Changes coming for some pain medicines
On August 22, 2014, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made a rule that puts new
controls on some kinds of pain medicine. This rule comes after lots of government agencies and
groups for people with pain, people with drug abuse problems, and healthcare providers have
discussed it for more than 10 years.
The DEA’s rule will goes into effect on October 6, 2014. It will cause some big changes to how
some pain medicines are prescribed. We want you to know about these changes, so that you
can work with your healthcare providers to keep from running out of medicine.
What medicines are affected?
There are 65 brand names of these medicines on the market, as well as their generic versions.
Here are some of the brand names, as well as a way to know if your generic medicine is
affected.







Vicodin, Vicodin ES, Vicodin HP
Lortab, Lorcet, Lorcet Plus
Norco
Zydone
Vicoprofen
Any other medicine that includes the word “hydrocodone” and one of the following:
o Aspirin
o ASA
o Acetaminophen
o APAP
o Ibuprofen
Cough medicines including hydrocodone
If you have refills left on your prescription
After the new rule goes into effect on October 6, pharmacies will not be able to refill
prescriptions for these medicines. If you already have a prescription, and it has refills left on it,
those refills will be canceled on October 6, and you will need to get a new prescription from
your prescriber.
Also, after the rule goes into effect, your prescriber will not be able to call in a prescription for
these medicines to the pharmacy. If you are going to keep taking these medicines and need a
new prescription, you will need to get a new written prescription from your prescriber.
This means that, if you are going to need a refill after October 6, it would be a good idea for you
to talk to your prescriber now, so the two of you can decide how to get you the prescription
you will need.
Some prescribers might decide that they need to have you come in for an office visit before
writing a new prescription. Others might decide that they can just write a prescription and have
you pick it up at their office.
Other details for your prescriber
The new rules will no longer allow refills, but there is a way that you can get prescriptions with
enough medicine to last for three months. Your prescriber will need to know about how to do
this, and will need to write your prescriptions in a certain way to make this happen. If your
prescriber does not know about this, he or she can find information about the rules here.
A final word: Keep your medicines safe
The DEA is making this new rule because a lot of people don’t use their pain medicines the way
they should be used. Sometimes, people use pain medicines without having a prescription for
them. That is very dangerous, and they can die if they do that.
When they are asked, most people who use pain medicines without a prescription say that they
got the medicine from a friend or a relative. Sometimes they say they got it for free, sometimes
they say they bought it, and sometimes they say they stole it.
Because a lot of people want to get these medicines without a prescription, it is very important
that you keep them in a safe place. If you have a place where you can lock them up, please use
it. If you don’t have a place like that, please hide your pain medicines in a place where no one
would think to look for them. And importantly, don’t tell anyone else where they are, because
you might not know who wants to get them.
If you have medicines left over, for any reason, please get rid of them as soon as possible. The
DEA and your local police or sheriff’s department usually have special “take-back” days in April
and October of each year. At other times, you can mix your extra medicines with something
unpleasant, like used kitty litter or used coffee grounds, put them into a sealed plastic bag, and
then put them into your household trash. Just be as sure as you can that no one will be able to
get them out of your trash and use them without a prescription.