{"id":104,"date":"2018-12-15T20:57:36","date_gmt":"2018-12-15T20:57:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wheelercompounding.com\/wp2018\/?page_id=104"},"modified":"2019-01-23T19:18:47","modified_gmt":"2019-01-23T19:18:47","slug":"faq","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.wheelercompounding.com\/index.php\/faq\/","title":{"rendered":"FAQ"},"content":{"rendered":"

Frequently Asked Questions – Patients<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Are compounded prescriptions covered by insurance?<\/h2>\n

Some health insurance plans cover compounded medications. Check with your insurance company to see if you have coverage. Many pharmacies are able to bill insurance companies directly for compounded medications. If unable to bill your insurance company, you may\u00a0submit a claim form\u00a0to your insurance company to reimburse you directly. Depending on the nature of the product, these medications may be just as affordable as your conventional prescriptions. Pharmacies are also willing to work with patients who wish to pay out-of-pocket on pricing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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How does my medical provider play a role in compounding?<\/h2>\n

Many medical providers are aware of the practice of compounding, and they may work with your local compounding pharmacy to provide the right medication for you. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor today if you feel that a compounded prescription may be a better way to manage a health condition for you or your family member.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What is \u201ccompounding\u201d?<\/h2>\n

In general, compounding is a practice in which a licensed pharmacist, upon a physicians’ prescription order, combines, mixes, or alters ingredients of a drug to create a medication tailored to the needs of an individual patient. A health care provider will prescribe a compounded drug when commercially available products do not meet your needs. Preparing a paste or suspension from crushed tablets is one example of compounding. Likewise, adding flavoring to a medication\u00a0is also compounding.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What makes compounded medications different from commercially available medications?<\/h2>\n

Mass-produced, commercially available drugs are manufactured by drug companies for the general population with no specific patient in mind. Compounded medications are ordered by a physician\u00a0and individually prepared by a compounding pharmacy in the exact strength,\u00a0dosage and formulation to meet your unique medical needs. For example:<\/p>\n

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  • Oral liquids can be compounded\u00a0for those patients who have difficulty swallowing tablets and capsules.<\/li>\n
  • Ingredients such as dyes, preservatives or gluten are sometimes excluded from medications due to allergies or other sensitivities.<\/li>\n
  • Custom flavor enhancers or sweetening agents can be\u00a0added to\u00a0mask bitter or otherwise unpleasant oral\u00a0products for human and veterinary patients.<\/li>\n
  • Multiple medications can often\u00a0be combined into a single dosage or made into sustained-release capsules.<\/li>\n
  • Cellulose capsules are available for patients who do not want to take a gelatin capsule.<\/li>\n
  • Many medications\u00a0can be formulated into topical preparations (gels, creams, lotions, sprays, and foams) to allow direct absorption through the skin and to avoid certain unwanted side effects.<\/li>\n
  • Troches (dosage form that dissolves under the tongue), lollipops and suppositories are other medication forms that may be prepared to meet your unique needs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Does a compounding pharmacist have special training?<\/h2>\n

    All pharmacists are taught in pharmacy school how to properly compound medications, and many compounding pharmacists have advanced training after pharmacy school graduation.\u00a0Compounding pharmacists utilize their unique pharmacy skills, knowledge, and creativity to work with you and your prescriber to prepare medication in a dosage form that has been customized to your particular needs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Is a prescription required for a compounded medication?<\/h2>\n

    Yes, a prescription order from a physician is required for the pharmacist to compound your medication to meet your specific needs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Can a regular pharmacy compound my prescription?<\/h2>\n

    A compounding pharmacy ensures the quality of its products by using specialized equipment, high grade chemicals and advanced techniques. Other pharmacies generally do not have the time, equipment, chemicals, or specialized training and techniques to appropriately prepare your customized medications.<\/p>\n

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    Is Compounding safe?<\/h2>\n

    Compounding is a safe and legal practice.<\/strong> Compounding has been an essential part of pharmacy practice for centuries. Many regulatory bodies are aware of the practice of compounding and have set rules with which pharmacies must be compliant. The Food and Drug Administration allows products to be compounded as long as licensed practitioners have written a prescription for a specific patient to be filled at a licensed pharmacy. In addition, many state boards of pharmacy require additional regulations to be followed. Depending on the category of products made by your pharmacy, their compounding lab and procedures must be\u00a0either USP 795 (for nonsterile) and\/or USP 797 (for sterile) compliant.<\/p>\n

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    What types of formulations can be made?<\/h2>\n

    Capsules, creams, ointments, gels, troches, suppositories, solutions, suspensions, syrups, sublingual tablets\/drops are all examples of non-sterile products. Any product used for injection, inhalation, or administration into the eye are examples of sterile formulations. Wheeler’s Custom Compounding only compounds non-sterile formulations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    What types of illnesses can compounded medications help treat?<\/h2>\n

    Contemporary compounding has been providing solutions to help with many areas including, but not limited to: Chronic Pain Management, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Endocrine Disorders, Veterinary Conditions, and Dermatological Conditions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Frequently Asked Questions – Patients Are compounded prescriptions covered by insurance? Some health insurance plans cover compounded medications. Check with your insurance company to see if you have coverage. Many pharmacies are able to bill insurance companies directly for compounded medications. If unable to bill your insurance company, you may\u00a0submit a claim form\u00a0to your insurance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-104","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.wheelercompounding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.wheelercompounding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.wheelercompounding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.wheelercompounding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.wheelercompounding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/www.wheelercompounding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/104\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":474,"href":"http:\/\/www.wheelercompounding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/104\/revisions\/474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.wheelercompounding.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}