Do you have to count lyrica at your LTC facility?

[Blackcat99]

We have to count all of our lyrica at my job every shift. I was curious as to whether this was just something done at my LTC or if there were other facilities that also counted lyrica.

[maddock26]

@ CapeCodMermaid- Exactly! It's the dumbest thing and a complete waste of time.

[vicki518]

yes we do

[ABehrnes]

Yes, we count Lyrica at our facility also

[x19amanda]

yes we do. some nurses count coumadin by dating next to the cartridge when removed, and antibiotics are usually ordered with the correct amt of dosages in the cartridge needed, so you can tell if one wasnt given.

[LockportRN]

This used to concern me as well when I started at the last facility until I realized that the 'missed' doses had actually been taken from the emergency box. Since then, we note on the shift report that the antibiotics were started from the e-box and write in how many more doses are due. No more missed doses.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

We count Lyrica because it can be sold on the street and used to get high....not because we are trying to make sure all doses are given.

[NurseQT]

Lyrica is schedule V and not required by law to be kept double locked and reconciled by licensed staff. Scheduled II meds are the only ones that must be kept double locked and counted. III-V being counted is per facility preference. I have never worked anywhere that IVs and Vs were counted. Tramadol is not a controlled drug, the CSA is federal and applies to all 50 states...

[NurseQT]

I had that partly wrong... Tramadol has yet to be classified as a scheduled drug by the DEA, but there have been states that have scheduled it at the state level.

[Gabby-RN]

I have worked for facilities that have opted to have nurses count Lyrica and Tramadol because they were disappearing. One place even made up count Prilosec for a couple of months because they suspected someone was stealing them.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

Yup! And right now we have two on it and it came from a different pharmacy. That means its not on a nice card, it's in a bottle like any Rx you have at home. Just LOVE counting out 27 capsules coming from a bottle!

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

We don't count ABX, because invariably, we pull the first couple of doses from contingency, then pharmacy sends the full Rx, so if we counted and gave it all, they'd get more than the course of ABX that was prescribed.

Interesting footnote. We had a new admit who's on phenobarbital. Had to count those at the start of each shift. Resident got admitted to hospital, ended up coming back with a Gtube. Now his phenol is in liquid form and sits in the med cart right next to MOM and Tussin and all of a sudden it doesn't need to be kept locked nor does it need to be counted![

QUOTE=Blackcat99;6990512]Thanks to all. Where I worked in LTC 3 years ago we didn't count it. I like the idea of counting antibiotics. I always find "leftover antibiotics" after antibiotics are dc'd at my current LTC.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

Wow, lock me up then! And all of my coworkers!!

It is illegal to make marks on a card of medication. If you don't think the residents are getting their meds, I suggest you speak to the nurse in question or the DON.