Pharmacy Technician Certification Board Practice Exam

If a patient presents a prescription for zolpidem 5 mg tablets with eight refills, how should the pharmacy handle it?

1. Give the patient eight refills as instructed by the prescriber

2. Give the patient five refills, the maximum allowed by law

3. Allow the patient unlimited refills until the prescription expires

4. Contact the prescriber for a new prescription

The correct answer is: Give the patient five refills, the maximum allowed by law

The appropriate action when handling a prescription for zolpidem, a controlled substance, is to provide only the maximum number of refills permitted by law. For most schedule IV controlled substances, such as zolpidem, federal law limits refills to five within a six-month period from the date the prescription is written. This restriction is in place to ensure patient safety and to regulate the use of potentially habit-forming medications. In this context, while the prescriber may have indicated eight refills, the pharmacy must adhere to federal regulations, which take precedence over the prescriber’s instructions regarding refills for controlled substances. Therefore, giving the patient five refills as allowed by law ensures compliance with legal standards while providing the patient with sufficient medication.