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I think of the phrase as the solid foundation of what compounding is all about: offering a tailored approach to an individual’s medication regimen, addressing their individual needs while providing medications that suit their taste preferences and preferred delivery method.
Before my current position, I worked at chain retail pharmacies and felt the need for more intimate experiences with my patients. A new compounding pharmacy had just opened in our town; I applied and was accepted! But initially, I had no idea what compounding even was.
My culinary background helped me quickly grasp the concept of compounding — I thought of formulations as recipes. I absolutely love what I do! Helping providers and patients who feel they are at a dead end is such a rewarding experience.
We are huge advocates of PCCA. Before opening Montana Apothecary & Compounding, our pharmacist and owner, Shelbi, attended PCCA training and loved everything about PCCA. We love PCCA because of their high-quality products and the fact that they will help us out with any questions or issues that arise. The networking opportunities developed by PCCA are also such a huge deal for us; we are able to branch out and meet fellow compounders and build relationships with them.
We ran into quite a few challenges with one of my favorite patients. She had been struggling for years with her hormones, had tried synthetics but they didn’t work. We went through about half a dozen different hormone tests to see what was going on. We ultimately found out that her thyroid was also out of whack and that she was a poor absorber. After we got her on BHRT, it was like night and day for her. We compounded DHEA troches with PCCA NataTroche®, as well as her thyroid medicine and topical progesterone in VersaBase® Cream.
We worked very closely with her provider. We wrote up our recommendations based on the patient’s test results and sent them to her provider to get her thoughts. We didn’t agree every time, but her provider was willing to try new things.
It was a long road for this patient but, in the end, we retested her and all of her levels were normal. Once her hormones were in check, she was able to lose more than 20 pounds! It is very rewarding to see someone at their lowest, support them through the entire process and finish with the best results possible. To this day, my favorite patient requests me specifically for all of her medication needs.
Compounding technicians play a crucial role in healthcare by preparing customized medications tailored to the specific needs of an individual patient. We work under the supervision of pharmacists to compound medications in various forms, such as creams, capsules or liquids, often when commercially available medications are not suitable or in shortage. Compounding technicians ensure accuracy, safety, and quality in the compounding process, adhering to strict regulations and standards to meet our patients’ needs and improve medication outcomes. We collaborate closely with pharmacists, healthcare providers and patients to ensure compounded medications are effective and safe for use.
Definitely Ellage® Anhydrous Vaginal. I personally use this base and absolutely love it. It’s great — whether used alone or with added active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). We recommend it a lot for those who suffer from vaginal dryness but do not feel the need for APIs. By itself, Ellage is perfect for a lubricant to help with any type of vaginal dryness. Ellage also contains mucoadhesive properties and is great for patients with sensitive skin.
The greatest advice I can offer is to just jump in and do it. You will never know how something turns out if you don’t try. I did exactly that and here I am, three years later, absolutely loving and crushing my job!
Listen to Amanda discuss her compounding journey with PCCA Director of Member Engagement Erin Michael, MBA, MS, CPhT, FAPC, on Tech Talk, a part of PCCA’s The Mortar & Pestle podcast.