Are Compounded Hormone Products Safe? A Pharmacist Responds
Editor’s note: Earlier this month, I wrote about a webinar on Bioidentical Hormone Therapy, that was “supported” by Ascend Therapeutics, makers of an FDA-approved topical estrogen gel that competes with compounded hormone products. There’s a companion magazine, “The Buzz on Bioidenticals,” that is available free online and in doctors’ offices and it, too, is “supported” by Ascend. The publication repeatedly cautions women against using compounding pharmacies and, in an article called “Why You Should Avoid Compounded Hormone Therapy” the writers suggest that doing so poses a risk to our health.
In the interest of fairness and to contribute to a balanced discussion that will help you make an informed decision about using compounded, bio-identical hormones, I contacted Christine Givant (pictured below), a pharmacist and founder of La Vita Compounding Pharmacy, in San Diego, to ask her to respond to some statements made in the “Buzz on Bioidenticals” publication.
Wendy: First, explain what a compounding pharmacy does and why a woman on hormone therapy would choose to have her hormones “compounded.” What does that mean exactly?
Christine: A compounding pharmacy serves many vital purposes. To begin with, it allows the physician the opportunity to customize therapy to a patient’s individual needs. For example, Ascend Therapeutics offers a hormone product that comes in one strength, one dosage form, and one delivery device. Well, that will work for some women, but not all. A compounding pharmacy would be able to make it in the exact strength your physician determines you need and put it in a variety of dosage forms depending on your lifestyle (i.e gel, cream, suppository, lozenge, capsule, sub-lingual drop). A compounding pharmacy could also combine a daily hormone regimen into one cream, which could result in increased compliance and a lower cost to the patient. … [Read more]
is one of those books. It is authored by two physicians, one an internist, the other a gynecologist, both in their 50s and close friends since their med school days. Their close rapport is reflected in the way they provide information and advice. They talk about their own experiences, share patient stories and conclude each chapter with a “chat” that makes you feel that you’re among friends who are dealing with the same mid-life changes as you. 