If you’re looking for a discontinued medication or need an allergy-free drug, compounding is the right choice for you. Compounding pharmacies create customized medication by alerting the formulations used by commercial manufacturers. This involves removing allergy-causing ingredients or altering the dosage or form of medication to make it safe and effective. A licensed compound pharmacist work with physicians to create tailored prescriptions. Unlike retail pharmacies that sell commercially manufactured medications, compounding pharmacies customize prescriptions to meet specific patients’ needs. So, even if both types of pharmacies offer medications, the type of drugs they provide differs.

Choosing the Right Pharmacy

Regular pharmacies are simply retail stores selling drugs manufactured by large pharmaceutical companies. It means that the pharmacy has no role in the quality or effectiveness of the medicine. All retail pharmacies sell the same drugs which mean that choosing a pharmacy isn’t a big concern. Whether you visit a large retail pharmacy in a shopping complex or a small shop in the neighborhood, you will get the same medication under the brand name. But this isn’t the case with compounding pharmacies. As discussed above, compounding means customizing prescriptions. A compound pharmacy doesn’t sell premade medicines. They take your prescription and mix ingredients to create tailored drugs. It means that the experience and expertise of the pharmacist play a major role in selecting the pharmacy.  Not all compound pharmacies are the same which means you need to make a choice wisely. Here are some factors that you need to consider when choosing a compounding pharmacy.

1.      Accreditation

A pharmacist needs licensing to operate. When searching for a compound pharmacy, check what type of certification or accreditation they have. For instance, a pharmacy with Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB) certification is a good start as it ensures that they comply with all regulatory requirements. Regulated pharmacies produce sterile compound medications using standardized protocols to avoid infections. Choosing a PCAB-accredited pharmacy guarantees safe medication.

2.      Who Compounds the Medication

The knowledge and expertise of the pharmacists responsible for compounding are also equally important. Creating customized medication needs specialized knowledge of the human body, diseases, and medications. The pharmacy should have qualified pharmacists to supervise or conduct compounding. Find out what qualifications and experience their staff has to ensure their skills to accurately mix and combine medications. An experienced pharmacist should be able to answer your concerns about dosage, side effects, and other issues. They should work with physicians to fill in prescriptions using safe techniques.

3.      Production Method & Testing

Another important consideration is the quality of the ingredients used. The pharmacy should be able to provide certificates of analysis of the ingredient they’re using. Find out from where they are sourcing the ingredients. Reliable pharmacies get ingredients from suppliers trusted for providing pure active ingredients. Besides quality and production methods, you also need to find testing procedures. Ideally, the pharmacy should conduct batch testing of prescriptions to ensure compliance and safety. Ask if they are performing testing in-house or sending samples to an external testing agency.