Pain Management with Innovative Rx

Pain can be, well, a pain! Whether you’re experiencing chronic pain or acute pain due to injury, it can be overwhelming to plan your pain management without support. One of the benefits of being a compounding pharmacy is that we offer exceptional, personalized care to all of our customers. Did you know that we offer pain management counseling and consults? Keep reading to learn more about how we can support you in achieving reduced or even eliminated pain.

Have a consult

Whether you’re currently on treatment for pain or are just starting a new treatment plan, we recommend that each patient take an opportunity to receive pain management counseling. Why do we recommend this? Our pharmacists have extensive experience in pain management counseling and we can share important details about things like application methods for pain cream, and other ways to make the most of your treatment for the best outcome in your pain reduction. 

Stick to your treatment plan

Using the methods and tools provided to you by your doctor and pharmacist, sticking to your plan should become easier due to the simple fact that you should be experiencing relief. When you have a plan that works, it is easier to stay motivated to stick with it, and at Innovative Rx, we love to help with that!

Be part of a team

At our compounding pharmacy, we pride ourselves on having exceptional relationships with providers in addition to our patients. This allows us to work in a complimentary manner alongside you and your provider to make sure your pain management is as perfectly tailored to your needs as possible. If an adjustment is needed, we can continue to provide counseling, customized dosages and applications, and collaboration with your provider to make sure you get the pain relief you deserve. 

At Innovative Rx, we’re here to support you. If something isn’t working, let us know before heading to Google for remedies. It’s common practice for us to help communicate to your doctor as an advocate for your pain management solutions. If additional counseling is needed, we’re happy to provide that as well. We’re pleased to work with you on solutions to pain and discomfort so that you can enjoy life without pain. Ready for assistance? Schedule your consult today!

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Compounding Pharmacies vs Retail? Your FAQ’s Answered

Have you ever wondered, why use a compounding pharmacy? Here at Innovative Rx, we frequently field a lot of questions about the differences between our compounding pharmacy versus other retail pharmacies big and small. While we’re always happy to answer specific questions, we’ve compiled some “at a glance” information that covers some of the most notable differences between our compounding pharmacy here in Kearny, NE, and other retail pharmacies you may have used in the past. 

Personalized education & care

At Innovative Rx, the nature of our services require that we truly get to know our customers. We take time to ensure that each customer receives adequate information, education, and counseling about their medications and anything related to their treatment. 

This is especially true for our compounding customers as we collaborate to create something that works specifically for your needs, whatever that may be. Although you may have experienced more of a “grab and go” environment in bigger retail pharmacies, here, we make sure you have everything you need for successful treatment. 

Customized dosages

One standout difference between our compounding pharmacy and a retail pharmacy is that we are able to create custom dosages for your medications that are customized to your needs. It is important to note that compounding of any kind can only be done for prescriptions. We are not able to compound over the counter medications that aren’t prescribed. 

Alternative delivery options

Our ability to offer medication in a variety of ways allows flexibility for children, pets, and adults alike. Having difficulty with pills? Turn your medication into a lollipop or liquid. Can’t get your pet to take their medicine? Put it into a treat or paw paste that makes administering necessary medication easier for everyone involved. Kiddo not feeling well? Medicated popsicles might just do the trick!

Diet & Allergy options

If you have specific dietary needs or allergies, our compounding pharmacy can create your prescriptions without allergens or restricted food ingredients. This makes it convenient for customers who may be diabetic, have Celiac’s disease, or other conditions and allergies that rule out standard ingredients. 

Retail pharmacies

Retail pharmacies must fill prescriptions with the medication provided to them by the manufacturer. They are not able to alter ingredients, dosages, or delivery methods. As a result, there is generally less time spent on consulting or client education. Options may be limited for individuals who need to avoid specific ingredients. All pharmacies serve a purpose in our industry and a retail pharmacy is a great option for patented medications that can’t be altered. 

At Innovative Rx, we’re so proud of our standard of care and excited by the opportunity to provide customized care for all your compounding pharmaceutical needs as well as consultation and support with supplements! Feel free to contact us with any questions and we look forward to serving you soon.

