Santa Barbara Pharmacy
Custom Rx Compounding
| “Our goal is to allow the physician to prescribe medicine that fits the patient’s needs rather than fitting the patient to the medicine.” |
Customized medication compounding allows us to formulate drugs that are not commercially available. By working with your doctor, our pharmacy can customize the strength and dosage form of a medication to your individual needs.
Compounding combines an ageless art with the latest medical knowledge and state-of-the-art technology, allowing specially trained pharmacists to prepare customized medications to meet each patient’s specific needs. Compounding is fundamental to the profession of pharmacy and was a standard means of providing prescription medications before drugs began to be produced in mass quantities by pharmaceutical manufacturers.
The demand for professional compounding has increased as healthcare professionals and patients realize that the limited number of strengths and dosage forms that are commercially available do not meet the needs of many patients, and that these patients often have a better response to a customized dosage form that is “just what the doctor ordered.”
We have the compounding equipment and chemicals needed to meet the special needs of each patient. Our compounding capability embraces the triad relationship of patient, physician, and pharmacist and it enables all three to work together to solve unique medical needs. Our goal is to allow the physician to prescribe medicine that fits the patient’s needs rather than fitting the patient to the medicine.
Compounding can be especially helpful for children and family pets that dislike the taste or texture of medications or have difficulty swallowing a solid dosage form and may involve:
- Preparing formulations without preservatives or dyes for a patient with allergies.
- Changing a formulation strength to meet an individual patient’s need.
- Using a wide variety of dosage forms such as capsules, topical skin preparations, lip balms, suppositories, lollipops, lozenges, liquid drops, and trans-dermal gels.
- Preparing liquid suspensions for those who cannot swallow a tablet or capsule.
- Flavoring medicine to improve its taste (tutti-frutti, grape, cherry, vanilla, etc.).
Customized medication compounding services can enhance many other areas of medicine including:
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Hormone therapy;
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Veterinary medicine;
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Pediatric treatments;
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Sterile therapies;
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Pain management;
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Eye and ear treatments;
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Hospice care.
Come in and talk with our pharmacy staff about how our compounded medications can help you!