Using Your Medication

A plain glossary of the dosage forms and bases a compounding pharmacy prepares, from troches and rapid dissolve tablets to creams, oral rinses, nasal sprays and suppositories. Each entry says what the form is and what it contains, and links to the Bayview page that prepares it.

Topical and oral routes send the same drug down different paths, one through the liver and one into the tissue under the skin. Here is what changes, what does not, and what Bayview compounds either way.

Bayview compounds sildenafil in two dissolvable forms: troches that dissolve between the cheek and gum, and rapid dissolve tablets placed under the tongue. This explainer covers the strengths prepared, the directions for each form, what FDA has not evaluated, and what the preparation costs.

A suppository is a solid dose of medication inserted vaginally or rectally, and the base it is molded in decides how it is stored and how it behaves. This explainer covers insertion, dissolving, leakage, storage, and which compounded suppositories Bayview prepares on a prescriber's order.

Clomiphene citrate is a racemic mixture of two isomers, and enclomiphene is the trans-isomer on its own. Here is what that composition difference means, why enclomiphene is compounded, and how both compare to testosterone therapy.

Estriol is the weakest of the body's three estrogens and has no FDA-approved US product, while estradiol is the most potent and is sold in FDA-approved forms. Here is what each name means, how vaginal and skin creams differ, and where compounded Bi-Est fits.

Ondansetron blocks serotonin 5-HT3 receptors in the gut and the brain's vomiting center, and it is FDA-approved to help prevent nausea from chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Here is how it works, its main warnings, and the manufactured and compounded forms, including suppositories.

Cholestyramine ointment is a compounded preparation of a bile acid binder, ordered off-label for diaper-area, perianal, and peristomal skin irritation. Here is what it contains, the zinc oxide combinations, and how thin the evidence is.

Clobetasol propionate is a superpotent steroid described as standard treatment for genital lichen sclerosus. Here is what its label limits mean for vulvar use, and which ointment, gel, suppository, and mouth forms are compounded.

Numbing cream sold without a prescription is limited to 4% lidocaine, and the FDA has warned consumers about high-strength products marketed for tattooing and laser work. This post describes what compounded BLT numbing cream contains, how prescribers write directions for it, and why it is dispensed only on a prescription.

Methimazole is an antithyroid medication veterinarians prescribe for hyperthyroidism in cats, and an FDA-approved tablet already exists. This post explains what the compounded transdermal ear gel and flavored oral liquid are, how the gel is applied, and how to handle it safely at home.

Bayview compounds Trimix, Bimix and Quadmix as intracavernosal preparations in 2.5 mL multi-dose vials, at the concentration a prescriber orders. This provider guide sets out the actives, the published concentration ranges, what a prescription or e-prescribe entry needs to contain, the cash prices, and the priapism language carried on the formulation pages.

Diltiazem for an anal fissure is compounded as a 2% rectal ointment or a 2% gel, the form often called diltigel, because there is no FDA-approved topical or rectal diltiazem product in the United States. This explainer covers what the preparation contains, how the two bases differ, what published guidelines report about topical calcium channel blockers, and what it costs.

A troche is a compounded, prescription lozenge that dissolves slowly in the mouth rather than being swallowed whole. This guide covers what troches are made of, buccal versus sublingual placement, how to take one, storage, and what compounded troches cost.

Topical testosterone for women is described in the literature as applied to the inner thigh, lower abdomen, upper arm or shoulder, or buttocks, with sites rotated and covered to avoid transfer. This post covers application technique, what the 2019 Global Consensus Position Statement concluded, and the compounded cream, gel, troche, and tablet strengths Bayview prepares on a prescription.

Naltrexone blocks opioid receptors, so opioid pain medicines, opioid-containing cough and antidiarrheal products, and any procedure that may need opioid analgesia all require a conversation with your prescriber. This explainer covers reported side effects at low doses, what the literature says about stopping, and how the compounded strengths compare to the FDA-approved 50 mg tablet.

A plain answer to the questions patients ask about compounded trimix injection: what is in it, the injection steps a prescriber teaches, what "units" on an insulin syringe mean, how it is stored, and what it costs. Dose, maximum, and strength are prescriber decisions, and this post explains the terms rather than recommending numbers.

The dermatology literature describes hydroquinone courses of several weeks to a few months, with the AAD noting melasma improvement usually takes three to twelve months, and cycles of about 8 to 12 weeks followed by a break. This post explains tyrosinase inhibition, the 2020 removal of OTC hydroquinone, the Kligman-type combination with tretinoin, and how compounded blends are made to a prescriber's percentages.

What benzocaine, lidocaine and tetracaine each contribute, why BLT requires a prescription, and the FDA guidance on applying high-strength numbing products.

What the three ingredients in all-purpose nipple ointment do, why it is compounded and prescription-only, and why persistent nipple pain is worth having evaluated.

A rectal rocket is a compounded multi-ingredient suppository molded with a flared end, so part of it sits inside the anal canal and part rests against the perianal skin. No FDA-approved product uses this design, so every ingredient and strength is set by the prescriber who writes the order.

What alveolar osteitis is, why it follows some extractions and not others, what goes into a medicated socket dressing, and what the evidence behind those components does and does not show.

How sildenafil works, its history, dosing, the interactions that matter (nitrates above all), and where compounding does and does not fit.

A sublingual dose dissolves under the tongue and crosses the lining of the mouth into the bloodstream without passing through the stomach and liver first. What that route changes, and which compounded forms are prepared for it.