Compound pharmacies near me

Table of Content:
Do you need a prescription for a compounded medication? | How to get a prescription for a compounded medicine? | List of 10 compounding pharmacies | FAQ

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If you’ve ever found yourself searching “compound pharmacies near me,” you’re not alone. Whether you’re managing a chronic condition, seeking a personalized skincare treatment, or looking for a more affordable and flexible alternative to traditional prescriptions, compounding pharmacies offer a customized approach to healthcare that standard pharmacies often can’t match. These specialized pharmacies prepare medications tailored specifically to a patient’s needs—adjusting dosage, form, and even ingredients based on a provider’s prescription.

Compounding pharmacies are especially valuable in fields like dermatology, where skin types, sensitivities, and treatment goals vary widely. Commercial medications often come in limited strengths or fixed combinations, but compounding allows dermatologists to create personalized formulas for conditions like acne, melasma, rosacea, and hair loss—often combining multiple active ingredients into one treatment. They also offer solutions free of allergens or irritants such as dyes, preservatives, or fragrances.

In addition to customization, compounding pharmacies can be more cost-effective, subscription-free, and accessible, especially for patients with insurance limitations or those who prefer to manage their care independently. Many offer mail-order service with nationwide coverage, making them a convenient option for patients in both urban and rural areas.

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of 10 of the largest compounding pharmacies in the United States—each with nationwide or near-nationwide coverage. Whether you’re looking for dermatological treatments, hormone therapy, pain management, or veterinary solutions, this guide will help you find a reputable compounding pharmacy that fits your needs.

Do you need a prescription for compounded medications?

Yes, you do need a prescription to buy most medications from a compounding pharmacy. Compounded medications are custom-made based on a licensed healthcare provider’s prescription that specifies the exact formulation, dosage, and delivery method tailored to the patient’s needs. These pharmacies are not allowed to dispense compounded drugs without a valid prescription because the medications are not mass-produced or FDA-approved in standard formulations. 

How can you get a prescription for a compounded medication in dermatology?

To obtain a prescription for a compounded dermatology medication via Miiskin, follow these steps:

1. Start a consultation: Visit Miiskin’s website or download the Miiskin app to initiate an online consultation. You’ll be prompted to answer a brief questionnaire about your skin concerns and upload clear photos of the affected areas.
   
2. Dermatologist review: A board-certified dermatologist licensed in your state will review your submission. Within 1–2 business days, they will provide a diagnosis and, if appropriate, prescribe a customized treatment plan.
   
3. Prescription fulfillment: If a compounded medication is deemed suitable, the dermatologist can send the prescription to Skin Medicinals, a compounding pharmacy platform specializing in personalized topical treatments.
   
4. Medication purchase and delivery: Once the prescription is sent, you’ll receive instructions to purchase the medication directly through Skin Medicinals. The compounded medication will then be shipped to your address.

List of compounding pharmacies near you

Skin Medicinals

• State Coverage: Available in all 50 U.S. states through a network of over 11,000 prescribers.
• Popular Compounds: Customized topical and oral medications for acne, rosacea, hyperpigmentation, anti-aging, and hair loss, including formulations with tretinoin, hydroquinone, niacinamide, minoxidil, finasteride, and spironolactone.
• Dermatology Services: Exclusively focused on dermatology, offering affordable, personalized compounded treatments prescribed by licensed healthcare providers and shipped directly to patients.

Empower Pharmacy

• State Coverage: Licensed to ship to most U.S. states, including Puerto Rico.
• Popular Compounds: Semaglutide/cyanocobalamin injections, tirzepatide/niacinamide injections, testosterone therapies, and ketamine formulations.
• Dermatology Services: Offers compounded medications for acne, hyperpigmentation, and skin rejuvenation, including formulations with hydrocortisone, hydroquinone, kojic acid, niacinamide, tranexamic acid, and tretinoin. 

MixMyRx

• State Coverage: Provides free delivery of compounded medications across the U.S.
• Popular Compounds: Amitriptyline, baclofen, clindamycin, doxycycline, and DHEA.
• Dermatology Services: While specific dermatology offerings aren’t detailed, the pharmacy’s range includes medications commonly used in dermatological treatments.

Wells Pharmacy Network

• State Coverage: Operates as a nationwide compounding pharmacy.
• Popular Compounds: Bioidentical hormone replacement therapies, weight loss solutions, and treatments for men’s health issues.
• Dermatology Services: Specializes in aesthetic dermatology, offering compounded topical products tailored to individual skincare needs.

ImprimisRx

• State Coverage: Licensed to operate in all 50 states.
• Popular Compounds: Specializes in ophthalmology formulations like Klarity-C preservative-free eye drops and Pred-Moxi.
• Dermatology Services: Dermatology-specific compounded medications are not prominently featured.

Compounding Pharmacy of America

• State Coverage: Ships compounded medications nationwide from its Tennessee base.
• Popular Compounds: Pain management medications, dermatological treatments, and veterinary compounds.
• Dermatology Services: Offers a range of dermatological compounded medications tailored to individual patient needs.

Fagron

• State Coverage: Supplies compounded medications to pharmacies in states where regulations permit such activities.
• Popular Compounds: Sterile and non-sterile compounded medications, including topical creams with advanced absorption technologies.
• Dermatology Services: Provides compounded topical creams designed to enhance drug delivery and patient compliance in dermatological treatments.

