Is Alprazolam (Ativan) banned in India?

Alprazolam, sold as Alprax, Restyl and Trika, and lorazepam, sold as Ativan, are benzodiazepines used for anxiety and short-term insomnia. Neither is banned in India, but both are among the most tightly controlled medicines a pharmacy stocks, and the controls are what people experience as a ban.

Two regimes apply. Since 2014 benzodiazepines have been in Schedule H1 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, which requires the pharmacist to see a prescription, record the prescriber's and patient's details in a register kept for three years, and dispense only the quantity prescribed; packs carry a red-bordered warning. Separately, alprazolam and lorazepam are listed as psychotropic substances under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, so possession without a prescription, and sale outside licensed channels, are criminal offences. Police reports of seized "Alprax tablets" are common and are routinely headlined as drug busts.

Neither regime is a Section 26A prohibition. The drugs remain licensed, listed in the National List of Essential Medicines for anxiety and seizures, and available to any patient with a prescription.

Anyone taking a benzodiazepine should not stop abruptly; withdrawal can be dangerous, and a doctor will taper the dose. Anyone buying it online or from informal sellers is committing an offence and, more practically, has no way of knowing what the tablets contain.