What is compounding?
Compounding is the making of a medication tailored to the needs of an individual patient. The medication is usually ordered by a doctor, veterinarian or other prescriber and is prepared by a pharmacist.
Reasons for compounding:
- Adjust the strength of a medication
- Avoid unwanted ingredient, e.g. Lactose, gluten
- Provide access to discontinued drug or short term shortage of a drug
Forms of compounding:
- Capsule
- Cream/ointment
- Pessary/suppository
- Troche (lozenge)
- Liquid
What do we make?
Bio-identical hormones:
Testosterone, DHEA, oestradiol, oestriol, progesterone
Dermatology:
- Anal fissures: nifedipine, diltiazem ointment
- Anti-ageing: Hydroquinone, kojic acid are used to lighten areas of darkened skin such as freckles, melisma, age spots, and acne scars.
- Acne; erythromycin cream, dapsone cream, clindamycin cream
- Warts: Upton’s paste, DCP solution
- Eczema: clobetasol propionate, tacrolimus to suppress immune’s symptoms in atopic dermatitis
- Hair loss: minoxidil capsule /lotion
Pain management
- Topical: lidocaine, tetra Caine, procaine, amitriptyline, baclofen, gabapentin, diclofenac, ketoprofen, capsaicin
- Oral: PEA (palmitoethanolamine)
- Paediatrics: omeprazole for reflux
- Vitamin D supplement 50,000 IU
Sleep management
Thyroid health
Veterinary:
- Trilostane for treating Cushing’s disease in dogs
- Ursodiol for treating gallstone in dogs
- Trazodone for behavioral disorders
Nutritional compounding
We can prepare nutritional supplements in the form of capsules to help manage common deficiencies such as Vitamin D, zinc, magnesium, selenium. P5P, 5-MTHF, biotin, methylcobalamin
Discontinued or unavailable drugs:
- Cisapride is used to treat symptoms of night-time heartburn in people who have not responded to other treatments.
- Ergotamine with caffeine for treating migraines
- Boric acid pessary; Candida glabrata
- Alcoholism; disulfiram is designed to act as a deterrent to alcohol consumption
- Low dose naltrexone LDN helps regulate a dysfunctional immune system. It reduces pain, and fights inflammation. It is used to treat cancers, autoimmune diseases, chronic pain and mental health issues.
