Addendum to advice on the anticonvulsant drugs Pregabalin and Gabapentin, October 2018
Updated 17 October 2018
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On 14 January 2016 the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) published its advice on the misuse of Pregabalin and Gabapentin. The ACMD understands that following a consultation, the Home Office has decided that the substances should be placed in Schedule 3, and exempt from the requirements of the Safe Custody Regulations 1973.
The ACMD are amending the recommendations in that report, to also apply to esters and salts of Pregabalin and Gabapentin, as these could form the basis of pro-drugs of both compounds. The harms relating to those drugs are therefore also applicable to these products.
There are no known legitimate medicinal uses for the esters of Pregabalin or Gabapentin.
Revised Section 6. Recommendations
The ACMD recommends that both Pregabalin and Gabapentin, their salts and their esters are:
- controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 as Class C substances, and
- scheduled under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (as amended) as Schedule 3, so as not to preclude legitimate use on prescription.