Compounding Pharmacy Services

What Is Pharmacy Compounding?

Think of pharmacy compounding as the culinary arts meets cutting-edge science — except instead of crafting the perfect dish, we're creating a medication tailored explicitly for you. Just like no two patients are exactly alike, sometimes your medication shouldn't be either. When a standard commercial product doesn't fit — whether it's a flavour a child can't tolerate, an ingredient you're sensitive to, or a format that's hard to take — compounding steps in.

Our compounding pharmacists work like medical mixologists, combining individual pharmaceutical ingredients in precise measurements to create medications that match your prescription and unique needs. Working closely with you and your healthcare provider, we transform raw pharmaceutical ingredients into customized solutions tailored to your lifestyle, preferences, and medical needs. It's healthcare that's truly made to measure.

Compounding also plays an important role during medication shortages. When a necessary medication becomes temporarily unavailable or is discontinued in Canada, our pharmacists can often recreate it so patients don't face gaps in their care.

Who Benefits From Compounded Medications?

Compounding isn't just for rare or unusual cases — it's for anyone who needs a medication that doesn't come in a one-size-fits-all box. Here are just a few examples of who we help every day:

• Children: Bubblegum flavour? Check. Gummy form? Absolutely. We turn "yuck" into "yum" by customizing medications in kid-friendly forms and flavours that make taking medicine a little easier — and a lot less dramatic.
• Seniors: Swallowing big pills or juggling multiple medications is not ideal. We simplify complex regimens with easier-to-take formats, helping improve safety, comfort, and adherence.
• People with chronic pain: When pain is in one spot, why treat the whole body? Topical creams and gels can deliver targeted relief right where it's needed.
• Pets: Cats hate pills. Dogs spit them out. We prepare medications in flavours they'll tolerate — hello, chicken and tuna — tailored to your pet's size and species.
• People with unique health needs: Allergies to fillers, dyes, gluten, lactose, or preservatives — sometimes standard just doesn't cut it. We customize medications to match your body's unique blueprint.

Dosage Forms Our Compounding Lab Can Prepare

Compounding is all about options, and Dispensaries Ltd offers a wide range. Depending on your prescription and preferences, our compounding pharmacists and technicians can prepare medications as:

• Creams & gels — ideal for targeting pain or skin conditions directly at their source
• Capsules — custom, filler-free options for smoother swallowing and improved tolerance
• Suspensions — great for kids or anyone who prefers liquid over pills
• Gummies, lollipops & chocolates — yes, medicine can be this fun (and tasty)
• Suppositories — for patients who can't take oral medications
• Eye drops & nasal sprays — direct, fast-acting relief where it's needed most

Our compounded capsules are routinely made with vegetable-based, completely lactose-free capsules. We've replaced traditional fillers with gentle, natural rice flour, and we use natural colouring agents like yellow cumin, orange paprika, and green chlorophyll — a better fit for patients with sensitivities or dietary restrictions. These choices reflect our commitment to clean, safe, patient-centred compounding, not as a special feature, but as our everyday standard.

Our Compounding Services

• Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
• Dermatology
• Pain Management
• Pediatric Compounding
• Low-Dose Naltrexone
• Erectile Dysfunction

Where to Find Us

• First Edmonton Place — Edmonton
• Liberton — St. Albert
• Sioux Road — Sherwood Park
• West Block — Edmonton
• Fir Street — Sherwood Park
• Cedars — Edmonton
• Spruce Grove — Spruce Grove

A Trusted Alberta Pharmacy Since 1934

Dispensaries Ltd has been caring for Alberta families for over 90 years. What began in 1934 as a single Edmonton dispensary has grown into a network of seven neighbourhood pharmacies across Edmonton, Sherwood Park, St. Albert, and Spruce Grove — each one staffed by pharmacists licensed by the Alberta College of Pharmacy. Through generations of change in healthcare, our approach has stayed the same: take the time to know each patient, and make medicine fit the person rather than the other way around.

That philosophy is why we invest in specialized compounding labs, professional-grade supplement lines, and pharmacist-reviewed patient education through our Health Hub. Whether you visit us in person or order from across Canada, you're working with a pharmacy team that treats your questions as seriously as your prescriptions.

Pharmacist-Reviewed Health Education

Beyond filling prescriptions, Dispensaries Ltd publishes the Health Hub — a library of pharmacist-reviewed articles on topics our patients actually ask about: managing stress with science-backed supplements, understanding GLP-1 medications and the eating habits that support them, conquering acid reflux naturally, choosing skincare serums that really work, and finding your caffeine sweet spot for cognitive health. Every article is written to inform, not to sell, and reviewed for accuracy by our pharmacy team.

Explore the Health Hub Blog for guides across women's health, men's health, gut health and digestion, sleep and mental health, nutrition, skin and allergies, and chronic condition management.