Faith & Healing Pharmacy makes custom skin preparations in Mount Juliet, TN, at 151 Adams Lane, Suite 18. Our pharmacist prepares each cream and gel in our Mount Juliet pharmacy, to the exact prescription your dermatologist or provider writes. Each preparation is made for one patient and can leave out a dye or filler you react to. This page explains what dermatology compounding is, the forms we make, why prescribers ask for it and how to get started.
Dermatology compounding is the preparation of a topical medicine for one patient, by a licensed pharmacist, to a prescriber’s specification. The prescriber decides the active ingredient, the strength, the base and the directions, and the pharmacist makes the preparation to match.
Most creams and gels come from a manufacturer in fixed strengths and bases, with a set list of inactive ingredients. Those products work well for most patients, and when an FDA-approved product fits, that is the one to use. Compounding is for the cases where it doesn’t, and it is one of the four areas of our compounding pharmacy work.
A pharmacist can change three things in a topical preparation: the strength, the base and the inactive ingredients. A strength no manufacturer makes can be prepared exactly. The prescriber can ask for a cream or a gel. A dye or filler a patient reacts to can be left out.
Every preparation we make is non-sterile and starts with a written prescription for one named patient, as federal law requires. We prepare and document each one to USP <795>, the standard for non-sterile compounding, and we never make compounded preparations in advance or for general stock.
We make three kinds of skin preparation, and each one is made to order, for one patient, from a written prescription. The base is the cream or gel that carries the active ingredient, and your prescriber chooses it along with the strength and the directions. Every preparation is non-sterile and made in-house in our Mount Juliet pharmacy, so the pharmacist who prepares it is the one who answers when you call.
Every preparation is labeled with your name, the strength, the directions your prescriber wrote and a beyond-use date, the last day it should be used. Follow the storage directions on the label, because they depend on the formula. When you collect it, the pharmacist can explain how to apply and store it. If anything on the label is unclear, call us at 615-583-7575 before the first use.
A prescriber asks for a compounded topical when the commercial product doesn’t fit the patient. It usually comes down to one of three reasons, and the prescriber, not the pharmacy, decides when a compounded version is needed.
Manufacturers sometimes stop making a cream or gel, or it goes on long backorder. When the prescriber wants the patient to stay on the same formula, we can often prepare it from its individual ingredients, so the prescription doesn’t end because a product left the shelf.
Commercial topicals come in a limited range of strengths. When the prescriber writes a strength no product offers, we prepare that exact strength rather than the nearest one available. If the prescriber changes the strength later, we prepare each new prescription to match.
Sometimes the reaction is to an inactive ingredient, such as a dye or filler, rather than the active medicine. The pharmacist reviews the formula with the prescriber and, where the formula allows, prepares it without the ingredient causing the problem.
If none of these apply and the commercial product works for you, you don’t need a compounded version. If you’re not sure, ask your prescriber or call us. The pharmacist can tell you whether compounding is an option for that prescription.
Every compounded topical follows the same three steps, and it starts with your prescriber. Maryam Fikry, PharmD, our pharmacist of record, prepares and checks each one. She is licensed by the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy.
From prescription to your hands:
1. Prescription in. Your dermatologist or provider sends the prescription to us by phone, fax or e-prescription, or you bring a written prescription to the counter at 151 Adams Lane, Suite 18.
2. Preparation made. The pharmacist confirms the details and calls you with the cost before she prepares anything. If anything needs to change, she contacts your prescriber directly. She then makes it in-house and checks it before it’s dispensed.
3. Collection or delivery. Pick it up in store, use curbside pickup, or choose local delivery, made by our own team rather than a third-party courier.
Turnaround depends on the formula, so ask at the counter. The pharmacist also gives you a ready-by time when she calls to confirm.
Yes, always. Federal law requires a prescription for one named patient for every compounded preparation. Your dermatologist or provider can send it to us by phone, fax or e-prescription.
It depends on the formula, so ask at the counter or call 615-583-7575. When the pharmacist calls to confirm your prescription, she also gives you a ready-by time.
Often, yes. Tell us which dye or filler caused the reaction, and the pharmacist will review the formula with your prescriber. Whether it can be left out depends on the formula.
No. The FDA does not review compounded preparations before they are dispensed, because each one is made for a single patient. We prepare them under Tennessee pharmacy law and USP standards, and the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy licenses and inspects us.
Sometimes, but often not. Coverage varies by plan and by ingredient, and many compounded prescriptions are paid out of pocket. We tell you the cost before we prepare anything, so there are no surprises at pickup.
To get started, ask your dermatologist or provider to send your prescription to Faith & Healing Pharmacy, call us at 615-583-7575, or bring it to 151 Adams Lane, Suite 18, Mount Juliet. We’re open Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM, and Saturday, 9 AM to 1 PM. The pharmacist will call to confirm the details and cost first.
