Is Lyrica a controlled substance? Its pregabalin is Schedule V.

The short answer

Yes. Pregabalin is listed in Schedule V at 21 CFR 1308.15(e)(7) as "Pregabalin [(S)-3-(aminomethyl)-5-methylhexanoic acid]" with DEA Controlled Substances Code Number 2782. "Lyrica" is a brand name that does not appear in the schedule text; the listing is for the substance.

The statute behind every schedule is Title 21 U.S.C. 812, part of the Controlled Substances Act. The regulation that lists substances one by one is 21 CFR part 1308, sections 1308.11 to 1308.15. This page quotes both. The CFR text was read from the eCFR versioner API for the issue current through October 29, 2026, and the statute from the 2024 U.S. Code edition published on govinfo. This is a classification page only: it contains no dosing, use, acquisition or synthesis information.

The pregabalin entry, quoted

Paragraph (e) of 1308.15, headed "Depressants", is the whole of the Schedule V depressant list and it has seven items: (1) Brivaracetam 2710; (2) Cenobamate 2720; (3) Ezogabine 2779; (4) Ganaxolone 2401; (5) Lacosamide 2746; (6) Lasmiditan 2790; (7) Pregabalin 2782. Pregabalin is the last. The lead-in covers "any material, compound, mixture, or preparation which contains any quantity of the following substances having a depressant effect on the central nervous system, including its salts".

Schedule V is the lowest of the five schedules. Note a drafting difference: the opening sentence of 1308.15(a) lacks the sentence found in the other four sections that says each substance "has been assigned the Controlled Substances Code Number set forth opposite it", yet code numbers are printed in the list all the same.

A close neighbour that is not scheduled

Pregabalin is often discussed alongside gabapentin. DEA's April 2026 gabapentin fact sheet states that gabapentin "closely resembles pregabalin, a schedule V drug under the Controlled Substances Act" and, under Control Status, that "Gabapentin is not controlled under the Controlled Substances Act." The two are therefore treated differently in the federal schedules. Our separate page on gabapentin covers that side.

Brand names versus substances and the Schedule V findings

A text search of 1308.11 to 1308.15 for "Lyrica" finds no match, so the schedule attaches to the substance named in the listing, and a product's ingredients are stated on its FDA-approved label (FDA's DailyMed publishes them). Under 21 U.S.C. 812(b)(5), a Schedule V substance has "a low potential for abuse relative to the drugs or other substances in schedule IV", "a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States", and abuse that "may lead to limited physical dependence or psychological dependence relative to the drugs or other substances in schedule IV". The initial Schedule V in 812(c) does not name pregabalin. This page gives no dosing, use or medical information.

The Schedule V listing, in the CFR's own words

The lead-in of 21 CFR 1308.15(e) reads:

(e) Depressants. Unless specifically exempted or excluded or unless listed in another schedule, any material, compound, mixture, or preparation which contains any quantity of the following substances having a depressant effect on the central nervous system, including its salts:

Entries from the Schedule V depressants at 1308.15(e):

• (1) Brivaracetam 2710
• (2) Cenobamate 2720
• (3) Ezogabine 2779
• (4) Ganaxolone 2401
• (5) Lacosamide 2746
• (6) Lasmiditan 2790
• (7) Pregabalin 2782

What the statute requires for Schedule V

Title 21 U.S.C. 812(b) says a drug or other substance "may not be placed in any schedule unless the findings required for such schedule are made". For Schedule V the findings are: (A) The drug or other substance has a low potential for abuse relative to the drugs or other substances in schedule IV. (B) The drug or other substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. (C) Abuse of the drug or other substance may lead to limited physical dependence or psychological dependence relative to the drugs or other substances in schedule IV.

Those findings are the statutory test for putting a substance into the schedule. They are not a description of any person's use of a drug, and they are not a medical statement. The CFR sections 1308.11 to 1308.15 then list, substance by substance, what has been placed in each of the five schedules.

How to read and re-check a schedule listing

A schedule entry has a fixed shape. A lead-in sentence says which class of substance follows and often that the listing extends to salts, isomers and salts of isomers. Each line then names a substance and, in most sections, a four-digit DEA Controlled Substances Code Number. The opening paragraph of 1308.11 to 1308.14 says each substance "has been assigned the DEA Controlled Substances Code Number set forth opposite it". The number identifies the line; it is not a rating of risk.

1. Open the section for the schedule you want: 21 CFR 1308.11 (Schedule I), 1308.12 (II), 1308.13 (III), 1308.14 (IV) or 1308.15 (V) in the eCFR.
2. Find the paragraph for the class of substance: opiates, opium derivatives, hallucinogenic substances, depressants, stimulants, narcotic drugs, anabolic steroids and so on, each introduced by a lead-in sentence.
3. Read the entry by its official or chemical name, not by brand name, and note the four-digit DEA Controlled Substances Code Number printed beside it.
4. Check for words such as "unless specifically excepted" or "except" in the lead-in or the line itself, which limit what the entry covers.
5. Confirm the date: the eCFR shows an "as of" date, and the schedules change by rulemaking.

Limits of this page

This page quotes the text of 21 CFR 1308.11 to 1308.15 as published in the eCFR, current through October 29, 2026 (last substantive amendment dates per the eCFR versioner: 1308.11 October 21, 2026, 1308.12 December 21, 2022, 1308.13 April 28, 2026, 1308.14 August 31, 2026, 1308.15 June 1, 2022), and parts of 21 U.S.C. 812. It reports federal classification only. It does not describe any state law, any registration, record-keeping or prescription requirement, any penalty, or any use of a drug, and it does not tell you whether a particular product, person or activity is lawful. The eCFR is an editorial compilation, not the official legal edition of the Federal Register, and the schedules change by rulemaking, so check the current text and DEA before relying on it. Questions about law go to a qualified attorney, and questions about a medicine go to a pharmacist or physician.

Sources

Sources opened and read November 2, 2026.

• eCFR: 21 CFR 1308.15, Schedule V (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)
• eCFR: 21 CFR part 1308, Schedules of controlled substances (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)
• GovInfo: 21 U.S.C. 812, Schedules of controlled substances, United States Code, 2024 Edition (read November 2, 2026)
• DEA Diversion Control Division, "Gabapentin" drug and chemical evaluation fact sheet (April 2026) (read November 2, 2026)