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Cold and Flu Season is Just Around the Corner

As we move into Fall, many things come to mind. You may be looking forward to fall flavors, decorations, holidays, and gatherings. Unfortunately, with the best parts of the season change, come some less pleasant events like the start of cold and flu season. While the cold and flu may be mild for some, it can be serious for others and individual prevention is part of community care. Keep reading as we discuss what makes a cold and flu season and how to be proactive in protecting yourself from it.

What is cold and flu season?

Although cold and flu viruses exist and can be spread at any time of year, this activity always increases in the fall and winter seasons. This can be for a number of reasons. One of the biggest reasons is that cooler temperatures tend to bring people indoors where they are likely to interact more closely with one another, making the spread of germs easier. Another reason is that cooler temperatures may have an effect on our immune system, lowering our defenses when we are exposed to cold and flu viruses. Cold and flu season starts in the fall and tends to peak between December and February, making now the perfect time to start protecting your immune system. 

How can I prepare?

Luckily, there are several steps you can take to support your immune system and reduce your chances of catching a cold or flu. We at Innovative Rx Compounding Pharmacy in Kearney, NE often advise our patients to increase their immune-boosting supplements. 

A few of our favorites are:

  • Immune Daily Support – boosts functional deficiencies of nutrients essential for immune function
  • OrthoMune – a powerful combination of antioxidants, zinc, vitamin C, and vitamin D for immune support
  • D-HIST – immune and respiratory support that also supports healthy nasal and sinus function

To order these supplements, please visit our website or contact us to pick them up at the pharmacy. 

Other ways to support a strong immune system are:

  • Prioritize adequate rest
  • Seek nutritional balance
  • Stay hydrated
  • Gentle movement 

Things to note

An underrated risk factor for lowered immune function is allergies. Here in Kearney, NE we are no strangers to the impacts of allergies, especially during fall harvesting times. With farmers plowing and harvesting from sunrise to sunset, there is an extreme uptick of dirt and dust particles that inevitably trigger allergy responses in many of us. 

While this may be less worrisome than a cold or flu in terms of risk, it is important to remember that allergies are an immune response and that your body needs support, rest, and care during allergy flares to ensure your immune system stays strong and ready to fight off anything else you might encounter while you’re under the weather. 

Ultimately, it’s always best to keep an eye on things, care for yourself as best as possible, and always consult with your primary care provider and your pharmacy experts in regard to treatment when you’re not feeling your best. Cheers to a healthy, happy harvest season!

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Upcoming Changes in Hazardous Drug Standards for Pharmacies

The pharmaceutical industry is an ever-evolving one due to a variety of factors. As such, several new changes are on the horizon as it pertains to the handling of hazardous drugs and compounded medications. At Innovative RX in Kearny, NE we pride ourselves on setting the bar well above industry standard. Safety and quality are of the utmost importance to us and we are happy to announce that although these guidelines will now be an industry-wide requirement, we have been implementing them since we opened our doors in 2019. 

What are the changes for pharmacies?

We’d like to share these upcoming guideline changes with you as an effort to keep a transparent line of communication open between us and you, our valued clients. 

  1. Compounding hazardous medications or hormones must be done in a negative pressure room so as to keep all circulating hazardous particles within such space. 
  2. The hazardous compounding room must be physically separated, in another room, from other preparation areas.
  3. All surfaces within the room including the ceiling must be smooth, wipeable, and made of non-shedding materials. 
  4. Individuals compounding the medications must wear different personal protective equipment to avoid exposure or contamination. This includes gowns, hair covers, shoe covers, and specific gloves. 
  5. Specific cleaning products must be used in order to successfully deactivate and remove all hazardous particles on surfaces in between compounding different products.
  6. The compounding, handling, or packaging of these commonly known medications fall within the new best practice parameters:
  7. All hormones (testosterone, estrogen, progesterone)
  8. Tretinoin
  9. Spironolactone
  10. Finasteride
  11. Fluconazole
  12. Minoxidil
  13. Methimazole
  14. Clonazepam
  15. Zonisamide

For compounding medications that are not considered hazardous, there are still expectations that must be met in order to provide best practices, and Innovative RX meets or exceeds all such standards.

