term
Agglomerations
Clusters, lumps, clumps, or globs of ingredients in a solid, semisolid, or powdered vehicle, which are undesired in compounding.
Autoclave
A device that generates heat and pressure to sterilize objects, instruments, and measuring vessels and devices.
Mortar & Pestle
Equipment used for mixing and grinding pharmaceutical ingredients.
Graduated Cylinder
A flask used for accurately measuring liquids.
tid
three times a day
Beyond Use Date (BUD)
The date after which a drug should not be used once it has been removed from the intact container.
Compounding
The process of preparing a medication for an individual patient from bulk ingredients according to a prescription from a licensed prescriber.
Pipette
A long, thin, calibrated, hollow tube, which is used to measure small volumes of liquids.
Trituration
The process of rubbing, grinding, or pulverizing a substance to create finer particles.
do
doctors order
Blending
The act of combining two substances by using non-grinding techniques such as spatulation, sifting, and tumbling.
Component
An ingredient in a compounded product.
Forceps
A pincer-like instrument used to grasp small objects, such as pharmacy weights.
Ointment Slab
A flat, hard, nonabsorbent surface on which ingredients are mixed.
inj
inject
Calibrate
To gauge a measuring instrument with a standard scale of reading.
Diluent
An inactive ingredient that is added to the active drug in compounding a tablet, capsule, or to dilute an injectable dosage form.
Spatulation
A process used to blend ingredients, often used in the preparation of creams and ointments.
Meniscus
The curved upper surface of a liquid in a graduated cylinder.
tab
tablet
Comminution
The act of reducing a substance to small, fine particles using particle-reducing techniques like trituration, levigation, and pulverization.
Emollient
An ointment base commercially available for both prescription or nonprescription use.
Excipients
Inactive ingredients.
Levigation
A process usually used to reduce the particle size of a solid during the preparation of an ointment.
aq
water