What are compounded medicines and when might they be beneficial?

Compounded medicines are tailor-made, individualised medications made for you by your pharmacist from raw ingredients as prescribed by your doctor. The prescription will generally detail individual ingredients and strengths that are tailored to work to a person’s specific medical requirements. Your doctor may prescribe a compounded medicine if:

• the product you need doesn't exist or isn’t available;
• you require a specialised strength or dosage form which is not available;
• you have allergies to the ingredients in the commercially available products.

Darren Searle, Pharmacy Manager at Terry White Chemmart Marden Compounding says he most often sees hormone replacement therapy (HRT), dermatological (skin) treatments and paediatric medicines needing to be dispensed as a compounded medicine. They also make some items for IVF and pain conditions. Sterile eye drops, implants and injectable medicines are other items that can also be compounded in a sterile compounding facility.

“We make compounded medicines, by hand, in our custom compounding lab,” Darren says. “For some formulations, such as creams and capsules, we have devices to assist with the process.”

These medicines can come in many forms, such as:

• creams/ointments
• liquids/solutions
• capsules
• troches (a lozenge which dissolves in the mouth).
• pessaries and suppositories
• injections

Compounded medicines provide additional options for people who might need a drug in a dosage that differs from the standard amount available, or who are unable to take particular medications in their commercial form.

“For example, if someone has problems swallowing tablets, we can provide a liquid form of a medication where only tablets usually exist,” Darren says. “With the doctor's involvement, we can also customise a dosage form or strength for people who need a specialised dosage.”

Darren suggests that if you want compounded medicine for any reason, then it's worth finding a doctor who has experience in this area. “Often specialists or GPs who have a particular interest in certain health conditions will be familiar with compounded medicines,” Darren says. “Also, only a small number of pharmacies, such as ours at Marden, actually make compounded items on site, as we need a specialised lab which most pharmacies don't have. If your local pharmacy doesn’t have this, then it is possible they might act as a collection point, and will send their prescriptions to a compounding pharmacy to be made.”

If a commercially identical product is available, then the pharmacy is not allowed to create a compounded medicine version. But for circumstances where you require an individualised prescription item, it can be a very beneficial option. Check with your general practitioner as to whether compounded medicine is suitable for your situation.

*Does not include compounded vitamins or general skincare.