3 Benefits of Compounding Your Child’s Medication

Convincing children to take their medicine is rarely easy. Unlike with pets, hiding the medicine in treats and a piece of cheese isn’t a sufficient solution. There are several reasons children may not be able to take medicine in certain forms, such as swallowing issues or problems with how the medicine tastes. 

Instead of forcing the medicine down with a ‘spoonful of sugar,’ healthcare workers devised a better method for children with difficulty taking commercially available medicine: compounding medication. 

What is compounding medication, and how does it benefit a child’s health? 

What is Compounding Medication? 

Most of the medicine prescribed by doctors are mass-produced to fulfill the need. But mass-producing medication into one type doesn’t consider each patient’s individual needs. 

Some patients may be unable to tolerate commercial medicine due to allergies or because the medicine isn’t gluten-free, sugar-free, etc. Others may simply have difficulty swallowing pills. 

In response to this issue, pharmacists can now customize medication by altering it or compounding it to meet an individual patient’s needs. If your child has difficulty taking medication, consider noninvasive testing to help determine if there’s a physical or biological reason behind this issue. 

Is compounding medicine right for your child? What are the three benefits of having a pharmacist compound your child’s medication? 

Kid-Friendly Medicine 

Medicine isn’t one-size-fits-all, so it’s no surprise that children need their own medications. But children are also still developing and may have problems taking medicine that caters to adults. For some children, swallowing pills or the aftertaste of medicine is too much for their sensitivities.

Part of compounding medicine is transforming it into a form children can take. This can include lollipops, gummies, syrups, and topical ointments. Compounding medication is done by mixing or combining medications. In some cases, the medicine is completely altered using the base ingredients. 

Avoid Allergic Reactions 

An allergy to a certain medication is exceedingly common among adults and children. The reaction to the medicine can range from hives to something more serious and possibly fatal. In some cases, a replacement medicine can be found. For example, swapping out penicillin for another antibiotic. 

But that doesn’t always work with all allergies.  Compounding pharmacists can completely remove the problematic ingredient from the medicine and create a custom medication that won’t cause a dangerous allergic reaction. 

Individualized Dosage

Your child’s medication might not be available or in the wrong dosage. In that case, skilled pharmacists can use the base ingredients to create the out-of-stock medicine in the correct dosage that your child needs.

Without the proper dosage, the symptoms will continue, or worse, the medicine will cause a bad reaction. Customizing a dose takes into account a child’s tolerance for certain medications. 

Forcing or tricking a child into taking their medication is common, and sometimes it seems like your only resort. But this method can lead to anxiety or other issues with your child’s healthcare. 

Compounding medication ensures that the patient will get the medical help they need, even if it’s not in the typical pill. The unconventional format available with compounding medication could save a child’s life.