Compounded Testosterone Therapy for Men
If your prescriber has written for compounded testosterone cream, a troche, or a combination preparation, we make it here. Lititz Apothecary is a compounding pharmacy on Main Street in Lititz, Pennsylvania, licensed to serve patients statewide, and we prepare each preparation to your prescriber's exact order.
Every prescription is compounded by a licensed pharmacist here, not routed to a facility out of state. Testosterone is a controlled substance, so a few practical details work differently — and a pharmacist answers our phone during business hours to walk you through them.
Compounded Testosterone Therapy, Explained
Manufactured testosterone products come in a fixed set of strengths and bases. A prescriber who wants something outside that set — a particular strength, a different base, a preparation without an ingredient a patient reacts to, or two medications combined into one application — writes for a compounded preparation instead.
That is what we do here. As a 503A compounding pharmacy, we prepare each testosterone prescription for one named patient, to the order as written. Nothing is made in batches ahead of time, and nothing is substituted for the nearest commercial product.
Compounded preparations are not reviewed or approved by the FDA. They are prepared under section 503A of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, patient by patient, as prescribed by your healthcare provider — who remains the person deciding whether testosterone therapy is appropriate for you at all.
This page is written for men. Testosterone is also prescribed to women, at substantially lower strengths and usually alongside other hormones — if that is what you are looking for, see hormone therapy for women.
Dosage Forms We Compound
Which form a prescriber chooses usually comes down to how the medication is absorbed, how often it is taken, and how precisely the strength needs to be controlled. These are the forms our pharmacists prepare.
| Form | How it's taken | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Creams and gels | Applied topically, once or twice daily as prescribed | Dispensed in a metered-dose click pump and prepared to your prescriber's specified strength |
| Sublingual troches | Dissolved under the tongue | An option when a prescriber prefers a non-topical route; made to the prescribed strength |
| Testosterone with anastrozole | When a prescriber orders the two together in one preparation | Combination formula, prepared patient-specifically to the written order |
| Testosterone with DHEA | When a prescriber orders the two together in one preparation | Combination formula, prepared patient-specifically to the written order |
A straight answer about what we don't make: our compounding is non-sterile, so we do not prepare injectable testosterone or pellets. Those forms are available through other pharmacies, and if that is what your prescriber wrote for, call us — we would rather point you in the right direction than have you spend a week finding out.
Testosterone is one of several preparations we make here. You can see the full range of our compounding services, from hormone therapy to veterinary formulations.
Dosing Precision — Metered-Dose Dispensing
Our testosterone creams and gels are dispensed in metered-dose click pumps rather than open jars. Each click delivers the same measured amount, so the strength your prescriber wrote is the strength you apply — in the first week and in the tenth.
That is also why a prescriber may reach for a cream in the first place. A compounded cream can be prepared and dispensed to a specific strength, and prepared again at a different strength if the prescriber revises the order. Male and female dosing ranges differ substantially, and each preparation is made to the strength specified on the prescription.
The combination preparations work the same way. Testosterone with anastrozole and testosterone with DHEA are each compounded to patient-specific strengths, documented ingredient by ingredient, and checked by a pharmacist before they leave the lab.
Our Pharmacists
Your prescription is prepared and checked by a named pharmacist, not an anonymous facility. Our compounding team is Chet Patel, PharmD, RPh; Vishesh Patel, PharmD, RPh; and Brian Bradshaw, RPh, who brings more than 30 years of compounding experience to the bench.
When you call with a question about your preparation — how to apply it, how it is stored, what the pump is doing — you are talking to the people who made it. You can read more about them on our Meet the Pharmacists page.
How to Get a Compounded Testosterone Prescription Filled
- 1
Talk with your prescriber.
Whether testosterone therapy is appropriate, and at what form and strength, is your prescriber's determination. If they have formulation questions, they are welcome to call our pharmacists before writing.
- 2
Have the prescription sent to Lititz Apothecary.
