How it works
Three steps, and only one of them is yours
Three people are involved: your doctor, our lab, and you. Most of the work happens before you hear from anyone.
Your doctor
Your doctor sends us the prescription
They send the prescription straight to us, listing the ingredients, the strengths and the form they want. There’s nothing for you to fill in.
Our lab
We make it here
A pharmacist checks the recipe, mixes it fresh for you, and confirms the price with you before anything leaves the building.
Your door
It ships, or you pick it up
Two-day shipping anywhere we’re licensed, or pick up at our Chevy Chase counter. Tell us when you’ll run out and we’ll have the next one ready.
Step one, in detail
What your doctor sends us
A compounded prescription is more than a drug name. It says which ingredients to use and how strong each one should be, what to mix them into, how much to make, and how you should use it. Some doctors write the whole recipe themselves; many start from our list of formulas and adjust it.
They can reach us three ways: send it electronically, fax it, or call it in. Whichever they choose, it goes straight to a pharmacist, not into a queue.
Step two, in detail
What we check before we make it
Before we weigh anything, a pharmacist looks for problems your doctor can’t always spot from the exam room: whether the ingredients can safely be mixed together, whether they’ll stay stable in what they’re mixed into, whether any strength is higher or lower than the research supports, and whether the mix clashes with anything else you’re taking.
If something needs changing, we call your doctor, not you, and agree on a fix. Then we make it fresh, label it with the last date it’s safe to use, and check it once more before it goes out.
Timing
How long it takes
Most of the wait is shipping, not us.
- From when we get the prescription to when it’s madeUsually one business day
- From made to shippedSame day, if the carrier allows
- ShippingTwo days, anywhere we’re licensed
- Picking it up in personThe same day we make it
- Refills of something we’ve made beforeSame timeline, no re-approval needed
A few take longer to make. We’ll tell you if yours is one of them when we give you the price.
Ready when your doctor is
Send us a prescription you already have, or tell us who your doctor is and we’ll get in touch with them.