Compounding Services
General Compounding
Here at My Life My Health Compounding we can help meet your unique medication needs.
In addition to compounding some unique dosage forms, our pharmacists apply the same skills, training and dedication to compounding traditional creams and ointments.
Compounding has historically always been an important part of pharmacy practice and at My Life My Health Compounding, the traditional mortar and pestle is used daily alongside our state of the art equipment.
The traditional methods of compounding, combined with the latest quality control systems and procedures mean that we can help you with all of your compounding requirements, especially the traditional products that you would expect from a pharmacy!
Snoring
Snoring is a common condition affecting many people. It has been suggested that up to 60% of all adults snore occasionally1 and that 25% of adults are habitual snorers. It is known that the incidence of snoring increases with age2.
Snoring during sleep usually occurs during inspiration. Snoring is thought to be caused by a narrowing of the nasopharyngeal airway. During periods of relaxed breathing, such as sleep, this narrowing causes vibration of the soft parts of the oropharyngeal passage. There are many causes for this narrowing including; enlarged tonsils or adenoids, obesity, lack of muscle tone, polyps, cysts and many other anatomical conditions.
At My Life My Health Compounding, our pharmacists have compounded a pleasantly flavoured throat spray to reduce snoring. This spray acts by constricting the orophyarnx thereby reducing or eliminating snoring.
- Lugaresi et al, “Snoring: Pathogenic, Clinical and Therapeutic Aspects”, Reported in Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine (Kryger et al, Editors 1989) at pp. 494-500.
- Jacob, SW. “The Current Status On the Use of a New Pharmacologic Approach (Dimethyl Sulfone) for the Relief of Snoring.” Oregon Health Science University.
Pain Management
Pain is one of the most common symptoms for which people seek medical help. It can take the form of headaches, arthritis, fibromyalgia, muscles strained from sports activities or the result of an injury. Acute pain can often evolve into chronic pain, which can be difficult to treat. For many patients, chronic pain is something they live with on a daily basis.
Commonly prescribed medications for pain relief can cause unwanted side effects. By delivering the medication in a transdermal cream, directly to the affected nerves or muscles, compounded products can provide effective pain relief while minimising side effects.
Here at My Life My Health Compounding we have certainly seen some very exciting results using transdermal treatment, with one patient even being able to stop taking morphine for pain relief after using her tailor made cream.
Depending on the pain, other dosage forms such as sprays, flavoured troches or tailor made capsules may be of benefit for you.
Paediatric Compounding
The truth is, there is nothing fun about being sick. And sometimes, having to take medication just makes it worse!
While we can’t guarantee that taking medicine will become an entirely pleasurable experience for your child, there are certainly many ways that compounding can help.
Flavoured Medication
Dozens of flavours are available to compounding pharmacists. From tutti-frutti to bubblegum, orange or chocolate or even cola flavour, we can help to mask the taste of medications with your child’s favourite flavour!
Unique Dosage Forms
Many children have a difficult time swallowing capsules or tablets, especially if they have to take more than one medication during the day. Working with your doctor, our compounding pharmacists are able to offer some unique dosage forms that may be easier to swallow! Examples include lollipops, ice blocks, lozenges, syrups and suspensions. It may also be possible to deliver the medication through the skin in a transdermal gel.
Different Strengths
Each child varies in size and weight and as a result it can be difficult to find a commercially available medication that provides an appropriate dose for your child. Compounding allows us to formulate a product that provides the exact dose needed for your child.
Muscle Cramps
Muscle cramps are common and are often very uncomfortable. At some stage in our lives, most of us will have the unfortunate experience of suffering from a painful muscle cramp. During a muscle cramp, the affected muscle tightens and spasms. The muscle often feels very hard and is usually painful.
There are many different reasons why muscle cramps occur, electrolyte imbalances, medication side effects and overuse of muscles are only a few of the common causes.
Nocturnal leg cramps are particularly distressing and certainly have a negative impact on the lives of the people that suffer from them. Fortunately, these cramps can be treated very easily and safely.
The pharmacists at My Life My Health Compounding have developed some unique treatments to relieve the symptoms of muscle cramps. Some of these treatments can even be delivered transdermally, directly to the affected muscle, without even having to take a pill!
These treatments are tailored to the unique needs of each patient. Please contact our pharmacists on 3832 2888 if you would like to discuss your treatment options.
Migraines
Migraine is a common and distressing disorder. It has been reported that there are approximately 2 million migraine sufferers in Australia. Although more Australians suffer from migraine than from diabetes or asthma or coronary heart disease, migraine is often undiagnosed and untreated1.
