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WHAT IS A COMPOUNDING PHARMACY?
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Echo Pharmacy is truly a unique pharmacy in this day and age. Not only have we taken a step backwards by providing more service to you, we have also returned to the art and science of pharmacy by compounding prescriptions the way pharmacies did hundreds of years ago. However, there are a few major differences…we have better chemicals, and a state-of-the-art facility in which medications may be customized to an individual’s need.
Drug manufacturers create a medication that is produced in a fixed dosage form. This does not account for the vast differences that exist between people; for example, body composition, genetics, age, sex, etc. that can all attribute to a requirement that may be different from the pre-manufactured dosage form. A compounding pharmacy can make dosage forms that are not available for a specific drug from the manufacturer. A good example is Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy. The medication manufactured by the drug company is taken from the urine of a pregnant mare, and is available in 3 or, maybe 4 different dosages. If your levels fall somewhere in-between, you either get too much or not enough of the medication. Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy consists of the natural forms of the hormones and are formulated to meet your precise requirements and adjusted, as time goes, on in a precise manner rather than an approximation.
Other examples include pain management and the creation of unique dosage forms to help get the medicine to where it is needed. We make lozenges, wafers, suppositories, capsules, lollipops, creams, etc, just to name a few. We also make medicine for pets, and can even flavor them so that cats will get a tasty tuna flavored liquid medicine, and your dog might like Black Angus Steak flavor for his liquid medication. All of these are formulated so that everyone will take the medicine as prescribed by the doctor and as a result, the compliance factor increases substantially. This holds true for children who have difficulty in taking medications as well. With over 30 flavors to choose from, we can usually find something that will appeal to a child. We can even take the vitamin taste out of liquid vitamins for those people who find it ‘yucky’.
All products are compounded under strict guidelines to guarantee the highest quality product. People that can benefit from compounded products include:
1. People allergic to dyes, fillers, binders and preservatives. We can dispense an “allergy-free” dosage form.
2. A prescription can be made in any strength to meet the specific needs of a patient.
3. A person that cannot swallow pills can have a unique dosage form made for them, such as a concentrated liquid, wafer, transdermal or suppository.
4. An old medication that has been withdrawn from the market can be formulated by a compounding pharmacy.
For someone who takes multiple medications, a formula can be devised to include all of medications in one dosage form.
Talk to your doctor, come in or call and talk to the pharmacist at Echo Pharmacy, we’ll be glad to help you.
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