Is pregabalin legal in the UK?
Controlled drugClass C, Schedule 3 (since 1 April 2019)· Last checked 23 October 2026
UK legal status
Short answer Verified
Pregabalin has been a Class C controlled drug in the UK since 1 April 2019, listed in Schedule 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. Possessing it without a prescription is an offence, and importing it without a Home Office licence is illegal.
- Status
- Controlled drug
- Verified
- Schedule or class
- Class C, Schedule 3 (since 1 April 2019)
- Regulator
- Home Office / MHRA
- Medicine class
- Gabapentinoid
- CAS / ATC
- 148553-50-8 · N03AX16
- Identifiers.
What pregabalin is
Pregabalin is used for neuropathic pain, epilepsy and generalised anxiety disorder. Rising misuse and related deaths led to its control in the UK in 2019.
Status in other markets
- United States
- Controlled drugSchedule VDEA / FDA
- Verified
- Australia
- Prescription onlyS4 (prescription only)TGA
- Inferred
- European Union
- Prescription onlyVaries by member stateEMA / national competent authorities
- Unverified
Licences needed to import
- Importing pregabalin into Great Britain from India, which is not on the approved country for import list, needs an MHRA manufacturer's licence of the appropriate type.
- Distributing it by way of wholesale dealing needs a wholesale dealer's licence, and licensed wholesalers must follow Good Distribution Practice.
- The product must hold a UK marketing authorisation, or be supplied as an unlicensed medicine under the specials rules with the MHRA notified before import.
- Because pregabalin is a controlled drug in the UK, the import also needs a Home Office licence, in addition to the MHRA licences above.
50 Indian export portals in our Nagpur dataset name pregabalin on their profiles. We do not list them on this page. To check a specific business, use the UK verification request.
Personal import
No specific UK personal-import rule is recorded for this medicine.
Any pharmacy supplying medicines to UK patients, online or in person, must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). You can search the GPhC register by name or registration number.
Penalties
- Possession without a prescription: up to 2 years' imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both.
- Supply, or possession with intent to supply: up to 14 years' imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both.
- Importing without a Home Office licence is an offence under the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, s.170.
- Prescriptions are limited to 30 days' treatment and must be dispensed within 28 days.
Maximum sentences. Actual outcomes depend on the facts of each case.
Sources
- Home Office: pregabalin and gabapentin to Schedule 3 (April 2019)
- Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001
- Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, s.170
- DEA: Controlled substances, alphabetical order
- TGA Personal Importation Scheme
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012, reg. 17 (manufacturer's licence)
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012, reg. 18 (wholesale dealer's licence)
- MHRA: Import a human medicine
- Home Office: Controlled drugs licences, fees and returns
General information, not legal advice. Entries marked Inferred or Unverified have not been confirmed against a primary source. See our methodology and corrections policy.