How To Find A Compounding Pharmacy Near Me

Are you searching for ‘a compounding pharmacy near me’ but coming up empty or aren’t really sure how they differ from your average chemist? Read on below about how to locate a good ‘compounding pharmacy near me’ and what services you should expect them to offer.

What are they?

People will often first start searching for a ‘compounding pharmacy near me’ because the doctor has prescribed them a new medication and advised that they’ll need to visit a pharmacist that compounds their medication, rather than a standard one. If it’s your first time visiting a ‘compounding pharmacist near me’, this can be kind of confusing. What exactly is this difference you ask? Well, unlike other chemists or pharmacies, those with compounding capabilities are able to customise your medication. Rather than simply dispensing the standard dosages of prescribed medications that you may need. Why might a custom dosage be necessary? Custom medications are often prescribed by doctors because the standard dosages are inappropriate due to your age, health, height, weight or medical needs. Some people may have existing health conditions that would make standard dosages dangerous to their health, or the standard dosage may be too much or too little because you are overweight, or maybe underweight, a child, or have an unusual height. Standard prescriptions are developed around a baseline – the average person and are often not calculated for the many variables that can impact how we process medications.

How traditional pharmacies work

young woman working in a Compounding pharmacy near me

Usually, when you go to your normal pharmacist you can expect your prescription to be filled extremely quickly because they only need to grab your prescriptions from off the shelf, but it’s a different story when you search for a compounding pharmacy near me. Pharmacists who compound your medication will make them in-house. This means you’ll often wait much longer to receive your medication, as it needs to be processed. For many medications, it’s a wait of no more than a day or two, but if they need to order ingredients in then you might find yourself waiting a few weeks.

So how do I track them down?

The best way to find a ‘compounding pharmacy near me’ is to do a search online. Most pharmacies will indicate that they compound medications or may say that they make medications from scratch. If you’re not sure, then speak to them as even if they don’t perform compound services, they will likely know where you can find a pharmacist that does. If you’re having trouble finding one that can help you, speak to your doctor as they will often be able to tell you where to go.

What should I keep in mind?

The great thing about finding a ‘compounding pharmacy near me’ is that they can craft medication so that it fits your exact needs. This doesn’t just mean dosage, they can also make it in different forms in order to meet other requirements. If you for instance are not able to take medication orally, they can make it into a suppository or spray at the behest of your doctor. They may also be able to produce it in pill form, liquid form or even in liquid eye drops or chewable lollies. The medication you receive will be determined by your doctor. It’s great to have this service available and very important for patients that have specific needs.

Once you find one, it’s a good idea to look into their policies and wait times to make sure you never get caught without your medication, if it’s being used to treat and ongoing, chronic condition.