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6/26/2025
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New law allows 90-day prescriptions for ADHD medications
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 STATE HOUSE – The governor has signed into law legislation sponsored by Rep. Michelle McGaw and Sen. Alana M. DiMario to help relieve a burden on patients, parents and physicians by tripling the amount of non-opioid, non-narcotic Schedule II prescription drugs — including most commonly prescribed ADHD medications — that can be dispensed at one time.
The legislation (2025-H 5866B, 2025-S 0795), which was approved by lawmakers June 16, allows up to a 90-day supply of such drugs to be dispensed at a time. The bill takes effect immediately.
Until now, Schedule II drugs were limited to a 30-day supply. The result was that those who rely on such drugs for chronic conditions such as ADHD had to contact their prescriber every 30 days, and the prescriber would then have to contact the pharmacy to provide authorization. If the pharmacy did not have the proper dosage of the drug in stock, the pharmacy would notify the patient, and then the patient or prescriber would have to find a pharmacy that had it and repeat the process.
Over the last two years as the nation has experienced a shortage of the prescription drugs to treat ADHD, the 30-day limit has meant a time-consuming monthly hassle for those who rely on them, sometimes resulting in hours of phone calls and long drives to locate a pharmacy that has the drug at the proper dosage in stock.
“It is very cumbersome for patients, for parents and for physicians to go through this process every 30 days. Yes, there is a need to keep some restrictions on these drugs to prevent abuse, but the 30-day limit is heavy-handed when you consider all the difficulties people, their doctors and their pharmacists face each time they try to get a refill,” said Representative McGaw (D-Dist. 71, Portsmouth, Tiverton, Little Compton), who works as a consultant pharmacist serving the long-term care community. “Besides helping patients, this bill is a simple, safe way we can lighten a very significant load on our overburdened primary care providers and pediatricians’ staffs, who spend hours every single day on requests for refills of these very commonly used medicines. That’s good for all patients, given the crisis-level shortage of primary care providers in our state.”
Neighboring Massachusetts also allows such prescriptions to be dispensed in up to a 90-day supply.
Senator DiMario (D-Dist. 36, North Kingstown, Narraganset, New Shoreham), who works as a licensed mental health counselor, understands the relief this bill will provide because she has many clients who grapple with the work of filling their prescriptions every few weeks.
“Keeping ADHD prescriptions filled is inordinately time-consuming, frustrating and stressful, and some families have to juggle the process for multiple prescriptions, for multiple children, at times that aren’t synched. Allowing 90-day prescriptions will reduce this burden by two-thirds, which will be a very welcome relief to many patients and parents,” said Senator DiMario. “Cutting down the work involved with filling these prescriptions also lowers the risk that patients will run out by accident or because they simply couldn’t make the necessary phone calls in the short window of time they have to request a refill. Particularly for the many kids who struggle in school when they don’t have their ADHD medicine, this is change will make a very positive impact.”
The legislation was supported by the Rhode Island Pharmacists Association and the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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