Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage. Struggling through chronic pain problems like arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraine, headaches and nerve and muscle pain does not have to be a daily activity. There’s a better solution: pharmacy compounding, a customized option for pain management. Every individual is unique, and the types of pain experienced can be equally diverse. By working with a compounding pharmacist, physicians can prescribe treatments tailored specifically for the patients pain management needs. Many commonly prescribed pain relief medications cause stomach irritation and other unwanted side effects.
Through compounding, Carlton Heights Pharmasave can provide alternate methods of delivery by combining the ingredients of traditional oral pain medications in a
- Topical gel/Cream
- Spray form that can be applied directly to the site of pain
- Application sticks (varied in size)
- Capsules
- Tablet triturates
- Injectables
- Flavored/unflavored troches
- Lozenges
The topical application of a custom compounded cream has many advantages, including:
- Delivers relief directly to pain receptors
- Minimizes absorption into the bloodstream
- Blocks portions of the inflammatory cascade
- Quickly provides measurable and identifiable pain relief
- Greater effectiveness and results
- Produces fewer side effects
- Reduces the possibility of adverse drug interactions
- Formulations are non-addictive
- Reduces organ toxicity
CHRONIC PAIN Can Last for Weeks, Months or Even Years
Different from acute pain, which usually resolves quickly, chronic pain can persist for weeks, months, even years. Generally, it’s diagnosed after three to six months. There is a “wind-up phenomenon” that causes untreated pain to get worse. Nerve fibers transmitting painful impulses to the brain become trained to deliver those signals better, making your pain feel more severe and last longer. In some cases, the pain comes and goes. Chronic pain conditions often affect older adults.
Chronic Pain Can Have Many Causes
Chronic pain can result from an initial injury or infection, or from illness, but some people suffer chronic pain in the absence of any past injury.
Most Common Types of Chronic Pain
- General somatic pain is pain from the outer body – your skin and muscles
- Visceral Pain is pain from your internal organs
- Bone pain comes from bone cancer, osteoporosis, osteomyelitis or arthritis
- Muscle Spasms (cramps) like a charlie horse
- Peripheral Neuropathy is pain arising in the nerves
- Poor circulation, usually caused by tobacco use, diabetes, or autoimmune diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis
- Headaches, including migraines, tension, cluster headaches and headaches caused by sinusitis, neuralgia or brain tumors
Chronic Pain Can Be Treated with a wide variety of over-the-counter and prescription medicines, including pain relievers such as acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and analgesics like aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen. Tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline appear to have pain-relieving effects distinct from their mood-boosting effect, and are useful in treating neuropathic pain. Anticonvulsants, like gabapentin may help. Opioids (narcotics), like codeine, morphine, and oxycodone may help as well. However, many patients and doctors are wary of opioids because they may be addictive.
As a Compounding Pharmacy, Carlton Heights Pharmasave Can Be Part of Your Interdisciplinary Pain Management Team
For many people, living with pain is a way of life. But you can increase your functioning and quality life while reducing your suffering. We can work together with you and your health providers in a collaborative effort, with measurement, interventions, and strategies designed to offer a complete approach.
Topically-applied, Transdermal Creams May Be of Help
We can prepare treatments using any of the following ingredients in various strengths, alone or in combinations:
- Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant. It affects chemicals and nerves in the body that are involved in the cause of seizures and some types of pain. It is used alone or in combination with other medications. It is commonly used orally to treat neuropathic pain.
- Ketamine is an anesthetic medication. It acts at the NMDA receptor site for use in treating chronic pain.
- Amitriptyline is in a group of drugs called tricyclic antidepressants. It affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced. While most noted for its use to treat depression, it is prescribed for many pain and pain-related conditions such as migraines, chronic pain, persistent pain following a shingles attack, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, diabetic peripheral neuropathy and neurological pain.
- Clonidine Though prescribed historically to treat high blood pressure it is now used in the treatment of some types of neuropathic pain. It works by stimulating receptors in the brain stem, reducing outflow from the central nervous system.
- Baclofen is a muscle relaxer and an antispastic agent. It is used to treat spasms, pain, and stiffness.
- Lidocaine is a local anesthetic (numbing) medication. It works by blocking nerve signals in your body. It is applied topically to numb the skin.
- Cyclobenzaprine is a muscle relaxant. It works by blocking nerve impulses (or pain sensations) that are sent to your brain. It is the most well-studied drug for this application and it also has been used for treating fibromyalgia.
DIABETIC NEUOPATHY Is a Peripheral Nerve Disorder Caused by Diabetes or Poor Blood Sugar Control
The most common type of diabetic neuropathy results in problems with sensation in the feet. It can develop slowly after many years of diabetes or may occur early in the disease. The symptoms are numbness, pain, or tingling in the feet or lower legs. The pain can be intense and require treatment to relieve the discomfort. The loss of sensation in the feet may also increase the possibility that foot injuries will go unnoticed and develop into ulcers or lesions that become infected. In some cases, diabetic neuropathy can be associated with difficulty walking and some weakness in the foot muscles.
Compounding Offers Many Alternative Topical Treatments That Can Combine Highly-effective Medications to Treat Your Unique Conditions.
At Carlton Heights Pharmasave we’re able to produce a variety of treatments that can help alleviate your foot pain and increase circulation to reduce numbness and improve feeling, stability and balance. We typically incorporate the following medications, and can prepare creams with any combination of these active ingredients, up to 25% of the total content.
- Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant. It affects chemicals and nerves in the body that are involved in the cause of seizures and some types of pain. It is used alone or in combination with other medications. It is commonly used orally for neuropathy.
- Ketamine is an anesthetic medication. It acts at the NMDA receptor site for use in treating neuropathy.
- Ketoprofen is in a group of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). it works by reducing hormones that cause inflammation and pain in the body, and is often used to treat pain or inflammation caused by arthritis.
- Lidocaine is a local anesthetic (numbing medication). It works by blocking nerve signals in your body. It is applied topically to numb the skin, or lessen pain.
- Nifedipine is in a class of drugs called calcium channel blockers. It relaxes (widens) your blood vessels (veins and arteries), improving circulation
We work together with patient and practitioner to solve problems by customizing medications that meet the specific needs of each individual. Please contact our compounding pharmacist to discuss the dosage form, strength, and medication or combination that is most appropriate for you or your patient.
Carlton Heights Pharamsave 905-934-2222
