Whenever you fill a prescription, you’re doing so with the intention of treating or curing your own personal conditions—and no one else’s. Mass-produced, commercially available drugs are often fine for many conditions. However, what do you do if you need custom-made drugs that you cannot find at traditional pharmacies?
Fortunately, you’re just one of the many millions of Americans who rely on a custom, off-label drug made from scratch at a compounding pharmacy. But what exactly are compounding pharmacies, and why do people sometimes need custom meds?
Read on to learn more about compounding pharmacies, and how The Healthy Choice can you with your compounded medicinal needs in Long Island.
What Are Compounding Pharmacies?
Compounding pharmacies are pharmacies that create custom medications from scratch.
Unlike traditional pharmacies, which often simply package up premade medications that are shipped directly to the pharmacy, compounding pharmacies are tasked with customizing each order to fulfill the needs or preferences of a specific patient.
Ingredients are usually kept on site at the compounding, and only combined to create a new medicine when a prescription is written by a doctor and the customer presents it.
Unlike with other drugs, the pharmaceuticals you buy at a compounding pharmacy aren’t commonly regulated by the FDA, but by local regulatory agencies.
Although many different types of drugs are commonly compounded, some of the most common types of compound drugs involve alternative methods of administration, such as:
- Transdermal creams
- Liquids
- Ointments
- Gels
- Lozenges
- Capsules
Despite the fact that compound drugs are not regulated by the FDA, you still have to get a prescription from your doctor before you can purchase compounded medications. If your doctor isn’t yet sure about the benefits of custom compounding medication, you can contact The Healthy Choice for more information.
Why Do People Need Compound Drugs?
The reasons that someone needs a form of a drug that isn’t mass produced or commercially available depend on each individual’s diverse needs. Some of the most common include:
- Allergies – Tons of medications contain added ingredients that people can be allergic to—such as dyes, gelatins, or other additives. By going with a custom compound medication instead, you can get all the benefits of a mainstream drug without the confounding factors.
- Discontinued medication – Sometimes, the medication you need is no longer commercially available. When this happens, you could have it made specifically for you at a compounding pharmacy.
- Off-Label Purposes – Sometimes, you might wish to use an FDA-approved drug for off-label, or unapproved, purposes. Perhaps the most common example of this is Low-Dose Naltrexone, which is commonly used to treat opioid addiction. In smaller doses, LDN has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it useful for some chronic conditions.
- Customization – For example, you might have a swallowing disorder that makes taking a pill difficult. A compounding pharmacy can help you find a different method of administering the same drug.
Contact a Compounding Pharmacy in Long Island
Wondering if custom medicine is right for you? Talk to your doctor or The Healthy Choice compounding pharmacy in Long Island to learn more.
Call 914-238-1700 for more information.