# Other than narcotics can MDs prescribe any drug for themselves? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 18, 2006, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-narcotics-can-mds-prescribe-any-drug-for-themselves/348895 "2006-03-18T13:30:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2006, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-narcotics-can-mds-prescribe-any-drug-for-themselves/348895/1 "2006-03-18T13:30:36Z")
Just curious. Othe than narcotics are there any restrictions on docs prescribing drugs for themselves? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2006, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-narcotics-can-mds-prescribe-any-drug-for-themselves/348895/2 "2006-03-18T15:17:16Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Just curious. Othe than narcotics are there any restrictions on docs prescribing drugs for themselves? Generally not, in my state anyway. It’s discouraged by the AMA and other physician societies, but docs can prescribe non-scheduled drugs (scheduled: narcotics, anabolic steroids) for themselves. I have done so only rarely, and when it’s been to continue a med that my own doc has prescribed but the refills had run out. Rather than wait a number of hours or longer, I’ve occasionally written a script for my blood pressure med or similar. But then I make sure that further refills get transferred back under his name by contacting his office to let him know. And I try to plan my refills so that situation doesn’t happen in the first place. Otherwise, the old saw is generally true: A doctor who treats himself has a fool for a patient. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2006, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-narcotics-can-mds-prescribe-any-drug-for-themselves/348895/3 "2006-03-18T17:00:04Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > Otherwise, the old saw is generally true: A doctor who treats himself has a fool for a patient. It’s even worse if the doctor is a veterinarian. I do know of veterinarians who routinely write scripts for themselves/family using Fido’s name. For my hypertension medication, I purchase 100 tab bottles wholesale, with my MD’s knowledge. I pay around $5.00 per hundred, while through my pharmacy I would pay $12.00 for 30 tabs. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2006, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-narcotics-can-mds-prescribe-any-drug-for-themselves/348895/4 "2006-03-18T17:13:53Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > For my hypertension medication, I purchase 100 tab bottles wholesale, with my MD’s knowledge. I pay around $5.00 per hundred, while through my pharmacy I would pay $12.00 for 30 tabs. [hijack] That always bemused me. Well, maybe “irritated” would be a better word. My dog is on a “people medicine” which costs only a \*fraction \*of what it would if it was prescribed to a human. I dunno, it always just struck me as unfair. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-narcotics-can-mds-prescribe-any-drug-for-themselves/348895/5 "2006-03-18T23:20:22Z")
> [@](#): > > My dog is on a “people medicine” which costs only a fraction of what it would if it was prescribed to a human. > > I dunno, it always just struck me as unfair. Well to be fair a worker dog usually makes far less dollar for dollar then a worker person. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-narcotics-can-mds-prescribe-any-drug-for-themselves/348895/6 "2006-03-19T00:47:28Z")
Um, yeah. And unemployment is kinda high. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-narcotics-can-mds-prescribe-any-drug-for-themselves/348895/7 "2006-03-19T15:19:05Z")
It’s the same her: you can prescribe anything you want ecept narcotics for yourself, and you can prescribe narcotics for a family member. Not that you should, of course. For a prescription to be legal it has to have the name and address of the doctor, the name and address of the patient, the drug, the dose, the length of the course and it has to be signed by the doctor. A few weeks ago my father got an attack of gout on a Sunday, when the GP is closed, and a 4 hour wait in the ER was the alternative. My mother (who is a doctor) went to the pharmacy and got him some prescription strength NSAID painkillers with a prescription she had written on the back of an envelope. Perfectly legal and above board, although it helps that it’s our local pharmacy, and they know her! ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-narcotics-can-mds-prescribe-any-drug-for-themselves/348895/8 "2006-03-19T18:16:36Z")
In Kansas, at least as of a few years ago, yes. My ex-so wrote prescriptions for herself for non-schedule drugs. ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2006, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-narcotics-can-mds-prescribe-any-drug-for-themselves/348895/9 "2006-03-19T18:16:57Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > Generally not, in my state anyway. It’s discouraged by the AMA and other physician societies, but docs can prescribe non-scheduled drugs (scheduled: narcotics, anabolic steroids) for themselves. > > \ **QtM** I can certainly understand narcotics but am surprised that anabolics are scheduled. Is there a rationale for including those or is it just some kind of overreaction? In many countries, (including this one) many anabolics are OTC. Regards Testy