Medication Compounding

Pharmaceutical Compounding   

What is compounding and why is it necessary?

Compounding is the creation of a pharmaceutical preparation -a drug- by a licensed pharmacist to meet the unique needs of an individual patient when a commercially available drug does not meet those needs. A patient may not be able to tolerate the commercially available drug, the exact preparation needed may not be commercially available, or a patient may require a drug that is currently in shortage or discontinued. 

Examples of how a compounding pharmacist can customize medications based on a doctors prescription to meet a patient's needs:

• Customize strength or dosage.
• Flavor a medication (to make it more palatable for a child).
• Reformulate the drug to exclude an unwanted, nonessential ingredient, such as lactose, gluten or a dye to which a patient is allergic.
• Change the form of the medication for patients who for example, have difficulty swallowing or experience stomach upset when taking oral medication.