WHAT IS COMPOUNDING?
Compounding combines an ageless art with the latest medical knowledge and state-of-the-art technology, allowing specially trained professionals to prepare customized medications to meet each patient’s specific needs. Compounding is fundamental to the profession of pharmacy and was a standard means of providing prescription medications before drugs began to be produced in mass quantities by pharmaceutical manufacturers. The demand for professional compounding has increased as healthcare professionals and patients realize that the limited number of strengths and dosage forms that are commercially available do not meet the needs of many patients, and that these patients often have a better response to a customized dosage form that is "just what the doctor ordered."
Our compounding professionals can prepare:
- unique dosage forms containing the best dose of medication for each individual.
- medications in dosage forms that are not commercially available, such as transdermal gels, troches, "chewies", and lollipops.
- medications free of problem-causing excipients such as dyes, sugar, lactose, gluten or alcohol.
- combinations of various compatible medications into a single dosage form for easier administration and improved compliance.
- medications that are not commercially available.
Quality Compounding Maximizes Therapeutic Outcomes
Ongoing training for compounding pharmacists and technicians, state-of-the-art equipment, and high quality chemicals are essential. Experience and ingenuity are important factors as well. When tweaking a formula or developing a unique preparation, the compounding pharmacist must consider physical and chemical properties of both the active ingredient and excipients, solubility, tonicity, viscosity, and the most appropriate dosage form or device for administering the needed medication. Standard Operating Procedures should be in place, stability studies should be considered when compounding, and appropriate potency and sterility testing should be performed. Our compounding professionals can formulate suitable medications as sublingual drops, oral and nasal sprays, lollipops, rectal solutions and suppositories, and other customized dosage forms.