1. (a) Only a physician licensed under IC 25-22.5 , a physician assistant licensed under IC 25-27.5 , or an advanced practice registered nurse licensed under IC 25-23 with prescriptive authority may treat a patient with a Schedule III or Schedule IV controlled substance for the purpose of weight reduction or to control obesity.

2. (b) A physician licensed under IC 25-22.5 , a physician assistant licensed under IC 25-27.5 , or an advanced practice registered nurse licensed under IC 25-23 with prescriptive authority may not prescribe, dispense, administer, supply, sell, or give any amphetamine, sympathomimetic amine drug, or compound designated as a Schedule III or Schedule IV controlled substance under IC 35-48-2-8 and IC 35-48-2-10 for a patient for purposes of weight reduction or to control obesity, unless the physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse does the following:

   1. (1) Determines:

      1. (A) through review of:

         1. (i) the physician's records of prior treatment of the patient; or

         2. (ii) the records of prior treatment of the patient provided by a previous treating physician or weight loss program;

            that the physician's patient has made a reasonable effort to lose weight in a treatment program using a regimen of weight reduction based on caloric restriction, nutritional counseling, behavior modification, and exercise without using controlled substances; and

      2. (B) that the treatment described in clause (A) has been ineffective for the physician's patient.
   2. (2) Obtains a thorough history and performs a thorough physical examination of the physician's patient before initiating a treatment plan using a Schedule III or Schedule IV controlled substance for purposes of weight reduction or to control obesity.

3. (c) A physician licensed under IC 25-22.5 , a physician assistant licensed under IC 25-27.5 , or an advanced practice registered nurse licensed under IC 25-23 with prescriptive authority may not begin and shall discontinue using a Schedule III or Schedule IV controlled substance for purposes of weight reduction or to control obesity after the physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse determines in the physician's, physician assistant's, or advanced practice registered nurse's professional judgment that:

   1. (1) the physician's patient has failed to lose weight using a treatment plan involving the controlled substance;
   2. (2) the controlled substance has provided a decreasing contribution toward further weight loss for the patient unless continuing to take the controlled substance is medically necessary or appropriate for maintenance therapy;

   3. (3) the physician's patient:

      1. (A) has a history of; or

      2. (B) shows a propensity for;

         alcohol or drug abuse; or

   4. (4) the physician's patient has consumed or disposed of a controlled substance in a manner that does not strictly comply with a treating physician's, physician assistant's, or advanced practice registered nurse's direction.
4. (d) A physician assistant licensed under IC 25-27.5 or an advanced practice registered nurse licensed under IC 25-23 with prescriptive authority may not prescribe a schedule II controlled substance for the purpose of weight reduction or to control obesity.

As added by P.L.157-1999, SEC.1. Amended by P.L.37-2001, SEC.1; P.L.135-2015, SEC.5; P.L.129-2018, SEC.45.