(a) Prior to issuing the initial prescription of a Schedule II controlled substance or any other opioid pain reliever that is a prescription drug in a course of treatment for acute or chronic pain and again prior to issuing the second prescription in a course of treatment, a practitioner shall discuss with the patient, the patient’s parent or guardian if the patient is under 18 years of age and is not an emancipated minor or the patient’s caregiver, the following information about the drugs being prescribed:(1) the reasons why the prescription is necessary;(2) alternative treatments that may be available; and(3) the risks associated with the use of the drugs being prescribed, specifically that opioids are highly addictive, even when taken as prescribed; that there is a risk of developing a physical or psychological dependence on the controlled substance; and that taking more opioids than prescribed, or mixing alcohol, benzodiazepines and other central nervous system depressants, can result in fatal respiratory depression.
(1) the reasons why the prescription is necessary;
(2) alternative treatments that may be available; and
(3) the risks associated with the use of the drugs being prescribed, specifically that opioids are highly addictive, even when taken as prescribed; that there is a risk of developing a physical or psychological dependence on the controlled substance; and that taking more opioids than prescribed, or mixing alcohol, benzodiazepines and other central nervous system depressants, can result in fatal respiratory depression.
(b) The practitioner shall include a note in the patient’s medical record that the practitioner has discussed with the patient, the patient’s parent or guardian or the patient’s caregiver, as applicable, the risks of developing a physical or psychological dependence on the controlled substance and alternative treatments that may be available.
(c) Subsection (a) shall not apply to a patient who is receiving hospice care from a licensed hospice care provider or is under palliative care for a terminal illness.