One of the most important factors as to why our clinic has chosen to pursue compounding is the fact that everyone responds differently to cannabinoid medications and each illness requires specific doses to be as affective as possible to treat specific symptoms. For this reason, compounding has become an extremely important avenue to explore. A trained pharmacist is able to take a physician’s prescription, and mix the individualised ingredients together to create medications that are tailored to the individual patient. Currently, this is not possible to achieve with flower products. It is impossible to accurately measure the dosing with these products and patients run the risk of overmedicating. Although smoking and vaporizing cannabis can be considered a form of medicating, it is generally agreed that any smoke inhalation is undoubtedly counter-intuitive to your health. So for now, in order to make cannabinoids a safe and viable treatment option, compounding is the solution.
So to expand, what exactly are the benefits to compounding?
Dosage Strength and Titration
Controlling the dosage gives practitioners the opportunity to find the right formula for each patient’s needs and stifles issues with over-prescribing. Practitioners are able to start with lower doses and gradually increase the ingredients until the patient’s unique needs are met. This method limits the potential for adverse affects.
Fitting Individual Needs
Cannabinoid medications are not a ‘One size fits all’ scenario. Everyone responds differently for a multitude of reasons. There is an advantage to creating specific formulas for the treatment of different symptoms and individual tolerances. Our clinics are finding that an effective medication for one patient does not necessarily work for another.
With compounding, patients have the option of discussing first with their doctors and pharmacists the amount of active ingredient they require and all can work together to make the medication as effective as possible.
Allergy Friendly
Allergic reactions or sensitivities are not uncommon in traditional medications. If a patient has mentioned a specific allergy in their consultation, a compounding pharmacy may be able to create the prescription without the offending ingredients.
Forms of Medications
Compounding pharmacists are able to translate medications into specific forms like capsules, lozenges, oils, topicals and chewable tablets. For young patients or patients with disabilities, this can be a huge advantage if they are unable to successfully administer to themselves one form or another.
Affordable Medications
Compounding pharmacies can be less costly than commercial drugs and the pricing will be more predictable over time.
You Are Getting What You Pay For
Receiving your compounded product from a pharmacy guarantees, within an acceptable deviation, that you are getting exactly what you pay for. If you and your practitioner find a dose that is effective for your condition, you can expect to receive the same medication upon refill every time. Further, your cannabis prescription will be available for refill when you require it.
By obtaining your products in other forms or from the illicit market, you cannot be certain the contents of the label match what is inside the packaging. If you do not purchase your medical cannabis in Australia from a regulated pharmacy, you run the risk of purchasing products that may contain unwanted substances, or contain virtually no medicinal properties at all.
For more information on cannabinoid compounding procedures or pharmacy information contact eCS Clinic during regular business hours.
eCS Clinic
(03) 9117 9000
clinicinfo@ecs.health