Traditional dose forms – e.g., capsules – are still widely used in pain management. But the introduction of transdermal gels has shown several advantages. With direct application to the pain site, a patient bypasses the oral route. This means less “stomach problems” and a greater concentration of the pain relieving medicine at the pain site.  Too, many times the side effects one would expect from an oral pain medicine – i.e., drowsiness – is either minimized or avoided altogether.  For Alvarado Pharmacy's transdermal compounds, AMPP uses a transdermal base called Lipoderm®.

This base is superior to the “PLO” that many compounding pharmacies use.  It is cosmetically elegant, non-sticky, and hypoallergenic. Here are a few pain management compound examples.

Ketoprofen Transdermal Gel. Though technically a gel, our compound looks and feels like a cream! Usually prescribed in 10% or 20% strengths, it can relieve the pain of many “itis-type” pain disorders. Other chemicals may be added to affect greater pain relief – i.e., an anesthetic or muscle relaxant – all in one compound.

Diclofenac Transdermal Gel. This compound is favored by Europeans for its pain relieving effectiveness. Like Ketoprofen, it is very useful for managing the pain of inflammatory disorders like osteoarthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, etc. The usual strengths compounded at our pharmacy are 3% and 10%. However, most any strength may be prescribed by a licensed health professional. Neurocreme ^{(pat pend)} This compound is an original creation at AMPP. It is so effective for a wide variety of neuropathic pain disorders that a patent has been applied for. We expect patent approval this year (2008). For more information, please go to the Neurocreme section within this website.

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