Can an NP prescribe Oxycodone in North Carolina?

Yes, but only with required authorization and safeguards — a North Carolina NP may prescribe oxycodone only when the NP has active prescriptive authority, the collaborative practice agreement establishes Schedule II controlled-substance authority, and DEA and supervising-physician schedule requirements are met, and the prescription is within the NP's population focus, education, national certification, and competence.¹ Oxycodone is a Schedule II opioid and a targeted controlled substance under North Carolina's STOP Act framework.²

For an initial acute-pain prescription, targeted controlled substances are limited to a 5-day supply, or 7 days for immediate post-operative acute pain; the acute-pain cap does not apply to chronic pain or pain treated as part of cancer care, hospice care, palliative care, or medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorder.³

The NP must review and document the CSRS before initially prescribing oxycodone and every subsequent three-month period while it remains part of care, unless an exception applies, including targeted controlled substances administered in certain care settings or prescribed for cancer-related, hospice, or palliative care.⁴ North Carolina also requires meaningful, documented supervising-physician consultation before targeted controlled-substance prescribing in qualifying pain-management settings when use is expected to exceed 30 days, and at least every 90 days when a targeted controlled substance is continuously prescribed outside pain-management settings.⁵

North Carolina NPs may not prescribe controlled substances for themselves, their supervising physician, immediate family members, household members, or intimate partners. No refills are permitted for Schedule II controlled substances.