This page replaces:
Under the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods legislation, an authority or approval from the NSW Ministry of Health is required to prescribe or supply a psychostimulant medicine.
A prescription for a psychostimulant medicine must be endorsed with an authority or approval number for it to be valid for dispensing.
Information on these requirements can be found at Prescribe a psychostimulant medicine.
Prior to 13 November 2023, authorities were issued by the Ministry of Health to individual psychiatrists, paediatricians, neurologists and some general practitioners to prescribe or supply psychostimulant medicines for ADHD treatment to any patient, subject to conditions. These authorities were issued:
From 13 November 2023 a Class authority issued by the Ministry of Health has replaced the CNS and/or S28c authorities. The class authority authorises any psychiatrist, paediatrician, and neurologist to prescribe or supply psychostimulant medicines for the treatment of ADHD in a non-drug dependent person, hence improving patient access to these medicines.
Psychiatrists, paediatricians, and neurologists are requested to use the Class authority to prescribe or supply psychostimulant medicines to treat ADHD in non-drug dependent patients. These prescribers are requested to endorse prescriptions issued under this authority with the class authority number 'CA2023'. For more information see Prescribe a psychostimulant medicine.
To allow for continued access to psychostimulant medicines by patients of authorised practitioners, the 'CNS' or 'S28c' authorities will continue to remain valid unless otherwise cancelled or expired. Conditions previously listed in the CNS and S28c authorities, including compliance with the publications TG181 and TG190 have been replaced with the following conditions:
Please note that the above requirements are the same as the conditions listed in the Class authority.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ‘ADHD’ means a diagnosis meeting the criteria in the:
‘Drug dependent person’ has the same meaning as in section 27 of the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 1966. A drug dependent person means a person who has acquired an overpowering desire for the continued administration of such a drug as a result of repeated administration of:
