Question 13

If a patient is given 3-10 day prescription but they have reaction to the medication, it is okay to prescribe a different opioid within the 10-day window as long as these conditions are met:

Tenn. Code Ann. § 63-1-164

A patient shall not be treated with an opioid more frequently than every ten (10) days; provided, however, that if the patient has an adverse reaction to an opioid, a healthcare practitioner may treat a patient with a different opioid within a ten-day period under the following circumstances:

  1. The healthcare practitioner is employed by the same practice that initially treated the patient with the opioid that caused the adverse reaction;
  2. The healthcare practitioner personally evaluates the patient, assesses the patient’s adverse reaction, and determines a different course of treatment is more medically appropriate;
  3. The healthcare practitioner confirms with the dispenser that the remainder of the initial prescription has been cancelled by the dispenser;
  4. The healthcare practitioner counsels the patient to appropriately destroy any remaining opioids that were previously dispensed to the patient;

References:

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