Sports medicine has proven to be another area where pharmacy compounding has shown to be very useful and in high demand. Sports trainers and physicians have found that compounded medications are far superior to commercial medications, as they can be customized based on their dosage, method of administration, the number of active ingredients, absorption, and more.
Modern drug delivery methods such as iontophoresis can be used with compounded medications, and commercial versions simply are not as effective. Athletes require the best when it comes to medications and treatments for their injuries, and sports medicine is one area where new treatments are regularly found, as physicians tend to experiment safely with new potential treatments that may offer faster healing times.
Sports medicine is one field that is constantly testing the effectiveness of different sports medicine treatments to reduce downtime as much as possible. Athletes benefit from a reduced downtime, as they need to get back on the playing field as quickly as possible. New treatments based on research can be safely tested by sports medicine physicians with the help of compounding pharmacies.
For instance, several new topical medications have been developed for sports medicine, such as compounds with ketoprofen. These compounds have shown to be much more effective than compounds or commercial medications that use oral ketoprofen. Topical ketoprofen applies a high concentration of the drug directly to the site of inflammation or injury, and it causes symptom relief quickly, while oral ketoprofen is not targeted and can have symptoms such as gastrointestinal upset.
Compounded medications allow for customized and unique treatments
The challenge for treating athletes is that every athlete is unique and has their own requirements to take into account such as allergies, tolerance for different medications, preferred methods of administration, age, weight, injury level, and many other factors that must be taken into account with every treatment.
There are few commercial sports medicine treatments that can be effective for every athlete. This is even more important on the professional level, where athletes require a minimal downtime and the fastest and most effective treatments available. Also, healing rates and inflammation levels vary from one person to another.
A knee injury for one athlete may be much more devastating for another athlete, and different recovery methods must be used for each type of athlete. Compounding pharmacies allow sports medicine physician and trainers to develop customized treatments for their athletes, based on their unique needs. Athletes at every level can benefit from compounded treatments because they are customized for them.
The athlete’s physician will know which treatments are the most effective based on the athlete’s treatment history. Also, customized dosage forms can be tested on the athlete, and there may be a particular type of compound with a unique combination of active ingredients that ends up being more effective for that particular individual. Compounding pharmacies allow physicians to create compounds that may be much more effective than commercial treatments, and take into account each athlete’s requirements.
Several different ailments can be treated at compounding pharmacies
Compounded medications have proven to be highly effective at treating a full range of sports related injuries and illnesses, and they have started to become a primary source of medication for sports medicine physicians. Athletes regularly experience a wide range of different ailments and injuries that can successfully be treated at compounding pharmacies including the following:
▪ Dehydration – treated with customized electrolyte formulas
▪ Calluses – treated with compounded lotions.
▪ Cramps – topical gels and other topical or oral treatments can be used to reduce the chance of cramps or to treat cramps in-game. Athletes who are prone to cramps can also have customized electrolyte formulas created for them based on their unique electrolyte imbalances.
▪ Nutritional Needs – nutrition is one of the most significant areas that compounded treatments can help with. Customized protein formulas, or vitamin and mineral supplements can be created at compounding pharmacies as nutritional supplements, and these can be vital to an athlete’s performance and healing.
▪ Wounds – the healing time for wounds can be sped up dramatically with compounded medications, and treatments such as tissue healing gels and compounded ointments can be used to improve wound healing.
▪ Carpal tunnel – transdermal gels are effective at treating carpal tunnel syndrome.
▪ Dry skin – customized moisturizing creams can be created at compounding pharmacies.
▪ Hemorrhoids – can be treated with customized suppositories or other treatments to reduce symptoms.
▪ Athlete’s foot – topical antifungal gels can be created to treat athlete’s foot more effectively than commercial medication.
Overall, pharmacy compounding offers athletes convenient and effective treatment options. Our licensed pharmacists can work with sports medicine physicians to create customized and safe compounds which can be used to treat sports injuries and for other sports medicine applications. If you are a physician, please contact The Compounding Pharmacy of Beverly Hills, your trusted compounding resource.
