Pain Management

Living with ongoing pain

Chronic or persistent pain is a common reason people see their doctor. It can affect day-to-day activities, sleep, mood and overall quality of life.

Under the guidance of your GP or specialist, a structured pain management plan can help you manage symptoms and support your ability to stay active and engaged in daily life.

Reduced side effects and easier dosing

Some people find that standard, off-the-shelf pain medicines don’t suit them due to side effects or difficulty taking the medicine in its usual form. This may include issues such as:

  • feeling unwell or unsteady after taking certain medicines
  • difficulty swallowing tablets or capsules
  • needing multiple doses or products throughout the day

In consultation with your health professional, a compounding pharmacist may be able to prepare medicines in alternative dosage forms such as:

  • creams and gels
  • foams
  • lozenges (troches)
  • nasal sprays
  • suppositories

These options may be considered when your prescriber feels a different strength, combination or dosage form is more suitable for your individual needs.

Customised pain management solutions

Compounded medications allow your prescriber and pharmacist to tailor a pain management option to your specific circumstances. This may include:

  • adjusting the strength of a medicine as directed by your prescriber
  • combining certain prescribed ingredients into a single preparation where appropriate
  • avoiding particular dyes, preservatives or additives where possible

Before prescribing, your GP or specialist will consider:

  • your current symptoms and diagnosis
  • any existing or underlying health conditions
  • other medicines you are already taking

Working together with your prescriber, our pharmacists can then prepare a customised medicine designed to fit within your overall pain management plan.

For some patients taking several medicines, it may be possible for the prescriber to have a combined preparation made, offering a more convenient single dose, where clinically appropriate.

Compounded pain medicines, when used in conjunction with your specialist’s advice, can play a role in:

  • chronic pain management plans
  • medication management and dose adjustment
  • specific single-ingredient or combination formulations prescribed for your needs

What medications can be compounded?

Not all medicines are suitable for compounding. However, in some cases your prescriber may request:

  • single-ingredient formulations tailored to your required strength
  • combination formulations where more than one prescribed ingredient is included in the same preparation

Your doctor or specialist will decide which medicines are appropriate and in what form they should be prepared.

Do I need a prescription?

In most cases, pain medicines prepared by a compounding pharmacy are prescription-only.

Your pharmacist will work closely with your GP or specialist to understand your needs, treatment plan and goals. Together they can determine whether a custom compounded medicine is suitable for you. Once a formulation and strength have been agreed with your prescriber, the details are kept on file to make future repeats straightforward.

These compounded preparations may be available in a range of dosage forms including topical creams, solutions or troches (dissolvable lozenges), depending on what your prescriber has requested.