Drug sold freely in Capital fuels rising addiction among youth

The Pregabalin problem

- Ridhima Gupta

In the back alleys of Delhi or inside a government-run Jan Aushadhi Kendras, a quiet drug crisis is unfolding.

The substance in question isn't heroin or cocaine — it’s Pregabalin, a prescription medication meant to treat anxiety, epilepsy, and nerve pain.

But on Delhi's streets, it has earned a far more sinister reputation: the “trance drug.”

“T used to take it just once a week for the high,” said a 28-year-old who began using Pregabalin recreationally after friends introduced him to its effects. “Soon I couldn't stop. Now I take it almost every day. And I've never once been asked for a prescription.”

Pregabalin, marketed under brand names such as Lyrica, Alzain, and Axalid, is meant to be dispensed only with a doctor’s prescription. But it is being sold freely — and illegally — across the Capital. An HT investigation revealed that the drug is readily available without a prescription at multiple Jan Aushadhi Kendras and private pharmacies, despite being a scheduled drug that should only be dispensed with a doctor's note.

At five Jan Aushadhi outlets — in Munirka, CR Park, Alaknanda, Govindpuri, and Zakir Bagh — HT was able to buy multiple dosages of the drug (75mg, 150mg, and 300mg) without so much as a question. Ten-tablet strips cost as little as ₹30 at these subsidised pharmacies, part of the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), which is meant to offer affordable generic medicines to the public.

In effect, the government's own welfare infrastructure is now helping to fuel an emerging addiction crisis.