Effect of a triplicate prescription law on prescribing of Schedule II drugs.

Prescribing of Schedule II drugs for outpatients before and after enactment of a triplicate prescription law (TPL) was examined at a 1200-bed teaching hospital in Texas. Four pharmacists reviewed all prescriptions for Schedule II drugs during 1981 (before TPL) and 1982 (after TPL). The name of the drug product, quantity, and prescriber's training classification were recorded. Prescribing of non-Schedule II analgesics was also analyzed. Finally, prescribing by 280 resident physicians was examined for six months before and six months after enactment of TPL. The total number of prescriptions received for Schedule II drugs decreased by 60.4% from 1981 to 1982 (total outpatient prescriptions increased by 12.7%). The number of Schedule II prescriptions received from first-year residents decreased by 44.5%, more than for any other category of prescribers. In each year, nine of the ten most frequently prescribed Schedule II medications were analgesics. The numbers of prescriptions for several non-Schedule II analgesics increased in 1982 at a rate greater than that for all outpatient drugs. The medical residents wrote 2958 Schedule II prescriptions in 1981 and 834 in 1982. At this hospital, a TPL discouraged prescribing of Schedule II drugs.