Your prescriber can send the prescription to us directly. Our pharmacy number is (717) 626-2222 if they would rather talk it through first.
- 3
We prepare it to the prescribed order.
Our pharmacists compound your preparation by hand in our Lititz lab, to the exact form and strength written, and a pharmacist checks it before it is dispensed.
- 4
Pick it up in Lititz.
Pick up at 100 East Main Street with photo ID. If getting here is difficult, call us and we will talk through what is possible within Pennsylvania.
What to know about controlled-substance prescriptions
Testosterone is Schedule III, so a few things work differently: refills are limited and often mean a new prescription from your prescriber, transfer rules are stricter than for ordinary medications, and you will need photo ID at pickup. Call us before you make the trip and we will tell you exactly what to bring. Transfer your prescription.
For prescribers
Questions about bases, combination formulas, or which forms we prepare? Our compounding pharmacists are available to talk it through before you write. Working with prescribers.
Serving Men Across Pennsylvania
Lititz Apothecary is licensed to dispense prescription medications throughout Pennsylvania. The pharmacy is at 100 East Main Street in Lititz, where patients pick up in person, and local delivery is available in the Lititz and Lancaster County area. Plenty of our patients come to us from elsewhere in the state after a prescriber recommends a compounding pharmacy they can call directly.
Prescriptions are a Pennsylvania-only service, and controlled substances carry additional handling requirements on top of that. If you are outside the Lancaster County area, call (717) 626-2222 and a pharmacist will walk through the options with you before your prescriber sends anything.
Common Questions About Compounded Testosterone
What is compounded testosterone?
Compounded testosterone is prepared by a pharmacy for one specific patient, because the strength, base, or form a prescriber wants is not available commercially. Rather than working around the nearest manufactured option, we make the preparation the prescription calls for. Everything is prepared as prescribed by your healthcare provider.
What forms of testosterone do you compound?
We compound testosterone creams and gels for topical use and sublingual testosterone troches, along with combination preparations such as testosterone with anastrozole and testosterone with DHEA. All of our preparations are non-sterile. We do not compound injectable testosterone or pellets — if that is the form your prescriber wrote for, call us and we will point you toward a pharmacy that prepares it.
Do you offer TRT?
We are a pharmacy, not a men's health clinic, so we do not prescribe or administer testosterone and we do not order labs. What we do is compound testosterone in topical and sublingual forms on a prescriber's order. If you are exploring therapy, start with your provider — and we are glad to work with any Pennsylvania prescriber once a prescription is written.
Do I need a prescription?
Yes. Testosterone is a Schedule III controlled substance and is compounded only for a specific patient, on a valid prescriber's order. Because of its controlled status, refills work differently than they do for an ordinary medication — plan on a new prescription from your prescriber rather than an open-ended refill, and bring photo ID when you pick up.
Can you fill my testosterone prescription if I use another pharmacy now?
Call us and we will talk it through. Transfer rules for controlled substances are stricter than for ordinary prescriptions, so the answer depends on your prescription and where it is now — in many cases the simplest path is a new prescription sent directly to us. Either way, a pharmacist will tell you plainly what is possible.
Do you serve patients outside Lancaster County?
Yes. Lititz Apothecary is licensed to dispense throughout Pennsylvania, with the pharmacy itself at 100 East Main Street in Lititz and local pickup and delivery in the Lititz and Lancaster County area. Prescription services are Pennsylvania-only, and controlled substances carry additional handling requirements — call and we will walk through the options for getting your prescription to you.
What does compounded testosterone cost?
It depends on the form and strength your prescriber writes for, so there is no single number we can put on a page. Call us with the prescription details and we will walk you through it before we fill anything.
Questions about compounded testosterone? Talk to a pharmacist.
Call (717) 626-2222 during business hours and a pharmacist — not a phone tree — will walk you through the next step, whether that's a new prescription or a transfer.
Compounded medications are prepared to a licensed prescriber's order and are not reviewed or approved by the FDA for safety or effectiveness. Nothing on this page is medical advice.