Avella Specialty Pharmacy

• State Coverage: Operates with a national distribution facility, serving patients across the country.
• Popular Compounds: Hormone replacement therapies, pain management solutions, and dermatological preparations.
• Dermatology Services: Offers a range of compounded dermatological medications tailored to individual patient needs.

Diplomat Pharmacy

• State Coverage: Provides specialty pharmacy services, including compounding, to patients nationwide.
  Popular Compounds: Specializes in medications for complex chronic conditions, offering personalized medication solutions.
• Dermatology Services: Offers compounded medications tailored to dermatological needs.

Central Admixture Pharmacy Services (CAPS)

• State Coverage: Operates 21 regional 503A pharmacies and two 503B outsourcing facilities across the U.S.
• Popular Compounds: Custom parenteral nutrition solutions, premixed oxytocin bags, and pre-filled anesthesia syringes.
• Dermatology Services: Primarily focuses on sterile compounded preparations for hospitals; dermatology-specific services are not highlighted.

FAQ about compounding medications and compounding pharmacies

What is a compounded medication?

A compounded medication is a customized drug that is prepared by a licensed pharmacist to meet the specific needs of an individual patient. These medications are made by mixing, altering, or combining ingredients in exact strengths and dosages not commercially available. Compounding is especially useful when a patient is allergic to an ingredient in a standard medication, needs a different dosage form (such as a liquid instead of a pill), or requires a combination of drugs tailored for a unique condition, such as personalized skincare treatments or hormone replacement therapies.

What is a compounding pharmacy?

A compounding pharmacy is a licensed facility that specializes in creating customized medications for patients based on prescriptions provided by healthcare providers. These pharmacies use pharmaceutical-grade ingredients to formulate drugs in specific dosages, forms, or combinations that are not mass-produced by commercial manufacturers. Compounding pharmacies are essential for patients who require treatments unavailable in standard pharmacies, including personalized dermatology, pain management, pediatrics, and hormone therapy medications.

What are the uses of compounded medications?

Here are common uses of compounded medications, highlighting the conditions and needs they address:

• Dermatology: Customized treatments for acne, rosacea, melasma, psoriasis, eczema, scars, and anti-aging—often combining ingredients like tretinoin, hydroquinone, niacinamide, or spironolactone.
• Hormone replacement therapy (HRT): Tailored bioidentical hormone formulations for men and women, including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
• Pediatrics: Child-friendly doses and flavors for antibiotics, seizure meds, or pain relievers that aren’t available in suitable commercial forms.
• Pain management: Personalized topical creams, gels, or transdermal patches containing combinations like lidocaine, ketamine, gabapentin, or NSAIDs to reduce systemic side effects.
• Gastroenterology: Specially formulated treatments for anal fissures, hemorrhoids, or acid reflux that aren’t commercially available.
• Ophthalmology: Custom eye drops for dry eye, glaucoma, and post-surgical recovery when commercial options don’t suffice.
• Veterinary medicine: Doses and flavors suited for pets when animal-specific medications are unavailable or hard to administer.
• Discontinued or unavailable drugs: Recreates essential medications no longer manufactured or in shortage.

What are the benefits of compounded medications?

Compounded medications offer several key benefits, particularly for patients with unique health needs that cannot be met by commercially available drugs. 

• More affordable: Often more cost-effective than branded medications or specialty drugs.
• Combination therapy: Merges multiple active ingredients into one medication for convenience and improved compliance.
• Improve medication adherence: Convenient formats and simplified regimens help patients stick to their treatments more reliably.
• Personalized dosages: Tailored strengths and ingredients to meet individual health needs.
• Insurance-friendly: Can reduce out-of-pocket costs and potentially avoid high insurance premiums by using generics or skipping costly brand-name drugs.
• Alternative forms: Created in easier-to-use forms like creams, liquids, or troches—ideal for children or those with swallowing difficulties.
• Access to discontinued drugs: Makes unavailable or hard-to-find medications accessible through custom preparation.

Why is compounding not FDA approved?

Compounded medications are not FDA-approved because they are custom-made for individual patients and are not manufactured in bulk like commercial drugs. Here’s why:

• Unique Formulations: Compounded medications are tailored based on a healthcare provider’s prescription to meet specific patient needs—such as changing a dosage, removing allergens, or combining multiple ingredients. These custom formulations are not standardized, so the FDA does not evaluate or approve each individual mixture.
• Not Mass-Produced: FDA approval is a process designed for mass-produced drugs, which undergo extensive clinical trials and quality testing. Since compounded drugs are prepared in small batches or one at a time, they don’t go through this same process.
• Regulated Differently: Instead of FDA approval, compounding pharmacies are regulated by state pharmacy boards and must follow USP (United States Pharmacopeia) guidelines. Some larger compounding facilities (called 503B outsourcing facilities) are subject to more oversight and inspections by the FDA but still do not receive formal “approval” of the compounded drugs they make.

What does it mean when a medication is compounded?

When a medication is compounded, it means it has been custom-prepared by a licensed pharmacist to meet the specific needs of an individual patient, based on a prescription from a licensed healthcare provider. Unlike mass-produced drugs, compounded medications are not made in standardized strengths or forms—instead, the pharmacist alters, mixes, or combines ingredients to create a personalized formulation.

Compounding is useful when:

• A patient needs a different dosage not available commercially.
• A medication must be allergen-free (e.g., dye-, gluten-, or preservative-free).
• The standard form (like a pill) needs to be changed to a cream, liquid, or lozenge.
• Multiple medications are combined into one for convenience.
• A drug is discontinued or in shortage, and the compound replicates it.