Common questions about medical compounding.
Do you bill insurance?
No, we do not bill insurance we are a cash only pharmacy, but can give you the information to send into your insurance.
Do you mail scrips?
Yes, we will mail your prescription to you!
Do you offer sterile or injectable medications?
We do not compound injectable medications.
Do I need a prescription?
Yes you need a prescription and your physician will give you prescription to bring into out facility or fax your prescription to us, or call us with your prescription.
Do you do Rx’s for pets?
Yes! See our Medication for Pets page for more details.
How are you regulated?
Like all other pharmacies, We are regulated by the Montana State Board of Pharmacy.
Do Compounded Medications Require FDA Approval?
The FDA approval process is intended for mass-produced drugs made by manufacturers. Because compounded medications are personalized for individual patients, the federal government has approved the use of compounded medications for those individuals who have received a prescription for that specific compounded medication.
How does compounding benefit me?
There are several reasons why prescribers and pharmacists provide compounded medications for patients.
With a physician’s consent, a compounding pharmacist can:
- Adjust the strength of a medication
- Avoid unwanted ingredients, such as dyes, preservative, lactose, gluten, or sugar.
- Prepare medications using unique delivery systems. For patients who find it difficult to swallow a capsule, our compounding pharmacist may prepare the drug as a flavored liquid suspension instead. Other medication forms include topical gels or creams that can be absorbed through the skin, suppositories, sublingual troches, or even lollipops.
Can my child – or my elderly parent – take compounded medication?
Yes! Children and the elderly are often the types of patients who benefit most from compounding. It is common for parents to have a tough time getting their children to take medicine because of the taste.
A compounding pharmacist can work directly with the physician and the patient to select a flavoring agent, such as bubblegum, grape, tutti frutti, or vanilla butternut, which provides both an appropriate match for the medication’s properties and the patient’s taste preferences.
Just think – no more wasting medicine when a cranky patient spits it out!
Big Sky Compounding pharmacists also can help patients who experience chronic pain. For example, some arthritic patients cannot take certain medications due to gastrointestinal side effects.
With a healthcare practitioner’s prescription, a compounding pharmacist may be able to provide these patients’ anti-inflammatory or pain-relieving medications with topical preparations that can be absorbed through the skin.
Compounded prescriptions frequently are used to ease pain, nausea, and other symptoms for hospice patients as well.
“How To”
Be safe when applying hormones:
Apply prescribed amount (dispense out of the plastic syringe according to your prescription) and rub vigorously onto the most vascular places on your body: back of knees, wrists or ankles. Why? These places are the most vascular and your medication can absorb into your blood stream easier.
Once you apply hormone cream, be sure to wash your hands with soap and water.
Wipe down faucet handles to avoid residual hormone from getting on their hands.
Essentially, when applying hormones to your skin, it is totally absorbed, but just to make sure, if you are applying to your wrists, make sure if you are hugging your loved one, you are not skin to skin within a few hours after application.
What is sublingual medication?
Sublingual medications are orally disintegrating, dissolving or liquid medications that are administered by being placed under the tongue. These medications are transferred to the bloodstream from the mucous membranes in the mouth after dissolving, allowing for quick absorption that avoids the loss of potency which may come with first-pass metabolism in the stomach and liver. Doctors may recommend sublingual medications to treat certain conditions, or if a patient has trouble swallowing or digesting medication. Understanding how to administer sublingual medication can help ensure proper dosing and efficacy of the medication.
How do I use sublingual drops?
Sit up-right : Do not lie down or try to administer the medication This could lead to accidental aspiration of the medication
- Do not eat or drink when administering medication. Rinse your mouth out with water prior to administering medication. It’s important not to eat or drink when sublingual medication is administered because this increases the risk of the medication being swallowed, which will make it less effective.
- Do not smoke for at least an hour before you take sublingual medication. Cigarette smoke constricts the blood vessels and mucous membranes in the mouth, which will reduce the absorption level of the sublingual medication.
- Place the medication under the tongue. Medication can be administered on either side of the frenulum (the connective tissue under the tongue).
- Tilt head forward to avoid swallowing medication.
- Hold the sublingual medication under the tongue for as long as you can.
- Do not swallow the medication. Sublingual medication needs to be absorbed under the tongue.
- Wait before drinking or rinsing the mouth. This will ensure that the medication has dissolved completely and has had a chance to absorb into the mucous membranes.
*Avoid opening the mouth, eating, talking, to ensure maximum absorption.
For more information on customized compounding or if you have any questions for one of our pharmacists, contact Big Sky Compounding 406.752.0499