Sweet Solutions: Flavoring and Sweetening Compounded Medications

Course overview

Flavoring medications has been described as both an art and a science. Compounding personnel should recognize that this process extends beyond simply adding flavoring or sweetening agents to a compounded preparation. Instead, flavoring involves understanding how to select and combine appropriate flavoring agent(s), namely one or more that complement the medication well, do not adversely affect the stability or compatibility of the formulation, and are preferable to the patient. The ability to appropriately flavor and sweeten medications is a crucial skill of pharmacy personnel that helps optimize patient adherence while ensuring the medication remains stable, safe, and effective. This continuing education activity will discuss various methods to flavor and sweeten medications, describe these processes for pediatric and veterinary preparations, and compare available sweetening agents.