Hello again from the Compound Lab!
I’ll be continuing the discussion on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), so if you missed the previous weeks’ posts, I’d encourage you to read those first.
To round out our conversation on HRT dosage forms, I wanted to mention two of our less common options: vaginal suppositories and topical liquids.
Vaginal suppositories work very similarly to vaginal creams, in the sense that they provide more localized HRT treatment (like treating vaginal dryness). Some patients prefer to use suppositories because they are perceived as less “messy” than creams. Suppositories are also easier to track dosing on—you can count exactly how many suppositories are left, rather than guess with a cream. Unfortunately, because suppositories are designed to melt at body temperature, they can also melt outside of the body if they get too hot. There’s been more than one person who’s forgotten their suppositories in their car during summer and discovered them melted into a lumpy mess. Still, with proper temperature precautions, vaginal suppositories can be a fantastic choice for the right people.
The other less common option we see is topical HRT liquid. I suspect that this is an older way of doing HRT, because while simple to make, it’s generally messier than our other HRT options. Dosing with HRT liquid involves drawing up the medicine in a syringe, squirting it onto the skin, and rubbing it in until dissolved. It tends to leave residue wherever it touches, which can be annoying. That said, topical HRT liquid is one of our cheaper options, has no special temperature precautions, and is relatively straightforward to use.
Next week I’ll be moving on to a new HRT topic, but if you have any other questions about HRT dosage forms, I’d be happy to answer them!
As always, we're available in the lab Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm. Or you can email me anytime at brandon.ladage@belewdrugs.com. We’d love to hear from you!
Until next time,
Brandon
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