Many people find themselves trapped in bodies wracked by pain, whipsawed by hormonal imbalances, or chronically fatigued by nutritional or vitamin deficiencies. They may have tried various drugs to get relief only to find that the cure is worse than the disease.

If you suffer from any of the problems above, and regular medications either don't work effectively or cause unpleasant side effects, compounded medications can bring the relief you're seeking.

Compounding gives your doctor and Heritage Drugs the means to customize medications. remedies and formulations specifically for you if your needs are unmet by conventional pharmaceutical products or by the way they are administered.

Pharmacy compounding dates back to the origins of pharmacy and was the prevalent form of medication preparation until the 1950s. It's use declined in the 1960s and 1970s as en masse drug manufacturing capabilities improved. But because of the "as is" aspect of manufactured drugs, some patients have had to forego the benefits of certain medications because of unwanted side effects, inappropriate dosage strengths and allergic reactions to added preservatives, colors or flavors.

Compounding enables a pharmacist to formulate a blend of the ingredients necessary to solve a patient's problem with his or her input and that of his or her physician.

Compounding is also used to provide alternative methods of medication ingestion. For instance, a child who needs cough medicine may be unwilling to take it in liquid form, but will take it in lollipop form. Or, a person with chronic pain can use a transdermal gel applied directly to the affected area, to eliminate stomach irritation and other unwanted side effects of oral medication.

Compounding pharmacists, of which there are approximately 3,000 in the United States, acquire special skills and equipment that enable them to work with patients and their patients' healthcare providers to develop unique solutions.

Compounding can be as simple as having pills crushed for you, having your child's favorite flavor added to a medication, or as complex as having a customized formulation of ingredients made especially for you from scratch.

There is a wide variety of ways in which a compounded prescription can help you. To learn more about compounding, please click on any of the links in the second row of buttons above.

Safe, effective and unique to you!