Monday, August 29, 2016

Pharmacist of the Month: Sharon G. Hagan, RPh

The Lime in the Coconut Compounding Pharmacy is proud to announce that Sharon Hagan was chosen as the Pharmacist of the month in Professional Compounding Centers of America's (PCCA) August publication. We are honored that she was chosen for such a wonderful publication, and would like to share the article with you. 

You can learn a bit more about Sharon, as well as how The Lime in the Coconut was started, and why we love being the best compounding pharmacy at the Lake of the Ozarks!




A Path to Compounding
Sharon Hagan has been compounding for about 12 years, but she's been in pharmacy for longer. "When I was 18, I was employed as a pharmacy technician," she says. "I really loved my job - especially the interaction with the customers." And she still does. But while working as a technician, her pharmacist, Larry Kimble, encouraged her to apply to the University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Pharmacy. "I was a tech for 16 years when I finally applied and was accepted," she says.

Then, Sharon discovered PCCA. "I had only combined some simple creams and magic mouthwash when I discovered PCCA," she says. It was an important point for her. "W-O-W!" She exclaims. "What an eye-opening experience!"

Moving forward, Sharon opened The Lime in the Coconut in 2007 "in order to offer an alternative to traditional medications," she says. And from her current position, she can both reflect back on her years in pharmacy and look forward to possibilities to come.

"The profession of pharmacy has always intrigued me, more so now than ever before," she says. "I love compounding; it allows a pharmacist to truly make a change in the lives of patients."


Favorite Formulas
One of Sharon's favorite formulas is a new addition to her repertoire. "We have added dermatology to our compounding strengths." she says, "and one formula seems to stand out - PCCA Formula #11639 (Potassium Azelaoyl Diglycinate 15%/Niacinamide 5% Topical Cream (Clarifying TM)), for our patients with rosacea." She adds that "it is an excellent formula for inflammation, erythema, skin discoloration, as well as being an antioxidant and stimulator of microcirculation." And she likes the base, specifically: "The unique avocado extract in Clarifying Base nourishes skin and decreases oil formation. My patients love this formula!"

Share also like PCCA Formula #10357 - Enrofloxacin 2% /Ketoconazole 2%/Triamcinolene 0.5% Poloxamer Otic Gel. "Thank you, Chris Simmons!" she exclaims, referring to our Vice President of Creative Development and true veterinary compounding innovator. "This one is a home run!" she adds. "Veterinarians, as well as pet owners, benefit from a one-time application instead of holding a large dog down for ear drops twice a day."

The Success Is In the Stories
Sharon and her crew at The Lime in the Coconut have had success with PCCA Formula #3408 - Tetracaine HCI 0.025% Popsicle. "A local doctor called us for help with a young girl who had dehydrated to the point of needing to be hospitalized for IV therapy," Sharon recalls. "She had stopped eating and drinking because of her sore throat." Fortunately, though, the tetracaine popsicles helped, and the doctor was pleasantly surprised when the girl started eating and drinking again. "We have created a great relationship with this doctor because of this one formula that turned her on to us," Sharon Says. "She now writes for other formulas as well."

Sharon's also had good experiences with PCCA Formula #0710 - Dibucaine HCI 0.5%/Hydroxyquinoline Sulfate 0.1% Topical Stick. "We call this our 'Chigger Stick,'," she says. "A mother came in and had her son with her," Sharon says, recalling a specific case. "He had numerous bug bites that he had been scratching the heck out of." So they called the doctor and got a prescription for - believe it or not - "Chigger Stick." "The little boy immediately applied it to the bites and said, 'Mommy, it's a magic stick. No more itchy!"




Sharon remembers another case well. "A lady came in a pulled a Chigger Stick out of her purse from a compounding pharmacy in the state that she had recently  moved from, " she says. There was one little problem, though, but Sharon saw an opportunity. "It was outdated by approximately seven years," she says. "She said she carried it in her purse always, and disregarded the expiration date because it still worked for her," says Sharon. "Humored by this, I offered to replace it for her at no cost." Opportunity seized: "She became one of my patients requiring compounds for BHRT and pain management," Sharon says. "You never know where a little Chigger Stick will take you..."

