Have you ever needed a medicine that was not quite right for you?
Maybe the pill was too hard to swallow. Maybe you needed a different strength. Or maybe the medicine contained an ingredient you could not have.
This is where compounding can help.
What Is Compounding?
Compounding is when a pharmacy makes a medicine to meet a patient’s special needs.
Instead of only using medicine that comes ready-made from a drug company, a compounding pharmacy may prepare a medicine in a different strength, form, or flavor.
Think of it like making a recipe. The pharmacy follows the doctor’s prescription and carefully measures the ingredients to prepare the medicine.
Why Do We Compound?
Every patient is different. Sometimes, a ready-made medicine does not meet a patient’s needs.
Compounding may be used when:
A patient needs a strength that is not sold by the manufacturer.
A child or older adult has trouble swallowing pills.
A patient needs a liquid, cream, or another form of medicine.
A patient needs a medicine made without certain dyes, flavors, or other ingredients.
A medicine is not available in the form a patient needs.
A doctor wants a medicine made for a patient’s specific treatment plan.
The goal is simple: help make the medicine work for the individual patient.
Different Ways Medicine Can Be Made
Depending on the prescription and the patient’s needs, compounded medicine can come in different forms.
These may include:
Capsules
Liquids
Creams and ointments
Gels
Troches that dissolve in the mouth
Other specially prepared forms
Not every medicine can or should be compounded. Your doctor and pharmacist can help decide what is appropriate for you
.
Compounding Takes Care and Training
Compounding is more than mixing ingredients together.
Pharmacy staff follow special steps when preparing compounded medicine. Ingredients must be measured carefully, equipment must be kept clean, and the prescription must be checked for accuracy.
Pharmacists also review the prescription to make sure the strength and directions are appropriate.
Helping Patients Get the Medicine They Need
At Mountain Care Pharmacy, we know that medicine is not always one-size-fits-all.
Compounding gives us another way to work with patients and healthcare providers when a commercially available medicine does not meet a patient’s needs.
Whether a patient needs a different strength, dosage form, or special preparation, our pharmacy team is here to help.
Have questions about compounded medicine? Talk with the Mountain Care Pharmacy team to learn whether compounding may be an option for you.