  1. The designated space for compounding must be appropriate for such activity
    • No carpet
    • Wipeable surfaces with the appropriate cleaners
    • Temperature monitoring of all places where medications are stored. 
    • Appropriate water is used when needed for compounding (don’t just go to the sink and get some tap water!)
    • Appropriate cleaning and maintenance of all compounding equipment

As a result of these changes, many pharmacies will have to significantly alter their current operations or even remodel their pharmacies to meet the new standards. As for Innovative Rx, we are exceedingly proud to say that it will be business as usual, meeting the compounding, pharmaceutical, and supplement needs of our community. 

What do these changes mean to me?

In layman’s terms, the changes being implemented are to eliminate any risk that trace amounts of hazardous drugs could end up in other, non-hazardous products and medications. These additional steps are steps that have always been prioritized at Innovative Rx thanks to our commitment to quality, safety, and care. Additionally, these standards also ensure the safest environment for pharmaceutical staff in compounding pharmacies. 

If you have any questions about the upcoming changes or are looking for a provider for your compounded medication needs, please contact us and schedule a consultation. We look forward to working with you!

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Back to School Brain: 3 Supplements That May Improve Focus

As summer zooms to an end, and school and work routines begin, there’s often lots of talk about how hard it can be to get back in the swing of things. If you’re a person with ADHD or have a child with ADHD, you know that changing routines or settling into new ones can be especially difficult. Children with ADHD have lower levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. These low levels contribute to difficulties with focusing, memory, time management, moods, and more. The good news? Today we’ll discuss three supplements that we offer here at Innovative Rx, our compounding pharmacy in Kearney, NE, that may support improvements in focus and attention, making day-to-day tasks easier and less frustrating. 

 

Fish Oil + Omegas

Fish oil is well known for its omega content and its variety of positive impacts on health. But did you know it’s also great for reducing brain fog and improving focus? Omega 3s affect nearly every aspect of neurotransmission in the brain. Therefore, low levels of omega 3 can cause noticeable difficulty. When introducing the appropriate amount and type of omegas into your child’s supplementation routine, you may notice reduced inattention, improved sleep, and increased memory and learning capacity. 

 

Magnesium Threonate

There are several forms of magnesium available, so it is important to ensure you get the right type of magnesium for your child to see benefits related to ADHD. Magnesium is an important component in the processes that create dopamine and serotonin in the brain. Therefore, the consequences of low magnesium levels can lead to exacerbated ADHD symptoms. Magnesium Threonate has been shown to improve mood and cognition while reducing anxiety. Another benefit to this mineral is that it works quickly without needing time to build up in the body as other supplements and medications do, offering fast relief to your child. 

 

GABA

GABA, short for Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, is a neurotransmitter responsible for blocking impulses between nerve cells in the brain. It helps to slow the brain down and reduce the amount of nervous system-related messages that can be sent at a time. Understandably so, it is known for producing a calming effect when present in adequate amounts. Too little of this neurotransmitter can present symptoms of anxiety, mood shifts, and even seizures. On the other hand, supplementing your child with GABA can offer an improvement in mood, a reduced “buzzing” feeling in the brain, an improvement in your sleep, and a reduction in stress and anxiety. 

It is important to remember that these supplements are not a cure for ADHD but they are an excellent way to support the improvement of symptoms in the absence of prescription medication, or as a support to get your child back on track with medication. As there are shortages of several ADHD medications at present, these supplements are also great alternatives if your child is affected and has to go without medicinal support entirely. As with all supplementation, it is best to consult with your child’s provider and pharmacist to ensure there are no contraindications to any medications that they may currently be taking. Dosages may vary from person to person for optimal results. Click here to schedule a consult to determine if any of these supplements are right for your child. We look forward to helping you find solutions that improve the comfort, health, happiness, and quality of life of your family.

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Tackle Stress With These Three Tips

In today’s world avoiding stress is virtually impossible. From news headlines to the daily effects of our schedules and personal life events, we’re feeling the effects on both a societal and individual level more than ever. Regardless of the type of stressor, our body reacts the same way by engaging the fight or flight response, elevating cortisol levels, and ultimately leading to an exhausted system in those who continue to live a high-stress lifestyle. Luckily, there are ways to bolster our body’s natural defenses against stress AND help our body recover when stress has worn it too far down. Today we’ll discuss a few ways that we can work together to help you identify the effects of stress in your life and share small, actionable steps that can make a big difference over time. 

