Montana News: New DEA rule regarding Multiple Prescriptions for Schedule II Controlled Substances

April 1, 2008 4:44 PM Topics: Controlled substances and Prescriptions

Reprinted form the April 2008 Montana Board of Pharmacy Newsletter.

DEA has issued a final rule entitled “Issuance of Multiple Prescriptions for Schedule II Controlled Substances,” effective December 19, 2007. Practitioners may now provide a patient with multiple prescriptions for a specific Schedule II controlled substance (CS), written on the same date, to be filled sequentially, up to a total 90-day supply.

Per questions asked of the Board, Montana law does not limit the days supply of a Schedule II CS that a practitioner may prescribe for a patient. Pharmacists are expected to use sound professional judgment when reviewing all prescriptions (including CS) to ensure they are written for a legitimate medical purpose in the ordinary course of practice.

Occasionally, a pharmacist will state to a patient that “the law” prevents the pharmacist from dispensing more than a 30-day supply of a Schedule II CS, as an explanation as to why the patient’s insurance company will not pay for more than a 30-day supply. This is not true in Montana. Any such limitations are the result of the particular insurance contract, and are not due to any Montana statute or administrative rule.