A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announcement provides information regarding the scheduling of carisoprodol, effective as of January 11, 2012.
The DEA Final Rule making the drug a Schedule IV controlled substance was published December 12, 2011, and states that effective January 11, 2012, all prescriptions for drugs containing carisoprodol shall comply with DEA regulations.
Specifically, a pharmacy may only fill or refill a prescription for a drug containing carisoprodol if all of the following requirements are met:
1. the prescription was issued for a legitimate medical purpose by a DEA-registered practitioner acting in the usual course of professional practice (21 CFR §1306.04);
2. the prescription contains all the information required by 21 CFR §1306.05; and
3. the number of refills authorized by the prescribing practitioner is five or less (21 USC §829(b)).