Medicinal Cannabis Atara Compounding Pharmacy collaborates with IvyMed Clinic that focuses on alternative treatments for people who have not found relief from other options. This may include allied health, supplements or plant based medicines like medicinal cannabis. Compounded medicines play an important role in servicing patient needs not met by big pharma. Compounded products can be prescribed for individual patients according to their specific needs, including allergies and swallowing issues. The benefits of this with medicinal cannabis is that both the strength and ratio of CBD and THC can be individualised according to each patient. Even the choice of [...]

Influenza Information The flu is the most common vaccine preventable illness in Australia. The flu is a highly contagious viral infection. It may be mild in some, but it can cause very serious illness, hospitalisation and even death in otherwise healthy people. It is especially serious for babies, people aged over 65 years, people with underlying medical conditions and pregnant women. Vaccination is a safe and effective way to help protect you from the flu. By getting vaccinated, you also help protect those that are too ill or too young to be vaccinated and help slow the spread of the [...]

Medicine Shortages The current unprecedented medicine shortages are the result of a perfect storm of circumstances coming together at once, with lack of local manufacturing being a major factor. Local manufacturing on a smaller scale however, may provide the answer to at least some of these shortages. By this, of course, I mean compounded products filling the gaps until big pharma can work their way out of this crisis. Compounding out of stock medicines has always been a part of what we do, but never more so than now. Even when commercially made medicinal products are out of [...]

WHOOPING COUGH! also known as pertussis or the 100-day cough, is a highly contagious bacterial disease. Initial symptoms are usually similar to those of the common cold with a runny nose, fever, and mild cough, but these are followed by two or three months of severe coughing fits. Following a fit of coughing, a high-pitched whoop sound or gasp may occur as the person breathes in. The violent coughing may last for 10 or more weeks, hence the phrase "100-day cough". A person may cough so hard that they vomit, break ribs, or become very tired from the [...]

Skin Hyperpigmentation Melanin is the substance produced in the skin which gives our skin its own unique hue. Hyperpigmentation is when there is an excess of melanin production that causes patches of skin to be darker than the skin surrounding it. It can occur in people of any skin type or colour and anywhere on the body, although it is of course, most distressing when it occurs on the face, hands or other very visible places. Some of the causes of hyperpigmentation are too frequent sun exposure, hormonal changes such as pregnancy, certain medications or disease states, or [...]

Ten ways to medicate your pet you may not have thought of… The Switcheroo. Give a few treats in quick succession. Without hesitation make the next one the meds, then quickly another treat. We are going for a ‘what the?’ moment, quickly forgotten. The Chaser. Used for liquids. Into a syringe, draw up some potent yummy liquid such as the juice or oil from a can of tuna, sardines, gravy or the juice from the roast chicken bag. Into the same syringe draw up the required medicine dose. Squirt the whole lot in their mouth in one go. The [...]

While we hope to never have to medicate our beloved fur babies, it can come as a shock when we suddenly have to give kitty a capsule twice a day, administer an ear medication to the dog or a syringe of medicine to the rabbit. Zoos know all too well the difficulties faced handling and medicating animals who would rather not co-operate, and begin early in their lives preparing and desensitizing them to situations, syringes and other procedures that might need to be done during their lives. While the average person won’t be faced with injecting a gorilla or medicating [...]

When most people think of flavouring, they assume that you add the flavour in question – done! Strawberry flavoured? Add strawberry flavouring, right? Making medicines taste better, however, requires a whole lot more and this is where the ‘art’ comes in.Many medicines are incredibly bitter at worst and just plain nasty at best and have an unpleasant taste that can hang around for ages. For parents this can be a real challenge when trying to ensure the entire dose and course of a child’s medicine is completed.The potency of the medicine may be affected by changes in the pH which flavouring [...]

Medicinal cannabis refers to pharmaceutical grade extracts of the Cannabis Sativa plant Cannabidiol (CBD) and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Although there are literally hundreds of phytochemicals found in this plant, CBD and THC are the most widely studied for their potential uses in human (and animals) to treat a variety of medical conditions. Changes in regulations surrounding these chemicals which occurred a few years ago, renewed the medical and pharmaceutical world’s interest, although the history of use of this plant goes back to ancient times. Because these chemicals work on the Endocannabinoid System, which is present in the bodies of all humans [...]

We wanted to move into the future with a name and logo that is unique to only us and reflects what we wish to achieve for our customers and clients, and that is, a promise to provide health and wellbeing, through integrity, pride in our work, respect for others and their privacy, excellence in the field of compounding and holistic wellness, community involvement and professional service. The brand ATARA came about during these unusual and challenging times, to symbolise our journey forward with deeper understanding of what is really important and what we want to achieve through our business. ATARA [...]