Picking A Compounding Pharmacy for Menopause
Compounding pharmacies are very different from traditional independent, big-box, or grocery-store pharmacies. Unlike standard pharmacies, compounding locations offer customized prescription medications designed to avoid allergens and drug interactions, or to create a more palatable formula to improve medication adherence. Compounding pharmacies fill a critical need for vulnerable patients who can’t have prescriptions filled by traditional locations. In particular, these facilities can help with hormone supplementation for women experiencing perimenopause and menopause.
HRT and compounding
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is one of the most common treatments for women experiencing both perimenopausal or menopausal. HRT is a proven method to manage common side effects like vaginal dryness, hot flashes, night sweats, and insomnia. These symptoms are linked to low estrogen but hormone therapy isn’t without risks either. HRT can also increase a woman’s risk of developing blood clots, heart disease, stroke, or gallbladder disease. People might also be at risk of developing uterine or breast cancer when undergoing longer treatment timelines. Compounding pharmacies can adjust dosages or combinations of medicines to minimize the risk of uterine cancer.
Adjusted delivery method
Another important service compounding pharmacies provide is adjusting delivery methods for medications. For example, if a person struggles to take large pills, a technician can reformulate the drug into a smaller solid form, or shift the formula into a different format. A person who struggles to swallow pills entirely might benefit from having the prescription changed into an oral liquid, a topical gel, or even a vaginal preparation. Some medications might even be offered in patch form. However, women should understand that compounding isn’t regulated as traditional medications.
For bioidentical hormones
Sometimes the standard forms of medications aren’t compatible for a variety of reasons. A patient might have a medication sensitivity, meaning the traditional formulation manufactured by a pharmaceutical firm won’t work. In these scenarios, customized hormones made from naturally derived plant ingredients might be better. These hormones are nearly identical to the same components found in the human body. However, not all women are good candidates for bioidentical hormones. Specifically, people with a history or heightened risk of blood clots, heart and cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, or stroke are not considered good candidates.
A customized alternative
Not every woman will need compounded hormones to navigate perimenopause or menopause. In most cases, people with underlying conditions, or who don’t tolerate standard HRT medications or dosages, tend to be the best candidates for compounding. The choice will depend on thorough testing and will require that a compounding pharmacist works closely with a medical provider to create properly customized medications. If standard HRT hasn’t helped ease symptoms, or has led to unwanted side effects, consider talking to a physician about shifting to customizing hormone treatments.
