The New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program and ADHD medication

Every time a New Jersey pharmacy dispenses an ADHD stimulant, a record goes to a state database called the New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program (NJPMP). Prescribers must check it before they start a controlled substance, and may check it again later. This article explains, as of October 2026, what the database holds, who may look at it, when a prescriber must, how it connects to New York, and how to fix a mistake.

What the NJPMP is

The NJPMP is run by the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. The statute behind it dates from 2007 and was revised by P.L.2015, c.74, which added N.J.S.A. 45:1-46.1, the mandatory look-up section. The detailed rules are in N.J.A.C. 13:45A-35.

Pharmacies must report every outpatient dispensing of a Schedule II, III, IV or V controlled dangerous substance, plus human growth hormone and gabapentin. That covers amphetamine and methylphenidate products. The data go to the program's vendor daily.

What a record contains

Under N.J.A.C. 13:45A-35.3, each report includes, among other items:

• your name, date of birth, address and phone number
• the date dispensed, the prescription number and the drug's national code
• the drug name, strength and quantity
• the prescriber's name and DEA registration number
• the pharmacy's permit number and the date the prescription was issued
• the payment source, such as insurance or cash
• when available, the type and number of a government identification

If someone other than the patient picks up the medication and the pharmacist reasonably believes that person may want it for a reason other than delivering it to the patient, that person's name and relationship to the patient must also be reported.

The data elements listed in the rule do not include a diagnosis. The record shows what was dispensed, when, by whom and to whom. It does not say why.

Who may look at it

That list comes from N.J.A.C. 13:45A-35.6. An employer is not on it, and neither is a landlord or a school. Users must register, may not share their login, and must follow federal health privacy law. The Division keeps the information for at least seven years.

The access rule does not list patients among those who may look up records online. If you want to see your own history, ask your pharmacy for your dispensing records or ask your prescriber to review the report with you. Privacy more broadly is covered in ADHD and privacy in New Jersey.

When a prescriber must check

One rule sets the duty that matters for ADHD stimulants.

• When starting. The Board of Medical Examiners rule says that when a physician starts prescribing a controlled dangerous substance, the physician must access and consider the patient's monitoring information, under N.J.S.A. 45:1-46.1 (N.J.A.C. 13:35-7.6(b)5).
• The separate look-up rule. N.J.A.C. 13:45A-35.9 sets a look-up schedule, including quarterly checks, that is tied to prescribing a Schedule II drug or an opioid for acute or chronic pain, and to benzodiazepines. It should not be read as a quarterly-check rule for ADHD stimulants. A prescriber may still choose to review the database at later visits.

Pharmacists have a narrower duty. A pharmacist must check before dispensing a Schedule II drug if the pharmacist reasonably believes the person may be seeking it for a purpose other than treatment (N.J.A.C. 13:45A-35.9(b)).

What a prescriber looks for

The point of the check is safety: overlapping prescriptions from more than one prescriber, fills at many pharmacies, or a combination of controlled substances that changes the risk. A report that shows a different pharmacy during a shortage, or a prescription from a previous clinician, is not unusual in itself. Expect to be asked about anything the report shows that your prescriber did not already know.

Help the check work in your favor:

1. Tell your prescriber about every controlled substance you take, including those from other clinicians, such as a sleep medication or a pain prescription after surgery.
2. If you switched pharmacies because of a shortage, say so.
3. If you are moving care from another clinician, bring the name of the previous prescriber and pharmacy. See switching ADHD psychiatrists in New Jersey.

Interstate sharing, including New York

New Jersey's rule allows information to be shared with monitoring programs in other states under an interoperability agreement or a secure information-sharing system. In 2016 New York announced that it had begun sharing monitoring data with New Jersey through the PMP InterConnect hub, which is run by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. The hub moves data between state programs and does not store it.

A more recent listing, Connecticut's interstate data-sharing page dated May 5, 2026, shows both New Jersey and New York among the states that exchange data through PMP InterConnect and RxCheck. In practice, a prescriber in one state can usually request a patient's dispensing history from the other, subject to each state's access rules. A stimulant filled in Manhattan can therefore appear when a New Jersey prescriber runs a report, and the reverse.

The New York program is described in I-STOP and New York's Prescription Monitoring Program. Cross-border filling is covered in filling an ADHD prescription across the New York and New Jersey line.

Correcting a mistake

Errors happen, for example a prescription logged under the wrong patient. N.J.A.C. 13:45A-35.12 sets out the fix:

1. Write to the pharmacy that submitted the record, using its process.
2. Explain what is wrong, what the correct information is, and include documentation, your name, address, phone number and signature.
3. If the pharmacy agrees, it must correct its records and the monitoring program within 14 days and tell you.
4. If it does not agree, it must tell you within 14 days and explain how to ask the Board of Pharmacy to review the dispute.

The bottom line

The monitoring program is a routine part of stimulant treatment in New Jersey. It must be checked when treatment starts, and its contents are limited to dispensing records shared with a defined list of users. Being open with your prescriber about every controlled prescription is the simplest way to keep it from raising questions. For the prescription rules that sit alongside it, see New Jersey's rules for ADHD stimulant prescriptions.