Words For a New Compounder
As you may expect from her success stories, Sharon's combined experience in pharmacy and business has taught her the importance of developing and maintaining relationships. "On a regular basis (weekly, monthly, etc.), commit to taking a doctor out to dinner," Sharon offers as advice. "You will have their complete, undivided attention for approximately two hours; will build a lasting relationship with them; and will not have had the expense, hustle, and bustle of feeding the whole office during lunch hour."

Feel As Good On the Inside As You Look on the Outside!
If you're looking for a pharmacy at the Lake of the Ozarks, we would love for you to consider working with us. It's also one of our primary goals to maintain a strong relationship between Pharmacist, Patient, and Physician. We can create a prescription that is fitted to your exact needs, and customized for you - visit our website to learn more!

Feel As Good On The Inside As You Do On The Outside!


111 Crossings West, Suite 6
PO Box 2145
Lake Ozark, MO 65049

(573) 964-6786 


Hours:
Monday-Thursday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Monday, August 22, 2016

Can Compounding Help With Acne?

Acne is a skin problem that most often occurs in teenagers, but it is not uncommon for adults to be affected by it too. Medical compounding is an excellent way to tackle this problem. Another great way to get your skin back to normal is to understand acne better. The Lime in the Coconut has gathered a little information to help you recognize the reasons that acne may occur.


What is Acne?

The technical definition of acne is: "the occurrence of inflamed or infected sebaceous glands in the skin; in particular, a condition characterized by red pimples, especially on the face, neck, back, and chest." It is a skin condition that happens when hair follicles become clogged with oil and dead skin cells.   


Common Causes of Acne

The 4 main things that can attribute to acne in a person are:

  • Oil production
  • Dead skin cells
  • Bacteria in pores
  • Family history of acne 
The reason that this disease most often occurs in teenagers is because that during puberty, the oil glands under the skin grow and begin producing more oil than they previously did. It is not solely a teenage problem, though. Changes in hormone levels in a body contribute to acne too. For example, this can happen during a pregnancy or in times of great mental stress or anxiety. 

Compounding for Acne

Your physician will most likely prescribe a few topical ointments to combat the acne. In severe cases, the help of a dermatologist may be required, and occasionally the addition of oral medications are necessary. 

Our compounding pharmacy at the Lake of the Ozarks is able to combine multiple medications into a single dosage, making it much easier to get the medicine you need into your system. We can also adjust strengths of medications to treat your particular case of acne. Traditional medicines are created to treat a vast amount of people, and in some cases may be too strong or too weak for your particular situation. 

There are also many different ways that we can compound your medications to be delivered to you. Compounding for acne allows you to get the help you personally need through extremely effective, easy to use methods that are made to fit the needs of your body. 


Additional Ways to Battle Acne

In addition to the compounding, we offer to treat acne, following these tips can help your skin to heal:

  • Wash the affected skin twice daily with a gentle cleanser
  • Keep your hands away from your face as much as possible. 
  • Don't pop pimples. This can cause additional bacteria to invade your pores, making the acne worse and in some cases it will cause scarring to occur. 
  • Never go to sleep with makeup on.
  • Only use makeup that is oil-free and does not clog pores. 
  • Keep greasy lotions and hair products off of your skin. 
  • Let acne-prone skin breathe. Do not wear tight clothing, hats, headbands, etc... that can block the skin and hold bacteria in.


Let Us Help You Achieve the Clear Skin You Desire

The Lime in the Coconut in Lake Ozark would love to help you or your teenager get rid of acne. Give us a call today so that we can work together to find the best ways to make that happen. Compounding for acne is a wonderful way to get exactly what your skin needs in the most convenient way for you possible. 



Feel As Good On The Inside As You Do On The Outside!


111 Crossings West, Suite 6
PO Box 2145
Lake Ozark, MO 65049

(573) 964-6786 


Hours:
Monday-Thursday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Monday, August 15, 2016

The Advantages of Topical Pain Creams

Pain is the most common symptom for which individuals seek medical help. What's the first thing you do when you have a migraine or muscle pain? Do you reach for the Tylenol bottle? Instead, consider a topical pain cream from Lime in the Coconut. Your Lake of the Ozarks compounding pharmacy is here to explain the advantages of using topical pain creams over oral medications.

