What constitutes forgery of a prescription under HSC 483.045?

Under Health and Safety Code 483.045, forgery of a prescription is specifically defined as altering an existing prescription or increasing the quantity of medication prescribed. This action involves tampering with the original document in a way that misrepresents the intent of the prescribing physician. Such actions can include changing dosages, drug names, or the number of refills, which misleads the pharmacist and ultimately poses a serious risk to public safety due to potential misuse of medications.

In contrast, filling a prescription without a doctor does not directly fall under the definition of forgery since it doesn't pertain to the alteration of an existing document. Writing a prescription for personal use can also occur within legal boundaries if done by a licensed physician with proper justification and does not inherently constitute forgery. Rejecting a prescription from a pharmacy does not involve the act of fabricating or altering a prescription, and thus is not relevant to the definition of forgery outlined in this law.