Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 630-X-15 — Patient Opiate Risk Education

630 Alabama Board of Optometry

Ala. Admin. Code r. 630-X-15-.01 Mitigating Abuse Of Controlled Substances

The Board recognizes that opioid and other medications carry an inherent risk of addiction and abuse. In an effort to educate patients on those inherent risks, the Board adopts the following rules.

History

• Author: Wallace D. Mills, Dr. Fred Wallace
• Authority: Code of Ala., 1975, §
• New Rule: Published February 28, 2020; effective April 13, 2020.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 630-X-15-.02 Education

In any case when a licensed optometrist shall prescribe a pharmaceutical agent containing Codeine, Codeine Phosphate, Dihydrocodeine, ethylmorphine, opium or any derivative thereof, morphine, buprenorphine, or any Schedule III narcotic, the optometrist shall provide to the patient opiate risk education counseling and literature setting out the following:

(a) Information on the risks of addiction and overdose associated with opioid drugs and the dangers of taking opioid drugs and alcohol, benzodiazepines, and other central nervous system depressants;

(b) The reasons why the prescription given is necessary;

(c) Alternative treatment that may be available, if applicable;

(d) Information on the risks associated with the use of the drugs being prescribed, specifically that opioids are highly addictive, even when taken as prescribed; that there is a risk of developing a physical or psychological dependence on the controlled substance, and that the risks of taking more opioids than prescribed, or mixing sedatives, benzodiazepines, or alcohol with opioids may result in fatal respiratory depression.

History

• Author: Wallace D. Mills, Dr. Fred Wallace
• Authority: Code of Ala., 1975, §
• New Rule: Published February 28, 2020; effective April 13, 2020.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 630-X-15-.03 Written Acknowledgement Or Agreement

An optometrist prescribing a pharmaceutical agent described in 630-X-15-.02 may require a written acknowledgement or agreement from the patient, or the parent or guardian of the patient if the patient is under 18 years of age and is not an emancipated minor, that the patient understands the risks of developing a physical or psychological dependence on the controlled substance prescribed.

History

• Author: Wallace D. Mills, Dr. Fred Wallace
• Authority: Code of Ala., 1975, §
• New Rule: Published February 28, 2020; effective April 13, 2020.