One way to make administering your child’s medication an easier process is to utilize the services of a compounding pharmacy. Pharmacy compounding involves preparing personalized medications for patients that have been prescribed by a physician. Here are four reasons why a compounding pharmacy may be able to assist with your child’s medication problems.
1. A Reduced Amount of Units to Administer
It can be quite difficult to give any child medication. Having to give your child multiple doses of multiple medications every day can make this process a nightmare for everyone involved.
Your compounding pharmacy can combine all of your child’s medications into a single unit to be administered at the appropriate times of the day. If your child requires different combinations of medications at different times of day, then your compounding pharmacist can mix up a variety of units for specific times.
2. A More Palatable Medication Delivery
Some commercial medications have horrible tastes, which may be contributing to your child’s dislike of taking them. Many children, especially those under school age, may not have acquired the ability to swallow tablets and capsules, meaning the parent needs to crush them before administering them. This action can often make them taste even nastier as the active ingredients are released from the sweet or flavorless outer casing.
Your compounding chemist can ensure that your child’s medications taste appealing. They can also put the medications into much more palatable forms. Rapid dissolve tablets, lollipops, and chewable gummies are all forms which will generally pass even the fussiest child’s standards.
3. Reduced Risk of Allergic Reactions or Intolerances to Ingredients
Another benefit of compounded medication is that you can be certain that no ingredients will be included that your child is allergic or intolerant to. Commercially manufactured medications often contain a host of ingredients that are common allergens, such as gluten, egg, sugar, lactose, food dyes, and added chemical flavors.
Even if your child has never had a reaction to their medications, there is no certainty that the manufacturers won’t change their ingredients. This could lead to a severe allergic reaction, which is something to be avoided if possible, especially with a child who is already sick. Your compounding pharmacy can ensure that your child’s medication is free from any additives or chemicals that will cause them harm.
If your child does not respond to traditional forms of treatment or requires the medication to be in a different form, compounding pharmacies can offer a range of alternatives that suit the child’s needs. These options not only make it beneficial for the customers but also for the pharmacy too.
4. Decreased Risk of Accidental Overdose
Babies, toddlers, and small children often require very small doses of medications that are designed for adult usage. This means that parents will often need to cut, grind, and weigh their child’s medication to get the correct dosage. This is at best not ideal and at worst very dangerous and potentially fatal.
Even the smallest increase in dose can be detrimental to your child, especially if it occurs regularly over long periods of time. Accidental overdose or permanent damage to your child’s liver, kidneys, heart, or brain are all possible side effects of even small increases of many drugs.
A small decrease can mean that the medication isn’t being administered at an appropriate clinical level and may be less effective or not work at all. A compounding pharmacy will ensure that your child’s medications are available in precise doses.
As a parent, your child’s health and safety are incredibly important. Seeing them sick and in pain is hard to endure, and getting them well again is no doubt your top priority. While many parents dislike both the idea of giving their child multiple medications and the distress their child feels when it’s time to take them, it’s an unfortunate reality that many families are faced with.
Using a compounding pharmacy to streamline the medication regime and make it more palatable and easier to administer can make the whole process far easier and less distressing. This ease can be an enormous blessing during a time when stress and worry are already at overwhelming levels.
The team at Potter’s House Apothecary have extensive experience, training, and certification to help you make your child’s medication administration as easy as possible. Their friendly and compassionate staff will help to assuage your fears and concerns about the difficulties you may have faced.
Potter’s House is located in Peoria, but they can provide services for clients all across Arizona.
