What is Compounding?
A pharmaceutically compounded prescription is one that has been individually prepared to address the needs of a particular patient. Almost any type of medication can be created through compounding. In some cases, the compound is no different chemically than the commercially available drug, though it may be delivered in a different form or dosage. In other cases, such as in bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (link to BHRT), the compound is formulated to be molecularly identical to the hormones found in the patient’s own body and therefore, quite different from many commercially available medications. The practice of compounding dates back to the origins of pharmacy itself. For centuries, it was the individual pharmacist who compounded each formulation. But during the 1950s, compounding became less common as commercially available medications became readily available. In recent years, compounding has regained popularity, and is now used in nearly all areas of medicine. Modern tech
