Gabapentin to Become A Controlled Substance in Alabama

By: Heidi Dufrene, PharmD

Recently, the Alabama State Committee of Public Health voted to change Gabapentin to a Schedule V medication.  This ruling will become effective November 18, 2019, giving pharmacies and other health care providers adequate time to implement necessary changes. Once the change to a Schedule V has occurred, prescriptions for Gabapentin can contain no more than five refills, expire within six months and must be reported to the Alabama state prescription monitoring database.

Alabama follows several other states which have already changed Gabapentin to a controlled substance, including Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Michigan and Virginia.