What is Compounding?

Pharmacy compounding is the art and science of preparing customized medications.
In every field of medicine, there are some patients who don’t respond to traditional
methods of treatment. Sometimes they need medicine at strengths that are not
manufactured by drug companies, or perhaps they simply need a different method of
ingesting a medication. Pharmacy compounding meets these needs. It provides a way for
the physicians and compounding pharmacists to customize an individualized prescription
for the specific needs of their patients.
At Professional Arts Pharmacy, we understand that our patients are unique individuals.
Most commercially available medications that are made by a pharmaceutical company
cater to the masses, but at times patients require customized prescriptions to meet their
needs. Consider us the problem solver, working with patients and physicians to gain
positive outcomes.

 

Is Compounding new?

The compounding of medications by pharmacists is a long-standing and traditional part of
pharmacy. In fact, before the advent of multinational pharmaceutical companies, the
majority of medications were prepared at local independent pharmacies. Compounding
has experienced a resurgence, as modern technology, innovative techniques and research
have allowed more compounding pharmacists to customize medications when the
manufactured product is unable to meet specific needs of the patient

What are the reasons a medication is compounded? 

Because every patient is different and has different needs, customized, compounded 
medications are a vital part of quality medical care. 
The basis of the profession of pharmacy has always been the “triad,” the patient-physician
pharmacist relationship. Through this relationship, patient needs are determined by a 
physician, who chooses a treatment regimen that may include a compounded medication. 
Physicians often prescribe compounded medications for reasons that include (but are not 
limited to) the following situations: 

• When needed medications are discontinued by or generally unavailable from 
pharmaceutical companies; 
• When the patient is allergic to certain preservatives, dyes or binders in available off
the-shelf medications; 
• When treatment requires tailored dosage strengths for patients with unique needs 
(for example, an infant); 
• When a pharmacist can combine several medications, the patient is taking to 
increase compliance; 
• When the patient cannot ingest the medication in its commercially available form 
and a pharmacist can prepare the medication in cream, liquid or other form that the 
patient can easily take; and 
• When medications require flavor additives to make them more palatable for some 
patients, most often children.