Breaking Down Meds, Saving Little Hearts
By: Megan Dobbs
Updated: November 17, 2010
An Abilene pharmacy is helping kids living with heart problems get medication they might not be able to get elsewhere. James McCoy Drug Store has long been known for its practice of compounding. Compounding means the pharmacist essentially breaks down medication that adults would often take and creates doses safe for children. Pharmacists say this helps kids get medications that best suit them, whereas they might not otherwise have access to them. During last year's rampant flu outbreak, McCoy's had numerous requests to compound Tamiflu. Some of the main requests this year are for compounded heart medications, often for kids returning from Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth with diagnoses for heart conditions. Parents may not simply ask the pharmacy to compound medication. The prescription must be ordered by a doctor.
