Controlled substances

New Prescription Forms Taking Months to Deliver - 12/20/2018

If you haven’t already ordered new prescription forms for certain controlled substances, you should do so soon in order to stay compliant with new state regulations that will take effect next year. Because of the volume of orders, the new forms are currently taking about two months to be delivered.

Your Video Guide to Texas' New Prescription Drug Monitoring Program - 07/10/2018

In an effort to address the very real and debilitating crisis caused by the misuse of  pain medicines, the Texas Legislature has passed legislation to mandate that all prescribers and pharmacists check the state's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) before prescribing or dispensing certain medications.

FDA Approves Cannabidiol, But Drug Still Faces Hurdles - 07/02/2018

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week approved the first medication derived from marijuana, which could be used to treat two rare forms of childhood epilepsy.

U.S. Opioid Abuse: Teaching Is Fundamental - 05/03/2018

Abuse of prescription pain medications has become a national epidemic behind the top three most commonly abused substances ― alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana ― according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Surgeon General Wants Naloxone to Save More Lives - 04/16/2018

The U.S. Surgeon General last week issued an advisory stressing that the opioid antagonist naloxone saves lives of people at risk of overdose.

Physicians Will Lead Legislature’s Controlled Substances Committee - 01/18/2018

When a special joint committee of the Texas Legislature tackles issues with controlled substances this year, physician-lawmakers will take the lead.

FDA Says No to Prescription Opioid Cough Meds for Children - 01/17/2018

FDA officials announced recently that prescription cough and cold medications that contain codeine or hydrocodone should not be given to patients younger than 18 years because the medicines’ risks outweigh their benefits in children.

Town Hall Meetings to Discuss Prescription Drug Abuse - 07/17/2017

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is conducting a series of regional town-hall meetings to discuss best practices and solutions to prevent prescription drug misuse statewide.

Marijuana as Treatment Lacks Sufficient Scientific Study, but Preserve Patient-Physician Dialogue - 07/06/2017

In 2015, TMA completed a systemic review of the research and clinical indications of marijuana, its compounds, and its potential risks and therapeutic benefits. Having reviewed more than two decades of studies, we confidently join other medical associations in recognizing there is a lack of science and practice on the medical effects of marijuana to inform physicians adequately about its proper application and use for various health conditions. Unfortunately, the lack of expanded study and evidence on marijuana as medicine is because of its Schedule 1 classification, which has greatly limited the types and rigor of research. We have endorsed a rescheduling of marijuana to facilitate research — including cannabinoid-based medications, as well as the most appropriate delivery methods.

Feds Give Texas Millions to Fight Opioid Addiction - 06/04/2017

Texas is set to receive an injection of federal dollars as part of a nationwide effort to fight opioid addiction.

Reminder: Physicians No Longer Need Controlled Substances Registration - 05/15/2017

TMA reminds its members they no longer need a Department of Public Safety controlled substances registration.

Training to Focus on Opioid Prescribing Guidelines - 04/28/2017

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched an online training series to help clinicians apply its opioid prescribing guidelines for adults with chronic pain.

DEA Investigations - 04/26/2017

This article provides general information regarding what to do, and what not to do, when a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigator contacts you.

Reduce Maternal Deaths by Targeting Causes - 04/13/2017

Tragically, suicide is one of the top causes of maternal deaths in Texas, underscoring the need for prenatal and postpartum care to ensure women are screened and referred to mental health services before symptoms get worse. Substance abuse is another significant contributor to maternal mortality, with the nationwide opioid epidemic fueling the crisis. Opioid use among U.S. pregnant women increased fivefold between 2000 and 2009. Opioids are a drug class that includes prescription pain relievers such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine, and illicit substances such as heroin. As opioid use has increased, we have seen a parallel increase in the incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) among newborns — a neonatal drug-withdrawal condition primarily caused by the mother using opioids. NAS has become a public health concern in Texas: between 2010 and 2014, rates of NAS in Texas increased by 51.3 percent.

Standing Order Allows Pharmacists to Prescribe Naloxone - 10/11/2016

The Texas Pharmacy Association (TPA) implemented an expansive physician-authorized "standing order" regarding the dispensing of naloxone/narcan, a fast-acting antidote that can be administered to someone who is overdosing on opioids. Effective Aug. 1, the standing order will allow qualified Texas pharmacists to dispense naloxone to patients and/or family members or friends of patients who have a medical need.

