Basics of Compounding: Providing Pharmacy Services to Bariatric Surgery Patients

With the rise in obesity, more individuals are choosing bariatric surgery as a means to successfully lose weight and resolve co-morbidities. These patients need lifelong support from friends, family, and healthcare providers. Pharmacists need to be knowledgeable of the unique needs of these patients in order to provide information and recommendations on drug therapies and supplements. When a patient is wheeled out of the operating room following bariatric surgery, his or her life instantly changes. Like an infant, the patient has to slowly learn how to eat and drink again. Physical activity significantly increases. Taste perception changes. Serious medical problems, such as hypertension, type II diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia completely resolve within a couple of months. The patient has to be disciplined and follow the instructions of the bariatric team and other healthcare providers. Since the patient's gastrointestinal tract has been significantly altered, drug therapies may require some modifications too. Bariatric or weight loss surgery is definitely not the easy way to lose weight, but it is a very powerful tool for the patient. Weight loss, and maintaining that weight loss, is a lifelong journey for the patient that requires support from the bariatric team, healthcare provider(s), co-workers, friends, and family. Pharmacists may also provide support for these patients through counseling about their supplements, medications, and compounding medications to meet their specific needs.