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Hydrocodone Classified as Schedule II Drug

When you have an injury at work and receive workers’ compensation benefits, your employer is responsible for paying for medical treatment that affects a cure, provides relief, or restores you to suitable employment.  Almost every type of injury at work causes some degree of pain.  Pain medication is one of the most common types of medical treatment used to relieve pain.  There are many different types of pain medication, but the most prescribed pain medication is hydrocdone – either by itself or in medications which are known as hydrocodone combination products.  There are many different hydrocodone combination products, but some of the most common include Lorcet, Lortab, Vicodin, and Norco (all of which are combinations of hydrocodone and acetaminophen.

DEA Reclassifies Hydrocodone

The Drug Enforcement Agency recently reclassified hydrocodone under the Controlled Subtances Act. Hydrocodone was a Schedule III drug but it is now a Schedule II drug.  This reclassification will officially go into effect on October 6.  If you are being prescribed hydrocodone or a hydrocodone combination product for a workers’ compensation injury, then you should be aware of how this change in classification under the Controlled Substances Act could affect you.

Effects of Hydrocodone Reclassification

This reclassification affects the prescription of hydrocodone in at least a couple of ways.

  1. Prescriptions for Schedule II drugs almost always have to be in writing.  The doctor cannot just call the prescription into the pharmacy or fax it over.
  2. Schedule II drugs cannot have refills.  All Schedule II drug prescriptions must be original.  As a result, if you are being prescribed hydrocodone or a hydrocodone combination product, you could have to see the doctor every time you need a prescription.  If it is difficult for you to see the doctor every month.  the doctor may be able to write you a series of three prescriptions with “do not fill until” dates on them.

Why Was Hydrocodone Reclassified

One major reason for the change in classification is an attempt to cut down on the amount of hydrocodone that is being used for nonmedical purposes.  Unfortunately, many people misuse hydrocodone and other opiates and become addicted.  Hopefully, making hydrocodone a little more difficult to obtain will cut down on misuse.

Where Can I Get More Information

If you are looking for more information about the reclassification of hydrocodone, there is a very good article by David Kroll on the Forbes website.  For more information about prescription medication treatment for a workers’ compensation injury, you should read our blog article about how to deal with difficulties getting prescriptions filled in a workers’ compensation case.  Also, if you have questions, you can get a free consultation with one of our attorneys specializing in workers’ compensation by calling the phone number or completing the “Need Help” form on the right of this page.

 

 

What if I have other questions about workers compensation?

Georgia’s workers compensation system can be very confusing.  You have to worry about getting the treatment you need and paying your bills while also worrying about not missing any deadlines that could cause you to lose your right to receive workers compensation benefits.

If you have questions, I would recommend that you try to get answers.  To find out more about how to schedule a time to talk to me about your workers compensation questions, just read this short article.

Jason Perkins is an attorney who specializes in representing injured workers.  He regularly publishes videos and write blog articles about Georgia’s workers compensation system and issues that are important to injured workers and their families.

To be notified of Jason’s new workers compensation videos, subscribe to his Georgia Workers Compensation Video Series channel on YouTube by clicking the subscribe button below.

Brittney-lee orourkeBrittney-lee orourke
05:23 18 Feb 22
Amazing! Jason and his team were very helpful and had the best communication by far. Walked me though every step with great detail and had answers for any question I had. They handled my case better then I could imagine, it was a weird case and they stayed on top of it and kept me updated every step of the way! Highly recommend this Team! Thanks so much to Jason and his Awesome team!-Brittney
China JonesChina Jones
18:58 08 Feb 22
I absolutely love this group of attorneys, when I was at my lowest they did everything they could to help me get justice for my injury. I believe if I were to have never picked my phone up and called the amazing group that helped me I definitely would not have received my idea of rights. If you have an issue and are just not sure please understand that they will help you, stay in contact, answer any question you have, and for sure get you the justice you deserve I thank them from the bottom of my heart and I will definitely refer them to anyone who has been hurt because they most definitely care about their work and clients.
Luv LocsLuv Locs
16:08 15 Jan 22
The entire law office was attentive and responsive to all of my concerns dealing with my workers compensation case.
moombimoombi
21:14 02 Jan 22
If you must get a lawyer involved, you’d do well to work with Jason Perkins and his team at Perkins Studdard Law.They were thorough in gathering information and in sharing all the steps in the workers comp process specific to my case. Jason and the team were responsive to my bevy of questions and concerns.I appreciated the informative videos and consultations provided by Jason over video meetings and multiple phone calls.I hope I’m never injured on the job again. However, if I am and if my employer responds as my previous employer did, I’ll contact Perkins Studdard Law immediately to handle the case.
Dana BessDana Bess
23:57 10 Dec 21
Everyone at Perkins Studdard was kind and professional. They were always extremely responsive and answered all questions that I had and followed up to make sure I had an understanding of what was going on along with emailing videos to explain every step of my case so I would know what to expect and be prepared. Jason is a very genuine person and I trusted him with my case. He answered so many questions for me even before I retained him as my WC lawyer. I highly recommend him and his associates at Perkins Studdard.
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