What is compound prescription?

I am a pharmacist and we compound prescriptions regularly at my pharmacy. A compound is a medication that has to be made by the pharmacist because it is not available from a manufacturer in the desired strength or containing the ingredients prescribed by your doctor. For example, a common one is Prevacid in a liquid or suspension form. It only comes in capsules and tablets from the drug manufacturer, so a pharmacist must prepare it in a liquid form. Pharmacists have recipes that they use to make different things and often times have to refer to resources such as Trissel's compounding book to find the recipe. Other compounds may be made into creams, ointments, and suppositories, or capsules.