What is Compounding?

Compounding is the process of creating personalized medications by mixing, altering, or combining ingredients to meet a specific patient's needs. This is typically done when commercially available medications do not meet a patient's specific requirements, such as in cases where a person has allergies to certain ingredients, requires a different dosage, or needs the medication in an alternative form (e.g., liquid instead of tablets).

Pharmacists who compound medications often work closely with healthcare providers to ensure that the compounded medication is safe and effective for the patient. Examples of compounded medications include custom-strength pain creams, flavored oral medications for children, and hormone replacement therapy. Compounding allows for a higher degree of personalization in treatment, but it must be done following strict guidelines and regulations to ensure patient safety.