Do controlled substances have special prescribing and dispensing requirements?
Yes. Most prescriptions for controlled substances are subject to both federal and state regulations. These regulations define how a prescription can be written, how your doctor can communicate it to a pharmacist, and how many times it can be refilled, among other aspects. For example, many controlled substances can only be refilled up to 6 months from the date of the original prescription, and medications with a higher potential for abuse (C2) cannot be refilled at all. All pharmacies, whether retail or mail order, are subject to these regulations. If your plan allows you to send a prescription for a controlled substance to Medco By Mail, you must send it by mail. Some states have regulations that limit the number of days allowed for a C2 prescription to be received and filled by a pharmacy. To meet the intent of such regulations, the prescription must be postmarked within the specified number of days of the date the prescription was written. Medco will fill prescriptions for controlle
