329 21st Ave North, Suite 3
Nashville, TN 37203
Office: 615-383-3784 Fax: 615-292-2762
Pharmacy Hours: 9am - 5pm Monday - Friday
SERVING MIDDLE TENNESSEE SINCE 1982
TOP 7 QUESTIONS WE HEAR FROM PATIENTS
5.) What suppliers sell ingredients to compounding pharmacies? How are these suppliers regulated?
Just like big pharmaceutical manufacturing companies, compounding pharmacies get their ingredients for medications from suppliers that are registered and inspected by the FDA. Foreign suppliers are FDA-registered facilities.
6.) Can my child – or my elderly parent – take compounded medication?
Yes! Children and the elderly are often the types of patients who benefit most from compounding. It is common for parents to have a tough time getting their children to take medicine because of the taste. A compounding pharmacist can work directly with the physician and the patient to select a flavoring agent, such as bubblegum, grape, tutti frutti, or vanilla butternut, which provides both an appropriate match for the medication’s properties and the patient’s taste preferences. Just think – no more wasting medicine when a cranky patient spits it out!Compounding pharmacists also can help patients who experience chronic pain. For example, some arthritic patients cannot take certain medications due to gastrointestinal side effects. With a healthcare practitioner’s prescription, a compounding pharmacist may be able to provide these patients’ anti-inflammatory or pain-relieving medications with topical preparations that can be absorbed through the skin. Compounded prescriptions frequently are used to ease pain, nausea, and other symptoms for hospice patients as well.
7.) Will my insurance cover compounded medications?
The answer is it depends on your individual insurance plan. We are happy to run your insurance to get a copay amount. You will also be offered a cash pay amount. The choice is yours!
1.) Are compounded medication safe? How can I know if it's safe and effective?
Compounded medications are similar to the so-called “off-label” use of FDA-approved drugs. When the FDA approves a specific drug as safe and effective, this determination applies only to the specific disease or condition for which the drug was tested. But physicians and veterinarians often prescribe medications for treatments for which they have not been specifically approved. Medical professionals do this because, in their judgment, the treatment is in the best interest of the individual patient. Similarly, medical professionals often prescribe compounded medications because they believe it is the best medical option for their patients. It is estimated that one fifth of all prescriptions written for FDA-approved drugs are for uses for which they were not specifically approved.
2.) There are thousands of FDA-approved drugs? Why do we still need compounded medications?
Some valuable medications are available only by compounding. Restricting a doctor’s access to compounded medications would be a serious mistake. Moreover, because of the economics of pharmaceutical manufacturing, FDA-approved drugs that serve a limited population are often discontinued by manufacturers. In most of these cases, the only option left for doctors and their patients is to have a compounding pharmacist make the discontinued drug from scratch using pharmaceutical grade ingredients.
3.) How are compounding pharmacies and pharmacists regulated? Should there be increased federal oversight?
All pharmacies and pharmacists are licensed and strictly regulated by State Boards of Pharmacy. Compounding is a core component of pharmacy and has always been subject to the oversight and monitoring of these agencies and the state legislatures who decide upon the way pharmacy compounding should be regulated within their borders. Additionally, the Food & Drug Administration has authority over some aspects of compounded prescriptions at the federal level under the direction of Congress. Standards set by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) are integrated into the day-to-day practice of pharmacy compounding and are mandated by law in most states. Even greater oversight comes through accreditation from a variety of non-profit agencies that establish and survey on guidelines designed to improve quality in the compounding process.
4.) Does my prescriber know about compounding?
Prescription compounding is a rapidly growing component of many physicians’ practices, but some may not realize the extent of compounding’s resurgence in recent years due to today’s climate of aggressive marketing by drug manufacturers. Ask your healthcare practitioner about compounding, or get in touch with a compounding pharmacy – one that is committed to providing high-quality compounded medications in the dosage form and strength prescribed by the practitioner. Through the triad relationship of patient, prescriber, and pharmacist, all three can work together to solve unique medical problems.