What is a Compounding Pharmacy?

NextGenRx is first and foremost known as your local compounding pharmacy. But what is a compounding pharmacy, and how is it different from other pharmacies?

History

Traditionally, compounding pharmacies were created to make drugs prescribed by doctors for specific patients whose needs can not be met at traditional pharmacies. For example, a child might need a small, liquid dose of a drug made only in pill form for adults. Or, someone may be allergic to an ingredient in a commercial version of a drug prescribed to them. In these cases and others like them, a compounding pharmacy would make the patient’s drug especially for them. This would include it being in the proper dosage and form.

Why Use a Compound Pharmacy?

A patient’s relationship with a compounding pharmacy always starts with a problem. Those problems may include a child who cannot swallow the pills prescribed to them, a much-needed drug that is in short supply, or a patient with a gluten allergy. Patients cannot be served with mass-produced medications in these cases. This is where a compounding pharmacy is able to provide the solution for the patient.

If a prescriber sends you to a compounding pharmacy, it might be because:

• You have an allergy to an ingredient used in the medication prescribed to you, such as lactose, gelatin or dyes.
• The prescription is for a child. Most medications are created with adults in mind. Some children need it to be created with a smaller dosage and possibly in liquid form. Compounding pharmacies can provide a liquid form for those who cannot swallow pills, even if the medication is normally dispensed in pill form.
• The medication needs customization to meet your medical needs such as prescription eye drops, toothpaste, or hormone therapy creams.
• The medication is not commercially available by a pharmaceutical company.
• Your medication is off-label. This means your doctor prescribed it for a reason other than the one it was FDA-approved to treat.
• You need to take custom hormones. Patients who do not want to give themselves a shot don’t have to when they have other options available to them. A compounding pharmacy can offer creams, capsules, suppositories, and troches.

Custom Medications for Patients

A compounding pharmacy takes these problems and solves them by creating medications from scratch. Most pharmacies simply dispense pre-made medications that arrive at the pharmacy. Compounding pharmacies, however, have pharmacists that customize medications for each individual patient and their needs.

All ingredients are kept on-hand at the pharmacy so when a patient needs a particular treatment, the compounding pharmacist mixes it together. Due to this, compounded medications are not FDA-approved, but they are regulated by state boards of pharmacy instead.

If your doctor has written a prescription for a compounded drug, you must fill it at a compounding pharmacy. It’s important to ensure that you choose a compounding pharmacy that can meet certain standards. That’s where NextGenRx comes in.

Why NextGenRx Pharmacy?

From the beginning, NextGenRx has prided ourselves in building a pharmacy with quality, individualized medicine for an affordable cost through eliminating the middle man. Our goal is to provide you, the patient, with a positive experience without dealing with insurance companies while also lowering the cost of medications.

NextGenRx has more than 30 years of experience in compounding. Our staff also works to solve patients’ health care problems through unique formulas not all pharmacies can offer. We aim to serve our patients with top-quality service, uncompromised quality, and affordable prices. Contact us with all of your questions about our compounding pharmacy and how we can help you by calling our team at 918-578-0031.