Controlled Substances

State and federal law control the distribution and use of particular substances. The federal law, the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) of1970, originally defined controlled substances. Since 1970, roughly 160 substances have been added, removed, or transferred within categories. (Drug Enforcement Administration, n.d.)  The substances currently listed as controlled fall in to one of five possible categories known as schedules.

Schedule I

• High potential for abuse

• Considered to have no current medical use

• No substance may be prescribed, administered, or dispensed.

• Examples would be marijuana, heroin, and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) (Drug Schedule, n.d., Drug Enforcement Administration, n.d.)

Schedule II

• High potential for abuse that may lead to severe mental or physical dependence

• Generally consists of strong narcotics and stimulants

• Examples include morphine, hydromorphone, amphetamine salts (Adderall®), and cocaine (Drug Schedule, n.d., Drug Enforcement Administration, n.d.)

Schedule III

• Less potential for abuse than schedules I or II

• May cause low to moderate physical dependence but possibility of high mental dependence.

• Examples include hydrocodone (Norco®/Vicodin®/Lortab®) less than 15 mg and no more than 90 mg of codeine per dose unit such as Tylenol #3® (Drug Schedule, n.d., Drug Enforcement Administration, n.d.)

Schedule IV

• Low potential for abuse compared to schedule III

• Examples include alprazolam (Xanax®), diazepam (Valium®), and temazepam (Restoril®) (Drug Schedule, n.d., Drug Enforcement Administration, n.d.)

Schedule V

• Lowest potential for abuse

• Include mostly preparations containing limited quantities of certain narcotics

• Examples include Robitussin AC® and Phenergan with Codeine® (Drug Schedule, n.d., Drug Enforcement Administration, n.d.)

Due to the high risk of dependence, customers on long-term use of these medications should be monitored. These medications should not be stopped abruptly and should instead be waned off the medicine.

Customers should check their individual state laws to determine what other regulations may be on controlled medications. Controlled medications may only be transferred from one pharmacy to another unless the two pharmacies are centrally linked (Control Substance e-Rx, n.d.), e.g. a Walgreens in one part of the state can transfer a controlled medication electronically as long as refills remain on the medication and it is not too soon since the previous fill. It may vary between states, but generally controlled medication can not be filled more than two or three days before the previous dose runs out.

References

Commonly Abused Drugs. (n.d.). drugabuse.gov. Retrieved December 1, 2011, from http://www.drugabuse.gov/DrugPages/DrugsofAbuse.html

Control Substance e-Rx FAQs. (n.d.). ncbop.org. Retrieved December 1, 2011, from www.ncbop.org/faqs/Pharmacist/ControlledSubstanceE-RXFAQsApr2010.pdf

Drug Enforcement Administration. (n.d.). DEA Diversion Control - Controlled Substance Schedules. DEA Diversion Control Program :: Welcome ::. Retrieved December 2, 2011, from http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/index.html

Drug Schedule. (n.d.). Addictions.org - Recovery for Drug or Alcohol Addiction and More. Retrieved December 2, 2011, from http://www.addictions.org/schedules.html

Food and Drug Administration. (2009, June 11). Controlled Substances Act. U S Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved December 2, 2011, from

                  http://www.fda.gov/regulatoryinformation/legislation/ucm148726.htm