Do pharmacists confirm prescriptions?

Question

I was wondering if you are prescribed a controlled drug, such as xanax, and you take it to a pharmacist, do they have to confirm it by calling the doctor, or anything like that?

Answer 1

They don't have to.  I used to work retail alone on weekends.  It got so bad with bogus scripts that I verified every controlled 2 scripts or simply didn't fill them.  I would do the same with some of the old controlled liquid preps.  The bogus scripts stopped after that.  If a script looks bogus to a reasonable pharmacist then they would be obligated to check.  You can fill everything that comes in the store but sooner or later your state board and/or the DEA will come a callin'.

Answer 2

they are suppose to on certain drugs, and definitly have a signature from the Dr. the live prescription is confirmation.

Answer 3

The pharmacist has a professional duty to verify a controlled substance prescription if they have any reason to question the authenticity, accuracy, or appropriateness.  A prescription is not a blanket order that is immune to scrutiny.  

The state licensing board (pharmacy and medical), the State Attorney General, and the DEA all have governance over the proper professional handling of prescriptions.  

If the pharmacist has a reason to question, they must question.

Answer 4

No, they don't.

The way they confirm it is by you're physcians DEA number. Next time you have a script for a controlled substance, take a look at it. You'll see something that says DEA number:1289812828 or some numbers like that.

The pharmacist enters the DEA number, verifies the physician is verified to perscripe that medication, and you're all set.

If pharmacists called doctors for every controlled substance prescription neither doctors or pharmacists would ever get any work done.

Answer 5

They do sometimes. They might call if something is wrong with the script, or they think that it is fake. But if you just take a script for a controlled drug to the pharmacy, they don't have to call the doctor. They can just fill the script.

Answer 6

Generally not, no.  Xanax is a Schedule IV drug, meaning that it is seen as having a relatively low potential for abuse and is recognized as having a medical purpose.

There are limits on how often the prescription can be refilled, and a pharmacist might call the doctor if they were concerned about attempts to refill it more often, but as long as the prescription is written correctly and has a DEA number, they can just fill it as far as I know.