Can a doctor legally write a prescription for 20 mg of adderall twice a day and then tell the patient to only take 1 a day to save the patient 1 month's copay?

Answer 1

Yes he can do that. As long as he did not prescribe over a 3 month supply on a single prescription, it is fine. By law, C-II medications, such as Adderall, can NOT have any refills, meaning the patient must return to the Dr. everytime a refill is needed to obtain a new prescription. A doctor can write up to a 3 month's supply of medication on a single prescription, BUT insurance companies will only PAY for a ONE month supply of medication at a time. If you pay out of pocket, you can get all 3 month's worth on a single prescription. Therefore, if a doctor was to write you a single prescription for 60 Adderalls at 20 mg each (20 mg of adderall ONCE a day), the insurance company would only pay for 30 pills, since that is a ONE month supply (1 pill/day x 30 days = 30 pills) By writing the prescription as 2 pills/day, the insurance company will pay for all 60 pills, since they will be under the impression a one month supply is 60 pills (2 pills/day x 30 days = 60 pills). Not illegal, just sneaky (& smart)