A controlled drug (CD) is a prescribed medication that is governed by the Misuse of Drugs Legislation. This article will explore the legislation and governance surrounding CDs with a focus on how these are prescribed and monitored in primary care; it will also highlight significant untoward incidents related to CDs. Controlled drugs (CDs) are medications with stricter legal control over how they are prescribed, stored, produced and supplied, due to their ability to cause harm and potential to be misused (NHS Choices, 2015). They are an essential part of clinical care, with uses ranging from pain relief in palliative and obstetric care to mood stabilisers in psychiatiy. In the 2016 Care Quality Commission (CQC) report, it was found that over 60 000 000 controlled drug items were prescribed in primary care: the most common being tramadol, zopiclone, cliazepam, co-codamol and codeine, which amounted to a total cost of ￡526 941 06l. However, this did not take into account the quantity on a single prescription with some patients being prescribed very large closes of CDs to manage their pain (CQC, 2017). Controlled medicines are classified based on their benefit when used in medical treatment and their" harm if misused (Table 1).
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