Today, when you get a prescription filled, you simply take your prescription to the pharmacy, where in turn, they give you the correct dosage that you need. This has not always been the case. Nearly a century ago, when a patient needed a prescription filled it was a very different process than it is today. The patient would take the prescription to the pharmacist, where they would have to individually mix the drug with precise measurements of ingredients.

pouring tabs This is called compounding your medications. This is individually formulating your medicine to meet specific health care issues of each patient. Determining a patients individual needs is crucial. Because of this, a close relationship between the patient, physician and the pharmacist is critical.

There are many reasons why this is still an ideal method today. By compounding medicines, it gives the patients the personalised care that they need. Many patients are allergic to dyes or preservatives, and can be very sensitive to the strength of standard prescription drugs. This is also a good way to get prescriptions that have been discontinued and are not commercially available. Also, someone that has a hard time swallowing medication can have their medicine prepared in many different easy to take forms.

With just a physicians prescription, a compounding pharmacist can change the strength of the medication, change the form of the prescription to make it easier to digest, or simply add flavor to make it better tasting. These are just some of the benefits of compounding your medications.