Compounding Pharmacies Compounded Medications

Often medications are either unavailble, not covered by insurance, or too expensive for patients.  Compounding pharmacies can fill those gaps by using the recipe for the brand name medication, often combining it with other vitamins, and doing so at a fraction of the cost.  

Though not ideal as they are not regulated in the same means as a manufactured medications, compounded medications can be made at a fraction of the cost of a brand name medication.  They are made by trained pharmcologists in a sterile laboratory with internal quality measures.  Sometimes these medications are considered counterfeit.  And though it is true that they are not brand name, they can be a reasonable option for patients who find traditional medicine not practical.  

Some of the more commonly perscribed compounded medications include hormone replacement for postmenopause, injections for gender affirming care, and more recently GLP agonists for weight loss semaglutide (generic for wegovy/ozempic) and tirzepatide (generic for zepbound/mounjaro).  

When conventional medications are not an option for you, consider talking to your provider about compounded versions.