Advantages of Topical Pain Creams

1. Faster Relief 
Your skin is the largest organ in your body, and it has the ability to absorb anything that is applied to it. This is great for pain management, as a topical cream can be applied directly to the affected area for immediate relief. When pain medication is taken orally, it must pass through your digestive tract and be absorbed into your blood stream before the benefits can be felt at the site of the pain. When you're in pain, every minute seems to last longer.

2. Reduced Side Effects
By using a topical cream, the medication bypasses the digestive tract. As a result, many of the side effects that come from oral pain medication usage are avoided. Traditional pain management often causes a wide range of side effects because they are designed to fit as many situations as possible. Since topical pain medications are applied directly to the skin,  you minimize spreading active ingredients to other areas of the body, resulting in less risk for side effects. In addition, it's much safer to re-apply pain cream that it is to wait until you can take another dose of oral medication.

3. Localized Treatment 
When you use a topical pain cream, you have the flexibility to apply it directly on the area causing you discomfort, and only that area. You don't have to wait for your body to process the medication and wait for it to reach the pain site. The medicine also isn't impacting your entire body because you're not applying medicine on areas that don't need it.

4. Personalized Medication
Through compounding, we are able to combine several medications into one easy to use topical cream. These compounded formulas can be adapted to fit your personal needs. For example, a compounded formula can be tailored to both ease pain immediately and reduce inflammation.

Lime in the Coconut Can Help Ease Your Pain!

Acute pain can easily evolve into chronic pain and become difficult to treat. Have you learned to accept the side affects that come with your oral pain medications? Stop taking the commercially available medications that leave you feeling drowsy, dizzy, nauseous and more! Struggling through chronic pain problems like arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraine headaches, and nerve or muscle pain does not have to be a daily activity.

Our Lake of the Ozarks pharmacy can truly help by creating a topical pain cream just for you. We pull from a variety of different pain management formulas so we can create a solution that will work specifically for each individual patient's needs. For more information on our topical pain creams at the Lake of the Ozarks, visit our website or call us at 573-964-6786. You are unique. Shouldn't your medicine be too?

Feel As Good On The Inside As You Do On The Outside!


111 Crossings West, Suite 6
PO Box 2145
Lake Ozark, MO 65049

(573) 964-6786 


Hours:
Monday-Thursday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Compounding for Athletes - Get Back in the Game!

Pharmacy compounding is the art and science of preparing custom medications for individual patients.  This is an extremely beneficial way for athletes to get the relief that they need to recover from sports injuries. The Lime in the Coconut offers customized sports medicine compounding at the Lake of the Ozarks for a variety of different reasons, personalized to fit each individual patient's active lifestyle. 


Why Compounding?  

We fit the medication to the patient, not the other way around. Mainstream medicines are produced in bulk to treat the general public. Not every body will react exactly the same, which is the reason for side effects and allergic reactions to some medications. 

Compounding allows our us to customize your medicine to the specific needs of your body. We can even combine multiple medications into a single dose for convenience. This can be extremely helpful for busy, active people. 

Just as an athlete will have a customized training program to fit their goals and needs, compounding for athletes allows us to personalize a recovery program specifically for whatever is ailing you. It also allows us to adjust the doses as you begin to recover and medicinal needs change. Mass produced medications do not give you that luxury.     


Help For a Variety of Sports Injuries 

Whether you are an avid athlete or simply someone who likes to keep in shape through daily exercise, a lot of things can happen that will put you on the sidelines. The Lime in the Coconut Compounding Pharmacy and Wellness Center will work closely with doctors and trainers to guarantee that you are getting the help you need.   

A few of the things that our compounded medications can help with include: 
  • Muscle Aches, Pains, and Cramps 
  • Scars and Keloids (which is an area of irregular fibrous tissue formed at the site of a scar or injury) 
  • Wound Therapy 
  • Weight Loss 
  • Cramps 
  • Swimmer's Ear 
  • Fungal Problems 
  • Swelling 


Treatment Options 

The medications that you get from a regular pharmacy take time to work their way through your body. Our treatment options allow you to use medications that work when and where you need them most.  

