Does your child have difficulty taking a liquid prescription? The taste of the medication is likely the cause. Working closely with your physician, we can create flavours that taste like cotton candy, watermelon, or even chocolate. We can change the dosage form to a lollipop, gummy bear, frozen popsicle, or lozenge, and we offer alternative delivery systems for finicky patients. Small children especially benefit from alternate deliveries like pacifiers or baby bottles. Alternative delivery systems are provided in child-proof packaging, and allow parents to dispense prescriptions easily, accurately, and safely. Custom flavour formulation is also available for picky pets, including grilled chicken, beef, liver, and salmon for all types of pet medication.

Medication can be compounded into customized capsules, beneficial in cases where an alternate strength is required or to omit potential allergens or irritants, such as dyes, preservatives, casein or gluten. To lessen the number of doses to be taken, multiple medications often can be combined into a single dosage or made into sustained-release capsules. Vegetarian cellulose capsules are available for patients who prefer not to take a gelatin capsule.

Many medications can be compounded as oral liquids for those patients who have difficulty swallowing tablets and capsules. Some patients may have problems tolerating the taste of a commercially available liquid, but a compounding pharmacist can make a pleasant-tasting, custom-flavored oral solution or suspension which can be administered easily and accurately. Some medications may be available as effervescent powders, which are mixed with water to make a fizzy drink.

Troches and lollipops are used to assist patients in keeping medication in the mouth when local action is needed there. Troches also may be placed under the tongue and allowed to dissolve, which allows the medication to enter the bloodstream quickly and easily. Some troches can be chewed and swallowed by a patient who prefers not to take a capsule or tablet. These dosage forms can be enhanced with natural sweeteners and pleasant-tasting flavours, making them ideal for geriatric and pediatric patients.

Topical methods of delivery also are widely used because they allow the absorption of medicine directly through the skin, and may help avoid potential side effects such as stomach upset or drowsiness. Topical medications often are prescribed for pain management, inflammation and nausea/vomiting. They are easy to use and are effective delivering the medication as needed. Topical medication forms include:

• Gels
• Creams and lotions
• Sprays
• Foams
• Stick applicators, such as lip balms

Patients who cannot take medications orally are ideal candidates for compounded suppositories. Available in various shapes depending on the route of administration, suppositories can be administered rectally, vaginally or urethrally. By melting or dissolving into the body cavity, they allow the medication to pass quickly into the bloodstream. They can be used for hormone replacement therapy (HRT), to fight nausea, or to treat local conditions such as hemorrhoids, infections, or inflammation. Rectal and vaginal gels/creams are also available for patients who do not wish to use a suppository.

A compounding pharmacist working closely with you and your physician can prepare medication in a dosage form that has been customized to your particular needs.