Consider Getting Compounded Medications From Florida Wellness Pharmacy

By Celeste McLaughlin

Since opening in the past few months in the Shoppes of Wesley Chapel across Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Florida Wellness Pharmacy and its affiliated pediatric pharmacy, All Children’s Pharmacy, have established themselves as the premier go-to pharmacies for compounding specialty medications, especially for children.

“We focus on compounding medications for both adults and children, with an emphasis on specialty pediatric compounding, especially for children with autism,” says Sohal Shah, R.Ph. (Registered Pharmacist), who is the director of both pharmacies. Shah has been specially trained in compounding and has been certified by the Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs. Shah earned his Bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences in Boston, and his R.Ph. in 1998. He became pharmacy director at Florida Wellness Pharmacy when it opened in May of 2014.

Shah explains that All Children’s  is Florida’s only pediatric specialty pharmacy. He and his staff (which includes his wife, Sujata Shah, who earned her B.S. in Pharmacy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences in Boston in 1994, and her Doctor of Pharmacy {Pharm.D.} degree from Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA, in 2004) and Certified Pharmacy Technicians Ashley Clark and Amanda Gill), create custom medications for children with autism and other conditions that are only made at a handful of pharmacies across the country.

“We are proud to be one of the few — and the first in Florida — to focus on creating medications for these pediatric conditions,” Shah says, adding that many of these specialty medications are shipped overnight to patients in 15 U.S. states.

“We create our own formulations,” says Shah. “There are medications we make here that simply can’t be made anywhere else.”

For example, Shah explains that his head lice formula was custom-made with ingredients he chose, personally. And, he says, once prescribed by a physician, each compounded medication is custom made to meet the needs of the individual patient.

The pharmacies are members of the Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA), which Shah says gives Florida Wellness & All Children’s pharmacies access to specialty formulations and expertise available only to PCCA members.

“We make medications easy for children to take, especially children with autism,” Shah says. “We provide medication in specialty flavors and even lollipops. If a child can’t take oral medications, we can provide many of them in a transdermal (cream) or suppository form. Each medication is completely customized, based upon the needs of each individual child.”

He says even common medications can be improved with compounding. For example, he says, “We know that ibuprofen can be hard on the stomach, so we compound an ibuprofen cream. This way, the medication can be delivered in a way that bypasses the stomach.”

He adds that part of his goal with these pharmacies is to educate doctors away from traditional oral medications to treat more locally, such as with transdermal creams that are applied directly on the skin in an area where the body is experiencing pain.

Shah says his own family has had success with at least one of his formulations, a lice treatment he created when over-the-counter (OTC) treatments didn’t work for his kids. He came up with a compound that is stronger than OTC, but still safe, and added tea tree oil to paralyze nits (lice eggs). The lice were gone after just one treatment.

Shah says that in the long run, a compounded prescription medication might actually cost less than trying various OTC treatments for childhood problems, such as lice, and even warts. He says he often compounds prescription wart creams for kids.

“Parents don’t realize how much money they spend purchasing over-the- counter (OTC) medications that don’t work. Rather than trying several different (OTC) medications, they would save money by using a compounded prescription treatment instead.”

Shah says most insurance plans cover compounded medications. According to PCCA’s website, customers may have to pay up front for the compounded meds, at first, but some insurance companies will reimburse the total cost. If interested in trying compounded medications, be sure to check with your instance provider first. And, for anyone who may need help paying for their medications, Florida Wellness Pharmacy will help you get connected with a nonprofit program that can help those with or without insurance to make their medications more affordable. In addition, they offer payment plans for co-pays on compounded meds.

“Every compound we create goes through four separate checks to ensure they are accurate,” he says. “We use all FDA-approved ingredients. We are also going through the accreditation process by the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB), a voluntary accreditation process that less than five percent of all pharmacies achieve.” He says the pharmacy is too new to have achieved that status yet, but is on track to do so sometime this year.

Among the specialty compounds made at Florida Wellness Pharmacy, Shah says he is especially proud of meds to relieve for gastroesophageal reflux disease, other gastrointestinal conditions and rheumatoid arthritis. He shares that they he also has created an amazing formula to reduce the physical appearance of scars on body. For all of these medications, the pharmacy has case studies available to share with customers who would like to know more about them.

One Family’s Story

Hiedi Perez is a local mom who was introduced to Florida Wellness Pharmacy by two different doctors. First, her young son had warts on his arm and knee. She remembered when her older son had warts that were treated with injections and rubs, and she did not want her younger son to have to have these painful treatments. Perez’s pediatrician presented her with the option of a compounded cream made at Florida Wellness Pharmacy.

“They offered to send the cream to me so I didn’t have to miss work picking it up,” she says. “It was delivered the next day.” She adds that her insurance company covered the medication, but she was pleasantly surprised when she was told the pharmacy had a payment plan if it wasn’t covered.

Several weeks later, Hiedi’s daughter got head lice, which was not successfully treated with OTC remedies. She called her dermatologist, who suggested she try the compounded formulation made by Florida Wellness Pharmacy.

“I thought, ‘I know this place,’” Hiedi says, and she decided to pick up the prescription in person. She found the pharmacy to be clean and kid-friendly, which she appreciated. “I met Mr. Shah, who explained everything and answered my questions. He was very helpful and thorough.”

So, Why Not A Retail Chain?

Shah says that Florida Wellness Pharmacy is comparable to other retail pharmacies, but there are perks to choosing it over a typical retail chain.

“We take care of our patients, and that patient connection is very important to me,” Shah says. “I’m not trying to sell you underwear or clothes, like at retail (pharmacies). My goal is to ensure that over the long haul, you live a healthier and longer life.”

Florida Wellness Pharmacy offers five different antibiotics for free and more than 400 generic medications for just $2.99 (for a 30-day supply). If the medicine you need has a generic form, chances are it costs just $2.99 at Florida Wellness Pharmacy. And, all medications are shipped for free, so you don’t have to leave your home to get your medications. The pharmacy also offers a large selection of its own brand of vitamins, offering higher potency formulas than those generally available.

“We offer great retail prices, but more than that, we offer hands-on, personalized care,” says Shah, adding that he enjoys coming out to the front of the store and sitting on the couches with his patients, talking through their medications and answering all of their questions. “Because we ship medications for free, sometimes I don’t get to meet my patients,” he says. “I definitely prefer when they come in so that I can talk with them and build a relationship.”

“We want to be sure that patients get the care and quality they deserve, and then we want to throw in some fun stuff for kids, too.” He invites parents to bring in the coupon on page 28 for a free bottle of “Stay Away Monster Spray,” made with lavender oil, to help your little one fall asleep. The spray consists only of water and lavender oil, which provides a non-narcotic, but still calming effect.

Florida Wellness Pharmacy and All Children’s Pharmacy are located at 2653 BBD Blvd., Suite 115, in the Shoppes of Wesley Chapel (next to the Hungry Greek restaurant). The pharmacy is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, call 991-9500 or visit FloridaWellness Pharmacy.com.