Pregabalin Goes Prescription-Only From Nov 12 After Punjab's Pushਪ੍ਰੀਗਾਬਾਲਿਨ 12 ਨਵੰਬਰ ਤੋਂ ਸਿਰਫ਼ ਪਰਚੀ 'ਤੇ, ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੀ ਮੰਗ ਮਗਰੋਂ

Pregabalin, a drug Punjab has long flagged for misuse as a habit-forming sedative, will come under stricter control from November 12, when chemists will no longer be allowed to sell it over the counter, The Indian Express reports. It can be dispensed only against a valid prescription from a registered medical practitioner.

What has changed for pregabalin?

The Union Health Ministry moved pregabalin into Schedule H1 of the Drugs Rules, 1945, through notification G.S.R. 377(E) issued on May 13, 2026, replacing its earlier, less strict Schedule H status. Retailers must keep a separate register recording the prescribing doctor, the patient and the quantity supplied. The restrictions take effect on November 12.

Why does it matter for Punjab?

The Indian Express says Punjab had sought regulation of the drug since 2023 because of its sedative and dissociative effects. Scroll reports that a recent study by psychiatrists across Punjab and Chandigarh found nearly half of patients seeking treatment for substance use disorders were dependent on pregabalin or used it without prescriptions, and that the state banned sale and stocking of doses above 75 mg in 2024.

What is the link to the Jhota killing?

The measures arrive about a month after anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot dead in Mansa on October 13, allegedly by a chemist he had confronted over the sale of addictive medicines, according to The Indian Express. Scroll says his focus was on chemists selling high doses of pregabalin without prescription.

How are chemists responding?

Amar Ujala reports that the Punjab Chemists Association has said no chemist will sell medicines without a bill, that Schedule H1 and NRx drugs must not be given without a valid prescription, and that full purchase and sale records of pregabalin 75 mg must be kept.

Does pregabalin become illegal from November 12?

No. It stays legal as a prescription medicine, for example for nerve pain. What ends is over-the-counter sale without a doctor's prescription.

Who can buy pregabalin after November 12?

Only patients with a valid prescription from a registered medical practitioner, and the chemist must log the sale in the separate H1 register.

When does the new rule start?

On November 12, 2026.