Running Low? Order Schedule II Prescription Pads Now - 10/11/2016

Responsibility for the oversight and processing of orders for Schedule II prescription forms in Texas shifts from the Department of Public Safety to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy on Sept. 1, 2016.

PAT Transitions to Pharmacy Board; Expect Delays - 10/10/2016

Effective Sept. 1, you will no longer be able to log in to the Prescription Access in Texas (PAT) website  with your login information. That's because the Texas Prescription Monitoring Program will transfer from the Texas Department of Public Safety to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy (TSBP) and will transition to a new type of software. TSBP advises there will be a delay in prescription history of up to two weeks during the transition.

Pharmacogenetics in Physician Practice - 09/01/2016

Chronic pain is a significant problem in the United States as more than 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. Opioid medications have been used to help those who suffer. Although these medications can give patients pain relief, increase their function, and improve their quality of life, their use can be risky and life-threatening. Opioid use has led to epidemic levels of unintentional overdoses in the United States.

AMA Group Aims to Reduce Inappropriate Opioid Prescribing - 06/17/2016

Physicians have a professional obligation to reverse the nation's opioid epidemic. That's the message of the American Medical Association Task Force to Reduce Prescription Opioid Abuse. The task force focuses on reducing the inappropriate prescribing of opioids and the growing crisis of heroin overdose and death. The task force, chaired by AMA Chair-Elect Patrice A. Harris, MD, includes physician leaders and staff from across the nation. For more information, AMA members can log in and download the Task Force Overview document.

Making Over PAT - 05/25/2016

Lawmakers recommend improvements to Prescription Access in Texas (PAT), the state's prescription monitoring database, as part of a larger strategy to fight prescription drug abuse.

Board Pulls Plan for Pharmacists to Check Diagnoses - 05/20/2016

The Texas State Board of Pharmacy quickly killed a proposal that would have required pharmacists to contact the prescribing physician for each new patient with a prescription for a controlled substance.

Texas Medicine Inbox: March 2016 - 05/13/2016

Texas Medicine's January 2016 article "Pain Rules Are a Pain for Doctors" makes several exaggerated claims regarding the difficulty and triviality of vigilance in opiate prescribing. As the October 2015 Texas Medicine article "A True Antidote" notes, prescription opiates caused 16,235 deaths in the United States in 2013. Opiates are dangerous medications; we physicians have a responsibility to minimize the risks of opiate overdose and diversion. The January article implies using the state's prescription drug monitoring program, Prescription Access in Texas (PAT), is onerous. On the contrary, if used regularly in one's opiate prescribing workflow, it becomes simple routine and no more difficult than checking lab work. Prescribing thyroid replacement includes routine monitoring. Prescribing antihypertensive drugs includes routine monitoring. Prescribing opiates also should include routine monitoring. Consider it a "background check" of a patient before prescribing a dangerous medication...

A Necessary Pain - 05/13/2016

In October 2013, the Texas Department of Public Safety officially began allowing physicians to electronically prescribe schedule II controlled substances. The practice of electronic prescription of controlled substances (EPCS) for schedule II drugs became more commonplace in March 2014, after DPS completed a small pilot program to test the accuracy of reporting schedule II drugs to the Texas Prescription Program. Sending prescription requests to a pharmacy through an electronic vendor helps reduce the risk of prescription fraud.

Victory! CSR Permit Program to Be Eliminated Next Year - 05/12/2016

Thanks to TMA advocacy this legislative session, the controlled substances registration permit program will be eliminated, effective Sept. 1, 2016. Senate Bill 195 by Sen. Charles Schwertner, MD (R-Georgetown), and Rep. Myra Crownover (R-Denton) also moves the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program from the Texas Department of Public Safety to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy and broadens physicians' authority to delegate who can access the information.

DPS Begins to Synch Controlled Substance Permit Renewals - 06/10/2015

Following a three-month delay, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) reports it is beginning to synchronize physicians' controlled substances registration expiration dates with their Texas Medical Board license expiration dates.