Identifying the triggers for a migraine can be difficult and keeping a “headache diary” is often a helpful way to identify factors that contribute to the migraine. Common triggers appear to be stress, lack of sleep, skipping meals, smoking and various foods and wine.
If you experience regular migraines, it may be appropriate to consider preventative medication to reduce the frequency and severity of your symptoms. Recent studies have researched the use of high-dose riboflavin (vitamin B2) in the prevention of migraine. These studies suggest that at least 59% of patients experience an improvement in the frequency and duration of their migraine symptoms2. Improvement in migraine frequency and severity appears to be reported to be at least 68%3.
Riboflavin capsules and Migraine Plus capsules (B2, P5P, Folinic acid, Methyl B12) are available from My Life My Health Compounding. A prescription from your doctor is not required however we encourage each individual patient to contact our pharmacists on 07 3832 2888 to discuss their unique needs.
Early treatment of a migraine attack is important. In addition to pain relief that is available on the market, My Life My Health Compounding is able to compound migraine medication that has been discontinued. For more information about compounded options for migraine, please ask our pharmacists.
- Headacheaustralia.org.au
- J. Schoenen, MD, PhD, J. Jacquy, MD and M. Lenaerts, MD. Effectiveness of high-dose riboflavin in migraine prophylaxis A randomized controlled trial. NEUROLOGY;50:466-470 (1998)
- J. Schoenen, M. Lenaerts, E Bastings. High-Dose Riboflavin as a Prophylactic Treatment of Migraine: Results of an Open Pilot Study. Cephalalgia, Vol. 14, No. 5, 328-329 (1994)
Discontinued Medication
Each year, many commonly used medications are discontinued by manufacturers.
Often a manufacturer is forced to discontinue a product due to manufacturing problems or declining profits. Provided there are no safety concerns regarding the discontinued drug, compounding can often provide a solution for patients requiring the commercially unavailable product.
By sourcing the pure, pharmaceutical grade raw ingredient, we can formulate many different dosage forms to help fill this need.
Please ask our pharmacists if you would like more information.
Dentistry
In dentistry, no two patients are alike; they all differ in their treatment requirements. From a child requiring oral anaesthesia, to an elderly patient being fitted for dentures, the provision of customised medication can certainly optimise patient outcomes.
My Life My Health Compounding is able to offer you a range of customised medications. From medication that has been discontinued, to medication that is commercially unavailable in Australia (e.g. anaesthetic gels), compounding can provide numerous options to dental practitioners and patients. Providing alternate and unique dosage forms such as lollipops, lozenges, pastes and transdermal creams is our specialty and of course making medication taste good is one of our goals! Some examples of medication that can be tailored to your specific needs include:
- Flavoured oral paste to assist in the treatment of dry socket.
- Local anaesthetics combined with a steroid to relieve mouth ulcers.
- Lollipops are a popular dosage form to provide anaesthesia for children (and adults!).
- Transdermal creams can be used to successfully treat trigeminal neuralgia.
- Treatments for burning mouth syndrome.
- Mucosal bandages can provide contact with the mucosa for 3-4 hours.
- Mouth rinses to provide increased comfort for patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation.
- Alcohol free mouth rinses.
All of the pharmacists at My Life My Health Compounding have been trained as compounding pharmacists and are happy to discuss compounding options with you. If you have any questions at all about a compounded prescription, please don’t hesitate to give our pharmacists a call.
Cosmeceuticals
While ageing of the skin can’t be halted, in many cases it can be slowed down.
In fact, some of the symptoms of ageing that are visible on the skin are actually treatable. Many of the causes of wrinkling and loss of elasticity that come with age have been identified. These factors include sun, cold, wind, smoking, fatigue, stress, poor nutrition and even environmental irritants such as soaps or detergents.
It is impossible to avoid all of these assaults on the skin. In Australia especially, our sun exposure is often significant and stress and fatigue seem to be all too common. While we can’t turn back the clock, we can protect our skin and help to rejuvenate skin that has begun to show signs of aging. The use of customised biocosmetic products can reduce skin irritation, rashes, redness and inflammation. Compounded creams can also be useful for soothing dry skin and treating blemishes and problem areas.
Just as every face has its own distinctive features, so does every person have his or her own skin type.
Our compounding pharmacists can customise biocosmetic treatments to meet your unique needs. Please contact our pharmacists on 3832 2888 for a personalised discussion about your individual needs.
Weight Loss
Excess weight may increase the risk of many health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and strokes, high blood pressure, certain types of cancer, sleep apnoea, fatty liver disease, kidney problems and some problems in pregnancy/fertility.
Gaining a few extra kilos over the year may not seem a big problem, but these kilos can add up over time.
Maintaining a normal weight may help you and your loved ones stay healthier as you grow older.
