Hormone therapy gets most of the attention, and we do a lot of it. But plenty of what women need isn't hormone therapy. It's a vaginal preparation that doesn't exist commercially, a cream for pigmentation, something for fertility support, a dose nobody manufactures. Those are the ones we want to talk about here.
Consulting pharmacist on staff — Marie Elam, RPh, since 2008
The things that are hard to bring up, and hard to find
Some of what women need falls into an awkward gap. It's not serious enough to feel urgent, it's uncomfortable to raise in a seven-minute appointment, and when you finally do ask, the answer is sometimes that there isn't a commercial product for it.
Vaginal dryness that over-the-counter options don't touch. A pigmentation problem that three different creams haven't helped. Discomfort during sex that you've stopped mentioning. A fertility protocol that needs a specific strength in a specific form. A dose that exists in the literature but not on a shelf.
None of these are unusual. They're just underserved, and most of them are things a compounding pharmacy can actually do something about.
What we make
What we compound for women
Beyond hormone therapy, these are the areas we prepare most often for women. Everything here is made to a provider's prescription at the strength they specify.
When a commercial product doesn't fit or doesn't exist, we prepare vaginal formulations to a provider's prescription — suppositories, creams, and inserts. Compounded vaginal estrogen (including estradiol and estriol preparations) is among the most common, prepared at the strength a provider orders. We also prepare vaginal DHEA, and combination preparations where a provider wants more than one component in a single dose.
These are local preparations, used where they're applied. If you're looking at hormone therapy for menopause symptoms throughout your body — hot flashes, sleep, mood — that's our bioidentical hormone therapy page.
Sexual health
We prepare topical formulations used for female sexual health, sometimes called “scream cream” or female arousal cream — typically a combination topical prepared to a provider's prescription. Formulations vary by prescriber, since there's no single standard recipe; we make what your provider specifies.
There's no wrong way to ask about this one.
Dermatology and pigmentation
Combination topicals for melasma and hyperpigmentation, acne preparations at custom strengths, scar treatments, and formulations without an ingredient that's caused irritation before. Dermatology is mostly trial and adjustment, which is why it helps that a provider can change one variable at a time.
Fertility and pregnancy support
Progesterone preparations — suppositories, capsules, and creams — prepared at the strength a fertility provider or OB specifies. We also prepare other formulations used in fertility protocols and postpartum care, always to prescription.
Tell us the timeline when you call and we'll tell you whether we can meet it.
Thyroid and metabolic
Compounded thyroid at prescriber-specified T3/T4 ratios, and low dose naltrexone (LDN) where a provider includes it in a broader plan.
Not seeing what you need?Ask us — this list covers what's most common, not everything we can make.
How we make it
With a compounded preparation, the pharmacy is the manufacturer. The quality of what you put on or in your body is the quality of the pharmacy that made it.
The quality story is documented. We use qualified ingredient suppliers, including PCCA, follow applicable USP guidelines and South Carolina pharmacy requirements, and independently test selected finished preparations for potency.
The base matters, and we'll adjust it. For anything topical or vaginal, the base is often the difference between a preparation you can use and one you can't. If something has irritated you before, tell us, that's a solvable problem.
Everything here requires one. If your provider already knows what they want, they can e-prescribe, fax, or call it in.
II
If they're not sure what's possible, we'll talk to them
Providers don't always know what a compounding pharmacy can prepare, especially for the less common formulations. Have them call us, or tell us who they are and we'll reach out. We'll go through the options and they decide.
III
We prepare it
Most preparations are ready in 48 to 72 hours. Some compounds take longer, and we'll tell you which yours is when we take the order.
IV
You pick it up, or we bring it to you
Curbside pickup at the Woodruff Road location, or free local delivery.
If you're starting from symptoms rather than a prescription, especially anything hormone-related, the testing and consultation path is the better place to begin.
Reviews
What patients say
Just wanted to thank you for your time, care, and support with my recent ZRT test. I greatly appreciate your input and willingness to help me navigate the results and next steps. I also appreciate that you worked with Dr. Dubose to modify my prescription. Your kindness and patient care did not go unnoticed and I wanted to share my thankfulness, especially when most often complaints are voiced more than compliments. Kindness matters!
Monique
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Marie Elam, RPhConsulting pharmacist
Consultations with Marie Elam, RPh
Marie has specialized in hormone and women's health consultations since 2008. She reviews your test results with you, explains what the options are, and works with your provider on a plan. If something on this page is easier to discuss than to type into a form, ask for her.
Reviewed by Tommy Martincic, PharmD
Owner at Greenhill Specialty Pharmacy. Pharmacist since 2001, HRT Specialist Certification (2016).
Describe what you're looking for: the medication, the problem with the commercial version, or just what you're trying to solve. We'll tell you whether it's something we can prepare and what it would take.
No prescription needed to ask. Nothing to pay today. If you'd rather talk than type, call us at 864-520-1550 and ask for the pharmacist.
Once you send it, a pharmacist will get back to you, typically within one to two business days. If you'd rather talk it through, or need something sooner, call 864-520-1550 or email info@greenhillrx.com.
