Doctor Decoded: What is a Controlled Substance?

Medications may be labeled and categorized as either “controlled” or “non-controlled.” Controlled substances may have restrictions on how you access them and how much your doctor can prescribe at once. In this video, learn what a controlled substance is and how it may affect you if your medication is controlled.

You can read more about the details of controlled substances here.

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Written by:

Marisa Taylor Karas

Marisa Taylor Karas is a freelance journalist based in Brooklyn who has covered health, gender, and technology for 15 years. She previously worked at The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera America, among other publications, and also served as managing editor of the Mellon Foundation in New York City.

Reviewed by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

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