Transdermal gels and topical creams can be applied directly to the affected area. Extended release capsules can be customized to work over a set period of time after taking. Other possible forms of compounding are: 
  • Troches (Lozenges) 
  • Nasal Sprays 
  • Suppositories 
  • Mouth Rinses 
  • Lollipops 
  • Transdermal Gels 
  • Topical Creams 
  • Extended Release Capsules 

Our compounding pharmacy in mid-Missouri gives athletes the help that they need to get back in the game, and we also want to make sure you remain in good health for the future. Visit www.LimeInTheCoconutRX.com to learn more. We would love the chance to help you with all of your pharmaceutical needs.   



Feel As Good On The Inside As You Do On The Outside!


111 Crossings West, Suite 6
PO Box 2145
Lake Ozark, MO 65049

(573) 964-6786 


Hours:
Monday-Thursday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Monday, August 1, 2016

7 Immune-Boosting Tips For The Coming School Year

August is officially here, which means that another school year is just around the corner. Every August, the start of the new school year brings new schedules, new friends, new knowledge, and (unfortunately), new germs. Households with teachers and school-age children often succumb to numerous colds, coughs, and other sicknesses soon after the school year begins. This year, your friends at our compounding pharmacy at the Lake of the Ozarks are here to help you ward off these nasty germs.


Boosting Your Immune System

As the old saying goes, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Strengthening your immune system ahead of time is your best line of defense against the germs that run rampant at the start of the school year. By taking steps to boost your immune system now, you may be less likely to fall victim to the illnesses that attack most households this time of year.

Tips To Strengthen Your Immune System

1. Go For The Garlic
Garlic contains powerful antibodies and immune boosting agents that can help strengthen your immune system. Fortunately, garlic is a delicious seasoning that can be used on or in practically any of your favorite foods, including pizza, pasta, sauces, and more. Fresh, raw garlic is the most effective, so try to avoid cooking it too much if you can.

2. Decrease Alcohol Intake
While the occasional beer or glass of wine probably won't hurt, you may be wise to avoid consuming large quantities of alcohol. In addition to being hard on the liver, consuming alcohol can impair the immune system and make you more susceptible to infections.

3. Get Plenty Of Sleep
Somewhere along the line, our culture became one that idolizes individuals who work so hard (both in their professional and personal lives) that they have little time leftover for sleep. However, the truth is that lack of sleep wears on our bodies more than we often realize (or care to admit). Getting plenty of sleep is one of the best ways to boost your immune system.

4. Avoid Excess Stress
Stress affects more than our mental states - it also wears on our adrenal systems and can begin to take a toll on our physical states as well. Studies show that highly stressed individuals are more likely to succumb to colds and other illnesses. 

5. Eat "Real" Foods
What are the primary foods you eat? Most health experts agree that eating "real" foods (that is, foods that come directly from nature) are the best when it comes to building and strengthening your immune system. Nuts, fruit, seeds, and vegetables are incredibly powerful immune-boosting agents.

6. Up Your Vitamin D Intake
Vitamin D plays a big role in the strengthening of your immune system. During the summer, spending some time outdoors in the sunshine (without sunscreen) triggers the body's natural production of Vitamin D. However, most people don't spend enough time in the sun to get the needed effect. We offer Vitamin D supplements to help fill in the gaps.

7. Wash Your Hands Frequently
If you actually stopped to think about all of the germs and bacteria your hands come into contact with on a daily basis, you might be horrified. The truth is that we touch thousands of these microscopic organisms every hour. Washing your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water is the best way to get rid of these germs before they get transferred to your body's more vulnerable locations, such as your eyes, nose, and mouth.

Remember The Lime In The Coconut For All Your Health-Related Needs

As the next school year gets underway, it's important to have a health ally that you can trust. Our Lake of the Ozarks pharmacy will be here to help in any way we can, from offering immune-boosting supplements to helping you combat any illnesses or infections that you might happen to pick up when the school year begins. For more information about our medicinal services at the Lake of the Ozarks, stop by and see us or give us a call at 573-964-6786. We look forward to assisting you!


Feel As Good On The Inside As You Do On The Outside!


111 Crossings West, Suite 6
PO Box 2145
Lake Ozark, MO 65049

(573) 964-6786 


Hours:
Monday-Thursday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM