Correspondence

Prescriptions by Mail

N Engl J Med 1993; 328:667March 4, 1993

Article

To the Editor:

The proliferation of mail-order pharmacies is accompanied by a potential danger. A patient recently requested a medication refill. I was instructed to place a renewal label provided for me on my blank prescription form and then to sign and date my prescription form. Ostensibly, this was to save me the time of rewriting the prescription, including the name of the drug, the dose, and the directions. After I dutifully attached the label to my prescription form, it became obvious that the label could easily be peeled off. This would leave a blank but signed and dated prescription form with an attached narcotic number.

This approach to refilling prescriptions has a potential for abuse.

Gerald B. Miley, M.D.
303 Boylston St., Brookline, MA 02146