Pharmacy compounding is the art and science of preparing personalized prescriptions for patients. The medications are “made from scratch” – individual ingredients are mixed together in the exact strength and dosage form required by the patient. This method allows the compounding pharmacist to work with the patient and the prescriber to customize a medication to meet the patient’s specific needs.
Compounding has been part of healthcare since the origins of pharmacy, and is widely used today in all areas of the industry, from hospitals to nuclear medicine. Over the last few decades, compounding’s resurgence has benefited largely from advances in technology, quality control and research methodology. The Food and Drug Administration has stated that compounded prescriptions are both ethical and legal as long as they are prescribed by a licensed practitioner for a specific patient and compounded by a licensed pharmacy. In addition, compounding is regulated by state boards of pharmacy.
Compounding can be applied to any medical specialty, including bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, veterinary medicine, hospice, pain management, oncology, otolaryngology, dermatology, ophthalmology, dental, pediatrics, sports medicine, infertility, geriatrics, podiatry, gastroenterology, and endocrinology.
The quality of compounding personalized prescriptions can maximize your therapeutic results. Ongoing training for compounding pharmacists and technicians, state-of-the-art equipment, and high quality chemicals are essential. Experience and ingenuity are important factors as well. When tweaking a formula or developing a unique preparation, the compounding pharmacist and his team must consider physical and chemical properties of both the active ingredient and excipients, solubility, tonicity, viscosity, and the most appropriate dosage form and ways for administering the needed medication.
At The Healthy Choice Compounding Pharmacy, pharmacist Phil Altman works closely with practitioners to find the ideal personalized prescriptions, in New York’s Westchester County area, for each patient’s individual needs. Call or stop by to speak with him to find out more.
Further reading: https://www.thehealthychoice.net/compounding-custom-medications-ny/