Key Terms
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API)
any substance in a compounded preparation that confers pharmacological activity
Calibrate
to gauge a measuring instrument with a standard scale of reading
Compounded Sterile Preparation
a medication prepared with aseptic technique in a sterile, cleanroom facility
Excipients
inactive ingredients
bid
twice a day
Agglomerations
clusters, lumps, clumps, or globs of ingredients in a liquid, semiliquid, or powdered vehicle, which are undesired in compounding
Class III Prescription Balance
a two-pan balance used to weight material (between 120 mg and 120 g) with a sensitivity rating of +/- 6 mg; also known as a Class A prescription balance
Compounding
the process of preparing a medication for an individual patient from bulk ingredients according to a prescription from a licensed prescriber
Extemporaneous Compounding
compounding products that are done for a specific patient’s immediate need but not commercially available; another name for nonsterile compounding in a community pharmacy
qd
every day
Autoclave
a device that generates heat and pressure to sterilize objects, instruments, and measuring vessel and devices
Comminution
the act of reducing a substance to small, fine particles using particle reducing techniques like trituration, levigation, and pulverization
Compounding Record
a printout for a specific patient, including the amounts or weights of all ingredients with national drug code calculations and instructions for compounding; used by the technician to document a compounded medication for a patient
Forceps
a stainless steel pincher instrument like a large tweezer used to pick up small objects, such as pharmacy weights
gtts
drops
Beyond Use Date (BUD)
the date after which a drug should not be used once it has been removed from the intact container
Component
an ingredient in a compounded product
Diluent
an inactive ingredient that is added to the active drug in compounding a tablet, capsule, solution, or topical formulation
Geometric Dilution Method
a process that uses mortar and pestle to gradually combine several active ingredients with inactive ingredients to produce more homogenous product
qhs
a bedtime
Blending
the act of combining two substances by using non grinding techniques such as spatulation, sifting, and tumbling
Compounded Preparation
a patient-specific medication prepared on-site from individual ingredients, often by a technician under the direct supervision of the pharmacist
Emollient
an ointment base commercially available from a wholesaler or pharmacy compounding vendor
Graduated cylinder
a flask used for accurately measuring liquids
au
both ears