Answering Your Top Questions: What is a Compound Medication?

Answering Your Top Questions: What is a Compound Medication?

August 30, 2023

You’ve most likely seen the word “compounding” in reference to some forms of medications, but what exactly does it mean? We’re here to help provide a simple and thorough explanation, so you can finally know the answer to the question- What is a compound medication? Keep reading to find out more!

What is a compound medication?

The term “compounding” refers to simply combining several ingredients into a finished product, most often personalized to an individual’s specific needs and preferences. So a compound medication is not the same as a standard pre-made medicine most prescriptions are filled with, but rather a unique formulation made to the exact strength and dosage of the patient. Many times, treatment is not a one-size-fits-all solution and requires a personalized approach to healing, and we believe the same can be said of medications! That’s why we offer compounding services at our pharmacy in Kansas City.

What are the benefits of a compound medication?

Our compound medication services are beneficial for a variety of reasons, including making rare or unusual combinations not available at most pharmacies accessible and creating a dosage and delivery form that is the most effective and convenient. We work alongside doctors to come up with a treatment solution that works best for the individual and can fill prescriptions in many forms, such as extended-release capsules, liquid suspensions, suppositories, skin creams, troches, sublingual tablets, and more. If you have difficulty swallowing pills, you have options! Some medications are also more effective and are better absorbed by the body in different forms, so that’s something else we and the doctors consider when creating a customized formulation.

What is a compounding pharmacy?

A compounding pharmacy is able to create custom formulas for a variety of situations, from adding special flavors for children or pets to bioidentical hormone therapy treatments. Even something as simple as creating a medication without any added preservatives, allergens, or fillers is possible at a compounding pharmacy. Stark Pharmacy has been compounding medicines for years, and our specialists use our modern and sterile lab for the safest and most effective compound medication possible. These are just a few of the steps we take to ensure the highest standards of quality:

• Chemicals purchased only from FDA-approved suppliers
• Specialized software for safe formula storage
• Third-party testing of our compounds
• AirClean® Systems PowderSafe™ enclosures to decrease contamination risk and provide a safe environment

We pride ourselves on providing the community with tailored solutions to medications unavailable through other commercial avenues. So if you’ve ever asked the question, “What is a compound medication?”, well now you know the answer! Please reach out to us for more information on how you can access compound medications from our local Overland Park pharmacy.