 

Improve Sleep

Stress and lack of sleep can create a vicious cycle of repeating events that make it difficult to remember which issue came first. Lack of sleep can make us more prone to the effects of stress which can make quality sleep difficult. There are a variety of ways to practice what is known as “sleep hygiene.” Sleep hygiene is usually just a series of steps that are taken every night in a routine order to signal to the body that it’s time to wind down and support your comfort and relaxation to prime you for sleep. 

Sometimes though, even the best sleep hygiene cannot overcome the root cause of your sleep issues. When this happens, a consultation with us at Innovative RX is a great opportunity to explore professional-grade supplements and other solutions to address symptoms that may be preventing sleep. 

 

Nourish Gut

Another “which came first” topic in regard to stress is gut health. Poor gut health can lead to a host of new concerns and make it difficult for the body to maintain a healthy response to stress. Additionally, stress can wreak havoc on our gut health reducing resiliency and making life’s day-to-day stressors feel especially overwhelming. 

Approaching gut health does not need to be trial and error. Along with mindful eating, testing, and supplements are available through us at Innovative RX to help determine gut imbalances and get on a corrective path that results in both symptom reduction and overall wellness. 

 

Combat Burnout

Fighting burnout can feel like an uphill battle, and coming back from full adrenal burnout can be a lengthy and frustrating battle. While everyone may require their own specific methods of working against burnout, anyone seeking to keep burnout at bay will benefit from prioritizing rest and balancing the body. Make gut health and sleep a priority in order to be better equipped against burnout and have the bandwidth to take additional measures against it.

Additional measures might look like:

  • Evaluating your priority list and shifting as needed
  • Making intentional space for rest and play
  • Picking up a mindfulness practice (even 5 minutes a day)
  • Incorporating useful adaptogens such as ashwagandha, rhodiola, and eleuthero, among others

Implementing these practices will help keep your cortisol fluctuating naturally and your stress response system in a healthy state. 

At Innovative RX Compounding Pharmacy in Kearney, NE, we can work with you to find safe and effective solutions to improve your life based on your individual needs. Whether it’s offering support alongside your primary care team, through consultations here at our location, creating personalized compounds, or through labs and supplementation, we work hard to create solutions that work for the individual.

To book a consultation or speak with someone, please contact us. We look forward to working together toward your optimal wellness. 

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Newsletter Issue no. 01

Welcome

Innovative Rx was simply a dream during Rachel’s time as an undergrad. At the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy, Rachel worked in a compounding pharmacy where her interest peaked in customized medicine. After school, Rachel spent years as a clinical pharmacist, where she garnered experience and knowledge to help put her plan into motion. Kearney, Nebraska, had a unique need for personalized medication, and Rachel recognized the community’s need for healthcare options. As a result, Rachel opened the doors of Innovative Rx Compounding Pharmacy in September 2019. Since then, her team has grown to eight employees, and she’s been locally and nationally recognized, most recently as Nebraska Small Business Person of the Year.

The Lab | Technician Feature
-Hilary Vaughn

Have you ever wondered how we compound your prescription or what goes in the lab while making your prescriptions? As one of the technicians at Innovative Rx, a considerable part of my role is working in the lab and manipulating raw chemicals into a safe form for patient use under the direction of the pharmacist.

All the technicians at Innovative Rx are well-versed in compounding capsules, creams/ointments, suspension, suppositories, and more. When we receive a prescription, the first step is making a formula. Then, like a recipe, the pharmacist builds a formula confirming all calculations before making the prescription. Once in the lab, we combine all the active ingredients, stabilizers, and bases needed to make the prescription and then accurately weigh the necessary chemicals. After preparing the drug, the pharmacist will make a final check on the accuracy and quality of the product and then it’s packaged and ready for you!

My favorite compounds to make in the lab are anything that is flavored like troches, suspensions, and lollipops. I love creating new flavor combinations that work to hide the taste of the specific drug.

Hilary Vaughn

Professional Grade Supplements

We carry all-natural professional grade supplements in house at Innovative Rx. If you aren’t sure what you need or what might work best for you, schedule a consult and we can help you find what fits your needs!

We offer 10% off all our supplements on the first Monday of each month!

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