Everyone experiences pain of some sort or another during their lives.

It can be in the form of a stress-induced headache, a strained muscle, or the result of an injury at work or from an automobile accident. Other times, pain can be something chronic that person lives with on a daily basis.

Pain is the most common symptom for which people seek medical attention. Acute pain can easily evolve into chronic pain, which can become difficult to treat. Commercially available pain medications often cause drowsiness, dizziness, or stomach discomfort, and most of the time, those taking these medications learn to accept these conditions as a part of daily life.

Every individual is unique, and the types of pain experienced can be equally diverse. By working with a compounding pharmacist, your physician can prescribe treatments tailored specifically for your pain management needs.

Alternate Dosage Forms

Many commonly prescribed pain relief medications help the symptoms associated with chronic conditions such as arthritis, but they can also result in stomach irritation and other unwanted side effects. Compounding pharmacies can provide alternate methods of delivery by combining the ingredients of traditional oral pain medications in a topical gel, cream, or spray form that can be applied directly to the site of the pain. For people experiencing migraines, pain medications may be administered through nasal sprays or flavored lozenges. These dosage forms bypass the gastrointestinal tract, providing optimal results.

Combined Formulations

Oftentimes fibromyalgia patients are placed on a variety of medications to take care of all the symptoms associated with the disease. On many occasions, these multiple products can be eliminated by a specially prepared compound that combines several medications into a single topical gel, ready to be applied to the affected area.

Strength Variations

Because patients vary in size, symptoms, and pain tolerance, commercially available medications often do not provide an appropriate dosage strength. Through compounding, a physician and pharmacist can customize a medication to the exact amount needed by the patient.
Pain can be debilitating, whether it's acute muscle or nerve pain resulting from an accident, or a chronic condition such as arthritis or fibromyalgia. Pharmacy compounding is effective in providing relief with potentially fewer side effects and less overall medication.