Medication
Compounding




Ian Lloyd
Pharmacist
Peoples Pharmacy

.....The specialty compounding of medication is a new phenomenon right? My standard answer to any question is, "Well, yes and no." No, compounding is nothing new; Peoples Pharmacists have been making unique creams and mixtures for their patients for many years. Many older Pharmacists remember actually making tablets themselves. By the 1970’s, almost 100% of prescriptions were commercially prepared. The "Yes" part is that the expanded role of pharmacy compounding is new. Today, some of your Peoples Pharmacists are using new techniques, formulas and machines to create medications specific to their patients needs.
.....Perhaps the most popular area of pharmacy compounding is the preparation of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). When the Women's Health Initiative Study reported that standard hormone replacement therapy increased one's risk of breast cancer, cardiovascular disease and strokes, women looked for other options to help with their menopausal symptoms. While it is not clear whether BHRT is completely without risk, many experts feel that it is

a much safer option than general forms of hormone replacement therapy. Many patients like the idea of using BHRT because they are identical to the hormones that your body naturally produces and they generally have fewer side effects. Seeing Bio-identical hormones are individually tailored to
?each patient’s needs, the amount of each individual hormone can be adjusted, either up or down. This can be a great advantage to some people. Most compounding pharmacies have staff members that are trained to help women (and men) custom tailor formulations to meet their individual needs. Your Peoples Compounding Pharmacist is also able to provide BHRT in many forms: custom made capsules, creams, gels and vaginal preparations.
Many compounding Pharmacies also have access to saliva tests that

can determine hormone levels in your body. Saliva testing is a convenient and accurate way of testing for steroid hormones. Scientific studies have shown that there is an association between steroid hormone levels in saliva and the amount of hormone in the blood that is active in the body. Saliva testing can be done anywhere and at anytime. Testing that relies on blood drawn, in the doctor’s office, makes it harder to obtain samples at specific times (such as in the early morning) or multiple times during the day. In addition, hormones in saliva are exceptionally stable and can be stored at room temperature for up to a week without affecting the accuracy of the result.
Another popular item that we compound is topical anti-inflammatory cream or gel. These products offer a great advantage over oral (by mouth) medications. They are applied directly to the area that hurts, such as a finger, wrist or knee. This allows more drug to be delivered directly to the area where it is needed. When you take a tablet, the medication is delivered to almost all parts of your body, which may cause unwanted side effects. People find that they sometimes have better pain relief with
 

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