Chronic pain can not only impact the quality of your life but also lead to additional health issues if left untreated. It can affect your mobility, strength, and overall health. Anorexia, sleep disturbances, and lower immunity levels are other complications associated with improper pain management.

While several medication options are available to treat pain, some come with side effects. The side effects and other complications can leave you feeling exhausted and add extra strain on your mental health as well. This is where pharmacy compounding can be helpful. Your doctor will work with a pharmacist to create a tailor-made plan that fits your requirements. Here is what you need to know about compounding solutions for pain management.

Compounding Solutions for Pain Management

Statistics show that over 20% of Americans experience chronic pain, and over 8% experience high-impact pain. If you are looking for viable pain management options, compounded medications may be the answer.

Pharmaceutical compounding by Axis can give you the relief you want while potentially avoiding unwarranted side effects. It is especially useful when patients have trouble adapting or responding to traditional medication options.

Types of Pain Commonly Treated with Compounding

The most common disorders treated with compounding medications are arthritis, back pain, knee pain, fibromyalgia, migraines, or other nerve, muscle, tissue-related, or joint pain. Luckily, struggling through chronic pain does not have to be part of one’s daily routine.

Prescribing compounding preparations recognizes that each individual is unique and so are their medication needs. Patients with issues taking commercial medication can check out compounded medication as an alternate option.

Dosage forms range from topical creams, gels, or sprays that can treat only the affected area to those with more systemic help.

Here are some of the other pains that can be treated with compounding medication:

• Neuropathic pain results from damage to the nervous system
• Pains from nerve damage caused by diabetes
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), Types I & II 

Factors to Consider in Pain Management

There is a reason why commercially available medicine may not always help with the pain you’re experiencing. This is primarily because every person is different in terms of factors such as body size, pain tolerance levels, the severity of pain, and others.

Symptoms: 

The symptoms experienced by each patient may vary. Some people experience more indicators than others.

Body Size:

Factors like height, weight, body type, and physical health determine how your body responds to various medicines.

The Severity of Pain and Pain Tolerance:

Some patients experience severe levels of pain that can even leave them bedridden. Additionally, pain tolerance levels are different for each individual. If your pain tolerance is low, you may need more comprehensive treatment options. Compounding gives you the option to achieve a balance between pain management and side effects.

The Benefits of Pharmaceutical Compounding

With pharmaceutical compounding, you can receive unique forms of medication with precise dosages to suit your individual needs. Not only does this help minimize side effects, but precise dosages also help your body respond better to medication. Compounding also allows pharmacists to prepare medications in safe combinations and use personalized delivery systems.

Consequently, the mental stress and strain of having to deal with side effects, in addition to dealing with pain, will also be much lower. Even in situations where you need multiple medicines, your pharmacist may be able to combine them into a single dosage form to make the administration process easier.

With combination products, you do not have to keep track of multiple medications, which is highly convenient for patients who require long-term treatment. Hence, compounded medication offers multiple complementary benefits, potentially with lower side effects.

Patients who regularly deal with stomach irritation, digestive issues, headaches, and difficulty swallowing pills can also try out alternative forms of compounding pain solutions. They include the following:

• Suppositories and troches
• Nasal sprays and other sprays
• Gels, creams, and topicals

These dosage forms allow your body to absorb them without passing through or irritating your intestinal lining or stomach. However, it’s always important to consult with your prescriber before trying out a compounding alternative.

Common Pain Medications That Are Compounded

Medicines used to treat most types of pain can be compounded. For instance, neuropathic pain is usually treated with anti-seizure medication, local anesthetics, and tricyclic antidepressants. Similarly, pain from diabetic neuropathy can be treated with compounded topical creams.

Medicines used to treat CRPS include anti-seizure medications, local anesthetics, NMDA receptor antagonists, NSAIDs, tricyclic antidepressants, beta-2 agonists, and more. Muscle relaxants are used to treat muscle pains, spasms, and stiffness related to multiple sclerosis and are commonly used in pharmaceutical compounding. Other medicines include the following:

• NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories)
• Anesthetics
• Calcium Channel Blockers

Pharmacists compound NSAIDs to treat arthritis and other inflammatory conditions like gout, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, tendinitis, and bursitis to deliver better results to the patient. Compounded medicines for topical use are also quickly gaining popularity for pain management.

Compounding pharmacists can customize the medicine to deliver the best dose and combination for your needs. Hence, pharmaceutical compounding may be one of the most effective solutions to inadequate pain relief.

If you need a compounding pharmacist in Mountlake Terrace, WA, contact us at Axis Pharmacy Northwest. Our team of dedicated professionals strives to offer the best solutions for your pain management needs. We work with assisted living communities, adult family homes, mental health facilities, residential care apartment complexes, community-based residential complexes, and hospices. Contact us online or call us at 425-672-5810 to learn more about us.