Compounding Pharmacies Provide Gluten Free Allergen Free Prescriptions

… Is Your Pharmacy a Compounding Pharmacy?

Are you ill? Do you need a prescription? What if the medicine prescribed is going to make you more sick? 

Yes, this can happen if you are gluten-free (or allergen-free) and are taking medicine (or vitamins and nutritional supplements) that has hidden "inactive" ingredients containing one or more of these allergens. Getting your pharmacist to understand your needs, take the time to research the ingredients' data, and actually pass this information along to you seems to be a bit much to expect … at least this has been my experience. Then, if it is discovered that your prescription contains unsafe elements, how long will it take to get a new "safe" medicine prescribed by your physician? This can be frustrating under normal conditions, but when you or your loved one is not well, you don't really have the time or energy to struggle through all of this detective work … you need health and healing now.

For too long in the initial stages of the gluten-free journey here at Daily Forage, we didn't realize that the very medicine that our physician (not our Allergist who put us on our gluten and dairy-free path) was prescribing might be a problem. Nor did they. This is often the case because MDs are generally not equipped with much nutrition or holistic training in med school. These are practices that require further specialization. So what can be done? Well, minus requiring an additional training program of our upcoming MDs, there is a better, and more immediate, solution…

Locate a Compounding Pharmacy in your area. What is a compounding pharmacy? A compounding pharmacist has the education, experience, and resources to create medication "compounds" according to your physician's prescription, using only the "active" ingredients that are required to address the illness, and leaving out the "inactive" ingredients used for binding the substances into a pill form. Generally, this is done by taking the necessary ingredients and putting them in a capsule form to be swallowed, or adding the active ingredients to a liquid substance to be taken by spoon or in a drink. My experience has been that no special action is required by the prescribing MD if you need to use a compounding pharmacy. Take your standard Rx to a compounding pharmacist, and your "safe" prescription will be handled with care and expertise in a timely manner. 

So how do you locate a Compounding Pharmacy in your area? Honestly, it may be as simple as asking your local pharmacist. For further information or more choices, you can check out the list of resource links below, ask your physician's office, or you can google compounding pharmacies and the name of your state, for example "compounding pharmacies MN". Remember to include the double quotes. This should bring up pharmacies in your area that would be capable of handling your needs. You can also contact your local hospital. They either will be a compounding pharmacy, or should be able to direct you to one in your area. And from my experience, most insurance companies will cover these services and locations. 

Explanation of Compounding Pharmacies

A Look-up Access for Compounding Pharmacies

Compounding Pharmacies by State

Any and all of the above information is for reference information only. I am not a medical professional, nor do I have credentials to provide medical advice. Always contact your professional medical provider with questions regarding your individual needs.