Which substances are most commonly omitted from a pharmacy’s annual controlled substance inventory?

The inclusion of pseudoephedrine products in the controlled substance inventory inventory can be misleading. Pseudoephedrine is regulated due to its potential use in the illicit production of methamphetamine; however, it is classified as a Schedule V substance under federal law and is not considered a controlled substance in the same manner as opioids or stimulants. Many pharmacies may focus their inventory efforts primarily on substances that are higher on the Schedules, such as Schedule II (opioids) and Schedule III (certain stimulants), which require more rigorous inventory control.

In practice, while pharmacies are mandated to keep accurate inventories of all controlled substances, they may inadvertently overlook or give less attention to pseudoephedrine products during annual inventory audits. This is often due to the perception that their control is less stringent when compared to other highly regulated substances like opioids and stimulants, which are more closely monitored given their higher potential for abuse and addiction. Thus, pseudoephedrine products are more commonly omitted from inventory counts compared to their higher-scheduled counterparts.