Barriers To Filling Prescriptions

After visiting a doctor for symptoms or surgery, medication is often needed. Prescribed drugs can help relieve pain and other unpleasant symptoms while the body heals. Filling a prescription sounds simple, but there are sometimes obstacles to acquiring the medicine. Pharmacists and patients can encounter issues such as low medication supply, unwanted drug interactions, or poor medication adherence. If these or other issues prevent a patient from staying healthy, the pharmacist will recommend a compounding medication.

Understanding compounding

What if there was a way to control a patient’s medication to stay healthy? Most prescription drugs, brand name or generic, are made to facilitate the masses. However, some patients have specific needs that these mass-produced medicines cannot satisfy. Compounding can do that and much more. This is a process where a trained pharmacist creates a custom solution for the patient. Pharmacists have a deep understanding of what goes into a specific drug. Many have access to raw ingredients and techniques to recreate the drug or combine others for a new formula. Here are 3 reasons why a pharmacist will suggest compounding.

1. Improving medication adherence

A drug can only work if the patient takes the correct dosage at the right time, consistent with the doctor’s recommendations. However, many patients struggle with adherence. Issues like cost, low supply, or low drug tolerance prevent patients from sticking to the therapy. In addition, some patients do not like the taste or have trouble swallowing pills. Compounding can address these problems by creating a version of the drug the patient can use without issue. The pharmacist can change the form, flavor, and dosage or recreate a drug no longer in circulation.

2. Too many pills?

Some patients receive multiple prescriptions to deal with various illnesses. Taking 5 or more medications and supplements simultaneously is considered polypharmacy, which has significant drawbacks. Patients struggle to keep up with the timing of important medications or administer the drug the right way. More importantly, polypharmacy can lead to dangerous side effects and drug interactions. Compounding can take the active ingredients in multiple prescriptions and create a single-use form. This step reduces the number of pills the patient must take, improving quality of life.

3. Avoiding drug allergies

Patients can experience side effects and drug intolerance when taking a prescription for the first time. These symptoms, like nausea, upset stomach, or headaches, are expected. Yet, there are times when patients have a drug allergy. An ingredient in the prescription causes an immune response, leading to symptoms like hives, rashes, fever, and swelling. Severe cases can lead to anaphylactic shock. Compounding can remove the allergen once identified by a doctor.

Trust in compounding

Most prescription drugs are effective in treating a patient’s ailment. However, there are often barriers to taking medicine consistently. Compounding gives the patient control over treatment. The patient is more willing to follow a customized solution, leading to improved health outcomes. Don’t hesitate to trust compounding if the prescription is not working as intended.