Gastroenterology

Many of our patients take medication to manage chronic pain and acute injuries. Unfortunately, these medications often cause gastrointestinal upset and constipation. Constipation is a side effect that we help patients manage when they need to take opioid medications. Acid reflux is another common digestive issue that we help patients manage when they need to take commercially available medications.

Part of assisting our patients with gastrointestinal issues is offering diet and lifestyle recommendations as preventative measures. We can also compound medications to prevent these symptoms further. One medication we use is naloxone, which helps reverse or prevent opioid-induced constipation. Additionally, many commercially available gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) medications are not easily tolerated by our patients. Luckily, we are able to compound a variety of formulated medications that are better tolerated and not otherwise available on the market.

After exhausting all other viable medication options for a severe neck pain flare-up, our patient, Joshua was prescribed a short-term course of opioid drugs. After a week of taking the medication, he noticed that he was getting heartburn every day and found he was constipated. Our compounding pharmacists prepared a custom dose of medications that targeted and prevented his symptoms, as well as magnesium bis-glycinate, which helped with both constipation and acid reflux.