LESSON 1
PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOUNDING
Section I. INTRODUCTION TO COMPOUNDING
1-1.
INTRODUCTION TO COMPOUNDING
a. Several years ago many prescriptions were compounded (carefully made in
the pharmacy from various substances) by the pharmacist or pharmacy technician.
Today, most drugs are manufactured on a large-scale basis by several companies.
Consequently, relatively few prescriptions are compounded in the pharmacy today.
Nevertheless, it is important for you to become familiar with some basic information
related to the compounding of various dosage forms.
b. This subcourse will provide you with a general background in compounding.
To provide you with this background, various dosage forms, their uses, advantages and
disadvantages, and the precautions that must be observed with each will be discussed.
c. You should understand that this subcourse should not be used as an
authoritative source of compounding information. Should you need such a source of
information, seek a reference such as Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences.
1-2.
DEFINITIONS
The following definitions are useful in the field of general pharmacy.
a. Bulk Manufacturing. Bulk manufacturing involves the preparation of large
quantities of drugs. The large amounts of the prepared product will later be packaged in
appropriately sized containers for individual patient use.
b. Capsule. A capsule is a solid dosage form that contains a medicament
enclosed in either a hard or soft gelatin shell.
c. Caustic. A caustic agent is a substance that causes destruction of tissues at
the site of application.
d. Compounding. Compounding is the preparation of an individual patient
prescription. Compounding involves the combination of one or more substances in the
amounts specified by the physician or other authorized prescriber.
e. Douche. A douche is an aqueous solution used in a part of a cavity of the
body for its cleansing and disinfectant action.
MD0809
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