Effective March 31, 2022, tramadol moved to Schedule I of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) and was listed as item 19 in the Schedule of the Narcotic Control Regulations (NCR). Tramadol is now subject to all regulatory requirements set out in the CDSA and the NCR.
Pharmacy teams are now required to follow the same requirements for tramadol-containing products as for any other narcotic-containing product. These requirements also apply to existing part-filled prescriptions. In the case of any part-filled prescriptions for tramadol-containing products that were issued prior to March 31, 2022, pharmacy teams are required to contact prescribers to specify dispensing intervals.
For more information about pharmacy teams’ responsibilities resulting from this change, including record keeping requirements, destruction, loss or theft reporting, security, and advertising and labelling, refer to this message from the Office of Controlled Substances.
