Can an NP prescribe Ativan in Pennsylvania?
Yes — Pennsylvania CRNPs may prescribe Ativan (lorazepam), a Schedule IV controlled substance, if they have current prescriptive authority approval and prescribe within their specialty under a physician prescriptive-authority collaborative agreement.13
For Ativan specifically, the collaborative agreement must identify Schedule IV authority, and Pennsylvania limits CRNP Schedule III or IV controlled-substance prescriptions to up to a 90-day supply.2 Pennsylvania also requires a PA PDMP query each time a benzodiazepine is prescribed4, and controlled-substance prescribing requires DEA registration.
Prescriptive authority approval also requires at least 45 hours of advanced pharmacology coursework. Pennsylvania CRNPs may not prescribe Schedule I controlled substances or delegate prescriptive authority.
Citations
- 49 Pa. Code §21.283(a); 49 Pa. Code §21.285
- 49 Pa. Code §21.284(d)(2)
- 28 Pa. Code §25.72(e)
- Pennsylvania Department of Health PDMP Prescriber Q&A
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