traditional pills. Similarly, some patients prefer using a topical cream, which works the same way as any other pill or capsule.
Thus, if you also wish to use alternate dosage forms, simply contact a reputed local compounding pharmacy and continue following the doctor-recommended treatment but with more ease and comfort. Unlike retail pharmacies, the role of a compounding pharmacist is to gather all the facts and concerns about your problem and provide you with a dosage form that not only complies with the prescription but also suits you.
Avoid Allergic Reactions
Most people don’t realize that all commercially manufactured medicines follow a set of dosages and ingredients without allowing for adverse effects or allergic reactions it can cause for some patients. Some of the most common ingredients that trigger allergic reactions include gluten, flavoring, dyes, lactose, and alcohol.
However, when it comes to compound medication, it is tailored to create positive effects on the body, let alone cure the problem. In simple words, compound pharmacies are a promising avenue for producing medications that are much safer and well-tolerated by patients. Moreover, these allergy-friendly medications not only help avoid adverse effects on the body but also meet the medical needs of each patient.
Responsive to Patient Needs
The other great advantage of choosing compound pharmacy over retail is that you can easily get fully responsive medication to your individual needs. This is particularly true for patients suffering from critical conditions who often struggle to get the treatment that suits them. Even if they try different avenues and options, these patients often fail to get their desired results, leading to more frustration overall.
Also, the problem is not just limited to patients suffering from different terminal illnesses or other severe medical cases but also to people with chronic pain. However, compound pharmacies help these patients by providing a drug that can effectively treat chronic pain and be taken in lower doses. Moreover, having a low-dose treatment poses a very low risk of addiction.
Since such drugs, particularly in small doses, are not produced by retail pharmacies, compound pharmacies can be a great source to obtain such low dosages or medication. While compound pharmacies formulate such drugs using raw ingredients that can be taken in small doses to treat the condition, you shouldn’t opt for them or any other medication without consulting your healthcare provider or unless prescribed by your doctor.
Personalized Medication
If we think of commercialized medications, they are typically produced and available only in standard dosages like 500mg, 300mg, 100mg, or even 50mg, which doesn’t help patients who are required to take a particular dosage. To give you an example, your physician may prescribe you a less than the smallest standard or more maximum dosage than available in the market. In such cases, you will have to divide the pill or tablet into pieces to meet your prescribed dosage requirement.
However, one way you can avoid the hassle is to get personalized medication from a compounding pharmacy. These pharmacies can easily help you by providing more accurate dosage or with a better dosage option following your physician’s prescription. Also, they can develop medication that may not be readily available in the market, helping you to meet your specific healthcare needs.
Cheaper Medicines
Compared to commercial medication, drugs produced by compound pharmacies are often cheaper or less costly thanks to their access to pure and medical-grade chemicals that help produce low-cost medicines. Moreover, unlike other commercial drugs in retail pharmacies, compound pharmacies avoid using patented preservatives or designer dyes from large drug companies. Thus, when such patented ingredients are avoided, it leads to huge savings for pharmacies, enabling them to develop cheaper medication than other commercial drugs.
Get Unavailable Medication
Have you ever struggled to refill a prescription from your retail pharmacy only to find out meds are out of stock? It is an unavoidable annoyance as no one likes to rush and search all other pharmacies in the area to get their much-needed medication. Compound pharmacies, on the other hand, can easily provide unavailable back-ordered medications at all times.
Since these pharmacies develop prescription drugs in-house, they don’t face the challenge of backlogged medication production or the hassle of late shipments. It means you can get your medication whenever you need it without worrying about its available stock or purchasing it at a high price due to shortage.
The Bottom Line
Since now you know the great benefits offered by compound pharmacies, it is a no-brainer that these pharmacies are more specialized than retail pharmacies. They can help you get medication tailored to your specific needs. Moreover, their drugs are not only widely available at all times but are also cheap and easily affordable.
While these are some of the many great benefits of choosing compound pharmacy over retail, it’s time you start perfecting your medication while making an informed decision about your healthcare.
James Martin is a passionate writer and the founder of OnTimeMagazines & EastLifePro. He loves to write principally about technology trends. He loves to share his opinion on what’s happening in tech around the world.
