Compounding Pharmacy help (meg)

    • Gold Top Dog

    Compounding Pharmacy help (meg)

    I am going to strangle Dr.'s Foster and/or Smith. And then beat them with a wet noodle.

    Pirate is running low on his potassium bromide. There is not a compounding pharmacy in my COUNTY that makes it. Seriously, I've looked. So, after we moved two years ago, I've always ordered it from Dr.'s F&S. Not to mention it's $1/mL from the old pharmacy I used to get it from, and $.10/mL from Dr's F&S. SO, for the past TWO YEARS, I've ordered the same, 250mg/ml, 30ml bottle of his medicine. I went to order it this afternoon, fully prepared to pay for express shipping because I'm a dodo brain and let him get this low, AND THEY DON'T CARRY THE STRENGTH ANYMORE. They have 100mg/ml, 200mg/ml, or 500mg/ml. I can order something called 'K Bro Vet' in the right strength, for the same price, but it's got some type of flavoring and I can't figure out how to see the ingredients. I don't want to give him something packed full of sugar and weird ingredients.

    And other idoggers use a compounding pharmacy? I've looked at a few other 'pet pharmacy' type websites but the ones I found don't compound, so they don't carry potassium bromide.

    • Gold Top Dog

     That is really annoying. If you call them, do you think they'd leave out the flavoring? I know I wouldn't feed Emma anything flavored. She could take her nasty medicine and THEN have a treat.

    • Gold Top Dog
    I think the K Bro Vet is premade. I'll linky to their page for 'Epilepsy and Seizure' medications. What I've been ordering isn't premade, but it looks like the K Bro Vet comes in it's own bottle.

    [http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pet-meds/epilepsy-seizure-pet-medications-/ps/c/9547/11337]

    I mean, really, at least give us a head's up! The dogs who take KBr are probably on it for life, so to just have a strength NOT be available is way not cool. If worst came to worst, I would have liked to be able to transition him from one brand to another.

    • Gold Top Dog

     Ohhh, I see..... What a pain! Fortunately, when my vet RAN OUT of Emma's medicine, I was able to find a pharmacy in town that carried it. It was a royal PITA though. Warn me, at least?

    • Gold Top Dog

    I get azothioprine & cyclosporine compounded through BCP Pharmacy.  Initially, our vet called it in for Brutus, but now, I just call them when I need a refill.  They ship it to me, & I get it the next day.  (They arent' far from me, so it might take a little longer to get to you.)

    • Gold Top Dog

    Meg, I used Franck's pharmacy when I had a dog who took potassium bromide.  They shipped next day and we're pretty reasonable. 

    • Gold Top Dog
    Jackie, I googled Franck's and it's Ocala based! However, I found a link saying they've suspended their veterinary compounding services - it's dated March 2010 so I wonder if it's still a problem [http://www.ocala.com/article/20100517/articles/100519678]

    So I guess I'll call and ask my vet tomorrow about what to do. If I had to, there is a pharmacy about an hour from here that compounds, so I could go out there tomorrow to get us through.

    Thanks ladies!

    • Gold Top Dog

    Meg, I think it was Franck's that Dr. Bailey used -- but you and I just talked on the phone and I gave you Pharmacy Specialists name -- they are literally right around the corner from me -- that's the ones I've been getting the glandular thyroid stuff from (like Armour Thyroid but not Armour's brand cos I couldn't get it reliably).

    Dr. Terry Regan is the head pharmacist and he's good and was really happy to help with Billy's stuff.  He's interested in getting more veterinary business so hopefully it will work out for you.  And if he can let me pick it up for you (you'll have to tell him or whatever) I can meetcha halfway. I have to stop there tomorrow night to pick up Billy's stuff anyway as it happens.

    • Gold Top Dog

    sl2crmeg
    However, I found a link saying they've suspended their veterinary compounding services - it's dated March 2010 so I wonder if it's still a problem

    Franck's made a very serious error (fatal) in mixing a nutritional supplement for horses, so I bet they won't be in veterinary services for a while.  Sounds like it wasn't the first mistake they have made.

    The lawsuit they are facing over the horses is for $4 million. 

    http://www.ocala.com/article/20100517/articles/100519678?p=2&tc=pg 
    http://www.ocala.com/article/20100408/articles/100409718

    "The lab's practice of veterinary compounding — combining and altering bulk pharmaceutical ingredients to create a tailored medication — first drew warnings from the FDA in 2004.

    That scrutiny reached its apex last April, after the lab mixed a fatal nutritional supplement administered to 21 championship polo horses before a U.S. Open match in Palm Beach County.

    The company later acknowledged that it had added too much selenium to the mixture."

    • Gold Top Dog

    I remember that case!  That's seriously scary.  I don't even want to think about the possibility that they contributed to my dog's death.  I had been using another pharmacy but they got out of compounding and referred me to Francks.  I should have checked them out.

    • Gold Top Dog

    JackieG
    I remember that case!  That's seriously scary. 

    Yeh, very scary.  I have heard enough horror stories that I would almost never give multiple animals the same new (i.e. new prescription, new formula, new brand or new package) medication at the same time - even vitamins. 

    If one animal is OK with the med after 24-hours, then the rest can have it.  That at least eliminates the "immediately fatal to all" situtations like the nutritional supplement that killed the polo horses. 

    • Gold Top Dog
    Glad I brought you out of hiding, Janet_rose!! :) We ordered it from a local pharmacy now owned by Walgreens.
    • Gold Top Dog

    sl2crmeg
    Glad I brought you out of hiding, Janet_rose!! :)

    Not hiding, just swamped!  Been volunteering for the Red Cross for about 2 years now and they are keeping me very busy. 

     

    • Gold Top Dog

    I've used Franks, but that's not an option any more, I guess!

    We recently had some meds compounded at Lincourt - based in Pinellas. They were GREAT to deal with, and very reasonable.