You can be assured that any product approved by the FDA has gone through a barrage of manufacturing tests and multiple clinical studies. Topical medications are applied onto the skin or mucous membrane. This offers another delivery method of drug absorption. A benefit to using a topical medication is that it can provide treatment locally.
Topical forms include:
• Creams
• Lotions
• Gels
• PLO gels
• Ointments
• Solutions
• Inhalations
Benefits of Compounded Creams
• Delivered directly to the pain receptors
• Minimizes systemic absorption
• Targets numerous pain receptors at once
• Fewer adverse effects (such as renal and gastric effects from NSAIDs)
• Reduces drug-drug interactions
• Non-addictive formulations
• Good for patients with difficulty swallowing pills
Commonly Compounded Medications for Pain
• Lidocaine 1-10%
• Gabapentin 5-10%
• Amitriptyline 2-10%
• Imipramine 2-10%
• Cyclobenzaprine 2%
• Baclofen 2%
• Clonidine 0.2%
• Ketoprofen 10%
• Diclofenac 2-10%
• Nifedipine 2-16%
Minimizing the risk of abuse and addiction: The use of transdermal compounded pain medication as an alternative to oral pain medication can be a highly beneficial tool in the treatment of patients with risk of abuse and addiction to oral pain medication. Transdermal compounds can often help effectively manage pain without the need for potentially addictive narcotics or other oral treatment options. Highlighting this benefit, Christiansen and White present a case study of a patient’s treatment for musculoskeletal pain with a transdermal compound from the perspective of both the patient and compounding pharmacist [46]. The patient (Christiansen) suffered from chronic musculoskeletal pain as well as struggled with prescription drug addiction, leading him to turn to compounding pharmacist (White). A custom transdermal compounded medication was prepared for the patient containing 20% ketoprofen and 10% lidocaine in Lipoderm® applied every 2 to 8 hours, as needed. The patient reported a decrease in overall pain from a 10 to a 2 on a 1 to 10 relative pain scale upon using this treatment without triggering any of his drug addiction issues. Seven years later, the treatment began to be ineffective for the patient, so the compound was modified to also include 2% cyclobenzaprine, which helped to manage the patient’s increasing muscle cramping and relieve his pain, thus, providing him with an effective, long-term treatment option without contributing to the patient’s struggle with drug addiction.
