Compounding involves the customized manufacture of medications tailored for an individual patient as per the instructions of a physician. Prior to the industrialization of modern medication, all medication prescriptions were customized, whereby pharmacists (also referred to as chemists) would extract active medicinal ingredients and combine them with other liquids or powders for patient consumption.

In recent times, physicians and patients alike have rekindled an interest and appreciation for the art of pharmaceutical compounding, which allows for solutions to niche problems. Every patient has specific health needs and a commercially available solution may not always be best. Compounding allows pharmacists to offer innovative, unique solutions for these individual needs.

Our pharmacists are able to formulate a variety of compounds including topical creams, ointments, lotions, oral suspensions, suppositories, capsules, lollipops, injections, eye drops and many more.

At our pharmacies, we compound using the finest grade of chemicals and use state-of-the-art equipment.  We enjoy problem-solving and we will work with you and your physician practitioner to maximize your medication therapy outcome.

Some common reasons for compounded prescriptions:

Medicine is not commercially manufactured
Medicine is not available in needed dose
Patient is nauseous or cannot swallow pills
To allow the physician to combine two or more medicines to better treat a condition
To bypass gastrointestinal metabolism of the drug through topical creams and ointments
Medicine contains an allergen or problem-causing excipient
Medicine is backordered either temporarily or permanently

Some common examples of discontinued medications which we produce include:
-Phenazopyridine Capsules (for Urinary Tract Infections)
-Clompihene Capsules (for Ovulation assistance or Testosterone boosting)

A website with regularly updated drug manufacturer shortage information is available here:

http://www.drugshortagescanada.ca

Capsule Tamper

The capsule tamper helps our staff create capsules whose composition can be controlled. Some special options we can create are gluten-free, lactose-free, and soy-free. In addition, we are able to make cellulose based “veggie-capsules” for vegetarians. Capsules can be made immediate release, sustained release or enteric coated.

Electric Mortar and Pestle (EMP)

The EMP helps our staff to quickly mix creams and ointments into homogenous mixtures. The EMP allows technicians to place final products directly from the stirring jar into the dispensing jar without exposure to the environment, thus preventing contamination.

Cream/Ointment Mill

The ointment mill utilizes ultra smooth porcelain rollers that come into extremely close contact to reduce particle size. After drug powders are added to a creamy base, the mixture is placed in the ointment mill, which grinds the creams and ointments. Reduced particle size allows for greater mixture uniformity without unsightly drug powder clumping, thus ensuring greater drug dissolution and drug delivery to the skin.

Powder Hood

The Powder Hood provides a safe environment for technicians to crush tablets, fill capsules, and handle drugs. The Powder Hood uses a HEPA filter to trap any airborne powder particles in the compounding process, before sending clean air back into the room.

Bottles & Pumps

Customers frequently ask for more precise ways to measure doses of creams, gels or ointment. In many situations, the particular medication (such as hormones) may require very precise dose quantities. We store many topical compounds in proprietary TopiClick and Megapump devices that allow accurate and repeatable doses while also shielding the product from UV light and air – both which weaken and degrade the medication.