HYDROCODONE & HYDROCODONE COMBINATION DRUGS CLASSIFICATION CHANGE
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has announced that hydrocodone and hydrocodone combination products will be reclassified from Schedule III to Schedule II effective October 6, 2014.
As of October 6, 2014, hydrocodone and hydrocodone combination prescriptions and refills will no longer be able to be processed electronically or via telephone. Prescriptions will require a physician signature and will be required to be written on a special prescription pad.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU?
- These prescriptions will not have pre-authorized refills.
- You will need to obtain all prescriptions for these medications in person from your physician.
- Prescriptions will only be written during normal business hours, Monday through Thursday, when your physician is present in the office.
- Prescriptions will not be written on weekends or holidays or when the clinic is closed.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
- Plan ahead.
- Don’t wait until you are out of medication to call your Physician.
- We encourage you to discuss this change with your Physician and discuss alternative pain medication options that may be authorized electronically or by telephone.
We understand the difficulty this will cause our patients in obtaining these types of prescriptions; however, we are mandated to comply with the new DEA regulations.
