Grove Pharmacy: Compounding Medications for You!
Greater Springfield LIVING WELL Magazine
What is different about a compounded medication?
What are compounded medications and how are they different from my regular prescription medication? This is an excellent question, with both a simple and complex answer. The simple answer is that a traditional prescription comes to the pharmacy from the manufacturer premade in specific strengths and dosage forms such as tablets, capsules, creams, suspensions, and injectables. However, a compounded medication is created and prepared at a specialty compounding pharmacy such as Grove Pharmacy, and is custom tailored to a patient’s specific need.
The more complex answer is that there are many instances where the products that are commercially available will not suffice for the treatment of a particular disease state or condition. This is typically where both the physician and the patient must rely on the expertise of a specially trained compounding pharmacist to solve unique medication challenges. These sets of circumstances can include, but are not limited to:
- Allergies to inactive ingredients in products such as gluten, dyes, corn, etc.
- Difficulty or inability to swallow, thus creating a need for liquid or topical forms of products, which may not be commercially available
- The need for very small doses of a medication which are not available in commercial form – these can be used to treat a patient like a child or a pet
- Customized combinations of drugs with varying doses in alternate delivery forms to address very specific symptoms such as pain management or hormone replacement therapy
- Drug shortages – even though drug manufacturers may run out of materials or have a hold up in production, we can most often still get the necessary ingredients to make the product so that the patient does not have to go without medication or change to a different medication in the meantime
Who can receive a compounded medication?
Compounded medications can be for anyone. Whether young or old, human or animal, Grove Pharmacy has made compounds for all groups and ages. Some examples include:
- Infants and children – we have compounded creams for diaper rash, liquids for infants and children with acid reflux who need very small doses of commercially available products, and we can add flavoring to help with some medications that just don’t taste very good!
- Nursing mothers – we can compound creams and ointments for sore, cracked, painful nipples for nursing mothers
- Menopausal and postmenopausal women – as a woman goes through menopause, symptoms develop from decreases in various hormone levels. Grove Pharmacy can compound combinations of hormones that are specialized to your symptoms and measured hormone levels.
- Men – as men age, they can experience a drop in testosterone levels which can result in symptoms such as decreased energy, fatigue, a depressed mood, and a decrease in sexual desire. Often times, this can be remedied with testosterone replacement in the form of a cream or gel. Grove Pharmacy can work with your physician to create a specialized dose for you, based on your testosterone levels. Grove Pharmacy can also make products to help with erectile dysfunction (ED).
- Pets – as veterinary medicine continues to grow, more opportunities are being taken to diagnose pet conditions and treatments are needed. Grove Pharmacy can compound all kinds of medications for your pets. We can compound them in different forms – i.e., if your cat will not swallow a liquid, we can often create a gel that can be rubbed in to the skin of the inner ear. If you are tired of hiding the tablet in peanut butter to give to your dog, we can compound a liquid and give it a pet-friendly flavor such as chicken, liver, or fish.
Does insurance pay for compounded medications?
There is not a standardized reimbursement format that is currently utilized or universally accepted by every insurance company when handling or processing a claim for a compounded medication. Therefore, the amount of reimbursement to the patient can be very difficult to determine before the prescription is made. While the cost of the compounded medication is paid for upfront by the patient, Grove Pharmacy will provide each patient with a universal claim form with the details of the prescription being filled. The patient can submit this claim form to their insurance company to seek reimbursement. If the insurance company covers any part of the compounded medication claim, the reimbursement will be sent directly to the patient.
How do I get a compounded medication?
All compounded medications do require a prescription. If there is an item you would like compounded, please feel free to call Grove Pharmacy and talk to one of our compounding pharmacists. We encourage physicians to contact our compounding pharmacists to learn more about the products we can offer for a variety of conditions.
For More Information:
If you have any questions about the topics covered in this article, or would simply like more information, we would encourage you to give our specially trained compounding pharmacists a call today at 417- 881-8822 or send an e-mail to info@grovepharmacy.com. Also, please visit our website at www.grovepharmacy.com to learn more about our compounding, as well as other services.
Company Background:
Grove Pharmacy has been in business as a family owned and operated organization in Springfield for 60 years. The cornerstone of both our retail pharmacy and our compound laboratory is based on one simple principle: superior customer service! We have three convenient locations (two with drive thru service) and we offer free prescription delivery to our patients, be it to their home or business, within the Springfield city limits. Grove Pharmacy has one of the largest $4 generic drug lists in the industry. Average wait time to have a traditional prescription filled at any one of our locations is less than 10 minutes. We accept all forms of insurance for retail prescriptions and patients’ copays are the same at our pharmacy as they are at any big box store. Come to Grove Pharmacy today and experience the Grove difference.
