Compounding Today. . .

[badgerpharm09]

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Hey,

I shadowed my first pharmacist today at a local hospital pharmacy (to be specific, it was really a community pharmacy-Walgreens- inside a hospital; so it technically was not a hospital pharm with IVs, etc.). I asked them how much compounding do they do, and they say only about 5% of time do they compound.

I was wondering;

1) how much compounding is out their in retail ? Is it mainly dermatological in nature?

2) How much exposure do you get in compounding in Pharm school (I know it might vary, but from your research/experiences)?

Thanks🙂

 

[thephoenician88]

I think the amount of compounding you'll do depends on your rotations. There are some walgreens that are designated compounding walgreens and they'll compound overnight. Other pharmacies (mom and pop) will usually compound more than any community pharmacy so that they develop a little niche. I wouldn't say it's always dermatological though, it could be mouth wash, suppositories, lollipops, etc, whatever you want. Fentanyl on a stick, YOU GOT IT (actually those are usually premade).

 

[mike36]

To answer your second question about how much exposure to compounding you get in pharm school, it really is dependent on the school you go to. At my school, we take pharmaceutics (3hrs) + compounding lab (1hr) in the spring of our P1 year. In our P3 year, we take a sterile compounding lab (making IVs) + lecture (2hrs).

I do not know a whole lot about other schools of pharmacy, but I have heard that there are some schools that do not have compounding at all in their pharmacy curriculum !

 

[trailrider400]

Most of the compounds I see where I work are just butt paste. So we don't see much at all but I know the pharmacists hate doing it because its so time consuming.

 

[DrWrong]

Hey,

I shadowed my first pharmacist today at a local hospital pharmacy (to be specific, it was really a community pharmacy-Walgreens- inside a hospital; so it technically was not a hospital pharm with IVs, etc.). I asked them how much compounding do they do, and they say only about 5% of time do they compound.

I was wondering;

1) how much compounding is out their in retail ? Is it mainly dermatological in nature?

2) How much exposure do you get in compounding in Pharm school (I know it might vary, but from your research/experiences)?

Thanks🙂

Well, I worked at a "retail" compounding pharmacy for one of my IPPE experiences my P-1 year. We made everything from Troches, Lotions, Emulsions, Capsules, Eye-Drops, More capsules and any other type of drug administration routes. Everything that was filled at the pharmacy, excluding a few things, was compounded.

 

[badgerpharm09]

Thanks thephoenician88, mike 22 and others; In my area, there is a specialty compounding pharmacy, but I was just wondering how frequently community pharmacies (and pharm school) came in contact with compounding.

 

[Farmercyst]

We go over compounding for 1/2 a semester. We make capsules, suppositories, troches, and creams. We also have about 6 weeks of IV compounding, but that's hospital IV, not retail. The pharmacy I work in is a compounding pharmacy and we have come 4th years that rotate through during their APPEs. There are a few other compounding pharmacies that you can do your clerkships at as well. I've made some "Daniel's solution" (Tetracycline, AmphoB, Diphenhydramine, Solu-Cortef, cherry syrup), cyclosporine eye drops, and a couple of creams.

 

[ADN1226]

My retail IPPE site was at a Walgreens Clinic Pharmacy (specialized in HIV) that also do compounding. The pharmacist says she does on average 10/month. It was pretty fun making capsules, creams, solutions, lollies etc.

I'm not sure if my school has a separate compounding course but I'll be taking Pharmaceutics Lab which will cover compounding I believe.

 

[DrWrong]

My retail IPPE site was at a Walgreens Clinic Pharmacy (specialized in HIV) that also do compounding. The pharmacist says she does on average 10/month. It was pretty fun making capsules, creams, solutions, lollies etc.

I'm not sure if my school has a separate compounding course but I'll be taking Pharmaceutics Lab which will cover compounding I believe.

Yeah, Pharmaceutics Lab should cover how to make some different types of medications. In lab last year, we made Baby Powder, some suppositories, asthma capsules, eye drops, calamine lotion, Lugol's Solution, as well as other things.

 

[krystal2812]

I want to get involved in compounding but don't know how. Any advice?