For healthcare professionals. Compounded preparations are dispensed on a doctor’s prescription.
Short answer: Camphor is prepared as a non-sterile cream or gel on a doctor’s prescription. Human evidence of benefit for camphor as a single active in plantar fasciitis is not established (Scientific Reports, 2024; PMID 39085322), because that randomised placebo-controlled trial tested a multi-ingredient product, not camphor alone.
Why this is a prescribing question
Camphor is a single, well-defined active, so a topical preparation of it is a question of specification rather than of which molecule to choose. The prescriber decides the strength, the base, the anatomical site and the quantity, and the pharmacy prepares the request only when those items are written out in full.
What the cited trial’s product contained
The trial cited in the short answer (Scientific Reports, 2024; PMID 39085322) randomised patients with plantar fasciitis to a placebo-controlled topical solution of plant terpenes containing camphor, menthol, eugenol, eucalyptol and vanillin. The abstract reports that dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) was used to enhance skin permeation of the mixture. The study therefore describes a multi-ingredient product, and its result cannot be attributed to camphor alone.
The fields the prescription must carry
For a camphor cream or gel, three points need the most care. The first is the strength, written with its basis of measurement (for example, percentage weight in weight) and chosen by the prescriber. The second is the base, a cream or a gel, together with the anatomical site of application, which the prescriber records because it determines the vehicle and the amount applied. The third is the total quantity and the amount applied per use, so that the quantity and the directions can be checked against each other before preparation begins.
Where the total quantity is expressed by weight or by volume, the unit is stated on the prescription with the base. Any excipient the patient must avoid is named in full.
Cream or gel: choosing the base
Lynnity prepares non-sterile creams and gels, and the choice between them is the prescriber’s. The site of application, the condition of the skin at that site and the patient’s use of other topical products bear on that choice, and the reason is written on the prescription. Where a patient has a history of reaction to a particular base, that history is written on the prescription so the pharmacy has it before preparation begins.
Where a camphor topical goes beyond a registered product
A compounded camphor request is written when a registered topical does not match the strength, base or site coverage the named patient needs. The prescriber records that reason on the request, in clinical terms, before the pharmacy prepares anything.
Safety and skin history
Before writing the prescription, the prescriber reviews the patient’s history of skin reactions and any other topical product in use on the same site, and decides whether that product continues. The decision is recorded on the prescription.
Related reading
The Lynnity guide to compounded topical pain and hormone preparations for Malaysian prescribers covers two other topical specifications for the same prescriber group. Camphor creams and gels are made to the Good Compounding Practice (GCP) standard, documented on the compounding laboratory page.
How to prescribe
Only a registered doctor issues a camphor cream or gel prescription, and it is written for one named patient. The prescription must state the active ingredient (camphor), the strength with its basis of measurement, the base (a cream or a gel), the site of application, the quantity, the directions for use, the patient’s name, and the prescriber’s name, signature and date.
Lynnity receives the signed camphor request through the contact page; the prescriber confirms the referral items in the checklist for referrals, prescriptions and GCP compliance first.
The reviewing pharmacist is Vitthia Rama Murti, RPh (RPh 15632).
Frequently asked questions
How is the strength written on a camphor prescription?
The strength is written with its basis of measurement, for example percentage weight in weight, and it is chosen by the prescriber. The prescription also states the base, the site of application and the quantity.
Should a prescriber choose a cream or a gel?
That is a prescriber decision. The choice depends on the site of application, the condition of the skin there, and the patient’s history with topical products. The base is named on the prescription, and the reason for the choice is written alongside it.
When is a compounded topical form used instead of a registered product?
For camphor, the reason is a specific strength, base or site that the named patient needs and a registered topical does not provide for them. The reason is written on the request, and the preparation is made only for that patient under Good Compounding Practice (GCP).
Reviewed by Vitthia Rama Murti, RPh (RPh 15632).