Compounding and Wellness FAQs
Your Questions, Answered
From compounded prescriptions to nutritional supplements, these are the questions we hear most often. We’ve gathered helpful answers about our services, processes, and standards—so you know what to expect and where we fit into your care.
Quick Links: Compounding | Wellness
About Our Compounding Services
Retail meds are mass-produced in standard strengths and forms. Compounded meds are custom-made per prescription to fit an individual patient’s needs (e.g., different strength, flavor, or dosage form).
We compound medications using raw chemicals (active ingredients) and inactive ingredients (primarily bases, like those used for creams or liquid suspensions). Retail meds are FDA-approved final products. Custom compounded preparations are not FDA-approved, but the ingredients come from FDA-registered facilities and our pharmacy follows strict standards set by the Maine Board of Pharmacy and the United States Pharmacopeia (USP).
Compounded preparations are made using quality-controlled ingredients by FDA-registered facilities, and we follow strict procedures established by the Maine Board of Pharmacy, United States Pharmacopeia, and additional self-assigned standards. We also assign lot numbers to every compound, ensuring the ability to trace your medication back to the original ingredient manufacturer’s lots and certificates of analysis.
Yes. Compounded prescriptions are custom-made drugs that are tailored for your specific needs. They require a licensed prescriber to write the prescription and a licensed pharmacist to dispense the medication.
Unfortunately, we do not bill insurance directly as most plans do not cover compounded medications. We are also unable to accept coupons or discount cards like GoodRx. If you would like to submit your prescription to insurance for potential reimbursement we can provide a Claim Form upon request. Your prescriptions are HSA and FSA eligible.
Avoiding insurance does have its upsides. Your medication will never be delayed by Prior Authorizations, billing times, or insurance processing delays and you can order a larger amount on most medications. This means you can take advantage of our quantity price breaks.
Often, yes. Tell us what you need (and any allergies), and we’ll work with your prescriber on feasible options.
Frequently, these elements can be modified. Common options include creams/gels, capsules, oral suspensions, troches/lozenges, and suppositories—plus kid and pet-friendly flavors where appropriate. Not all medications can be made into all forms, however. Our knowledgeable pharmacists will work with your provider to find the best possible option.
We have a two-day turnaround for compounds that need to be made in our lab. That said, we often have a supply of common formulations on hand and can fill them sooner. After we receive and review your prescription, we’ll give you a clear ETA and pickup/shipping options.
The BUD on your label is the date through which we recommend using the preparation based on its formulation and storage—this can differ from manufacturer expiration dates on bulk ingredients. If you have questions, please ask one our pharmacists for details on your particular medication’s BUD.
We can ship all prescription medications to patients in the states of ME, NH, MA, and FL. Please see our shipping information page for costs and details.
With your permission, we will contact your current pharmacy or physician to transfer your prescription(s). Please note that we only fill compounded prescriptions, not retail prescriptions (e.g. Lipitor, Amoxicillin, etc.). Your retail medications will need to be filled elsewhere.
No. We provide non-sterile compounding only (e.g., creams, gels, capsules, suspensions, troches, suppositories). We don’t make sterile products such as injections, IV infusions, or sterile ophthalmic drops.
We recommend requesting refills a week before running out, especially if we are shipping them to you. We have a two-day lab schedule. That means that if we do not have your formulation in stock, it will take two days to make it through the lab’s schedule. You may request your refills online, using our automated phone refill service, or over the phone with a staff member.
We regularly collaborate with prescribers on strengths, dosage forms, and base options. They can speak with one of our pharmacists whenever they need guidance. We keep communication clear and timely.
It’s important to follow the directions on your prescription container. Some medications need to be shaken well, others should be refrigerated, etc. If in doubt, please give us a call or ask for guidance when you pick up your prescription. Always keep medications out of reach of children and pets.
Stop taking your medication and contact your prescriber or pharmacist right away. For emergencies, call 911.
Supplements can support overall wellness, but aren’t substitutes for prescribed therapy unless your provider says otherwise. Always share your full medication/supplement list with us for interaction screening.
About Our Nutritional Wellness Services
Our experienced wellness specialists are here to provide guidance on many supplements. When necessary, pharmacists also assist with potential pharmaceutical options and drug-supplement interactions. Our recommendations are based on up-to-date, reliable, scientific information, and we work closely with several healthcare providers when appropriate. We encourage you to come in and talk with us! No appointment is necessary, but feel free to call ahead or email. Although we are happy to advise, it’s essential to speak with your provider before starting any new supplement.
Appointments are not necessary, but you can make one if you prefer. Give us a call or send an email if you’d like to make an appointment or provide information before your visit.
While many supplements can be safely used alongside medications, some may impact the effectiveness of prescription medications or cause adverse reactions. Please share which prescriptions you are on when speaking with our wellness specialists. They will work closely with our pharmacists to ensure safe supplement use. Although we are happy to advise, it’s essential to speak with your provider before starting any new supplements.
Follow label guidance; some require refrigeration.
The best time to take supplements varies. Please follow label directions or ask a wellness specialist. We often have extra insights into timing your supplements.
Yes, we ship orders via USPS or UPS for a minimal fee. See our shipping information page for current rates. Shipping is free for purchases over $100.
Store Products must be returned with receipt* within 30 days of purchase, unopened, and in a resalable condition.
Non-Returnable Products
- Temperature-sensitive products cannot be returned.
- Special order items cannot be returned.
Acceptable reasons for product return include:
- Compromised quality seal
- Obvious spoilage of contents
- Product was expired/short-dated at time of purchase
- You no longer need the unopened product.
*Loyalty Members: we have access to your purchase history. Providing your receipt makes the return process faster, but we can look it up if you do not have it.
SIGIS (Special Interest Group for IIAS Standards) is the single source of truth for determining HSA/FSA product eligibility at the point of sale. While the IRS defines the general rules for what qualifies as an eligible medical expense, it does not track or approve individual products. SIGIS translates IRS guidance into standardized, UPC-level eligibility classifications that pharmacies, retailers, and payment systems are required to follow.
When an item is scanned at checkout, HSA/FSA cards automatically reference the SIGIS database to approve or decline the purchase. Other organizations—such as HSA/FSA administrators or benefits managers—do not maintain separate real-time eligibility databases and rely on SIGIS for point-of-sale decisions.
Because of this structure, a product that feels health-related may still be declined if SIGIS classifies it as a general wellness or personal care item. In some cases, HSA/FSA administrators may allow reimbursement after purchase, with additional documentation, such as a Letter of Medical Necessity. However, for automatic approval at checkout, SIGIS remains the single source of truth.
For details about SIGIS requirements, visit https://www.sig-is.org/eligible-product-list/eligible-product-list-criteria.
This can happen for several reasons, and it’s usually related to how HSA/FSA eligibility is determined behind the scenes.
Most commonly, the product’s UPC has changed due to a packaging update, size change, reformulation, or rebranding. Because SIGIS is the single source of truth for eligibility and evaluates products at the UPC level, a new UPC is treated as a new item. Until the manufacturer resubmits that UPC to SIGIS and it is approved, the product may be declined at checkout—even if the previous version was eligible.
Eligibility rules can also change over time. SIGIS periodically updates classifications based on updated IRS guidance, which means a product that once met eligibility criteria may later be reclassified as ineligible. These changes are applied automatically across all POS systems and are not controlled by the pharmacy.
In some cases, the item may have been reimbursed after purchase rather than approved at checkout. Manual reimbursement decisions made by an HSA/FSA administrator do not affect point-of-sale eligibility. For in-store purchases, SIGIS classifications always control whether a product can be approved at the register.