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.
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:
In consultation with your health professional, a compounding pharmacist may be able to prepare medicines in alternative dosage forms such as:
These options may be considered when your prescriber feels a different strength, combination or dosage form is more suitable for your individual needs.
Compounded medications allow your prescriber and pharmacist to tailor a pain management option to your specific circumstances. This may include:
Before prescribing, your GP or specialist will consider:
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:
Not all medicines are suitable for compounding. However, in some cases your prescriber may request:
Your doctor or specialist will decide which medicines are appropriate and in what form they should be prepared.
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.