Hydrocodone-containing medications no longer supported Published Sept. 11, 2014 By Capt. Brittny Frazier Pharmacy Operations officer in charge ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Beginning Oct. 6 all hydrocodone-containing medications will become Schedule II. That means all prescriptions, including remaining refills on file at Robins pharmacy will become void. Affected medications include Norco and Tussionex. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been working to address the important problems associated with misuse, abuse, addiction and overdose of opioid analgesics for several years. The unfortunate trend has led to countless public health and safety concerns. Research shows that more than 16,000 lives are lost each year due to opioid-related overdoses contributing to prescription drug abuse which is the leading cause of injury death in the United States - surpassing motor vehicle accidents. In efforts to combat this epidemic, the Drug Enforcement Administration tightened rules on hydrocodone combination medications by moving it to the Schedule II medication class. That restricts prescribers from writing refills and calling-in hydrocodone containing medications to a pharmacy. Now patients will have to get a written prescription from a credentialed provider for each fill.