Two medicines, side by side
Acamprosate vs diazepam
Acamprosate is labeled for alcohol use disorder; diazepam for anxiety and muscle spasms and spasticity. Their labels share no use, so they are not alternatives to each other. Drugs@FDA records approvals of acamprosate since 2004 and of diazepam since 1963. Pharmacies paid $0.589 per acamprosate calc DR 333 mg tablet and $0.0283 per diazepam 10 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. Only the diazepam label carries a boxed warning.
Check it at the source: the acamprosate FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 14, 2026); the diazepam FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 11, 2026).
Highlights of the acamprosate record
Acamprosate (Campral) · label of July 14, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsAcamprosate calcium is indicated for the maintenance of abstinence from alcohol in patients with alcohol dependence who are abstinent at treatment initiation. Treatment with acamprosate calcium should be part of a comprehensive management program that includes psychosocial support. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- July 29, 2004
- Generic labelers
- 10 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.589 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 1
Highlights of the diazepam record
Diazepam (Valium) · label of August 11, 2026
RISKS FROM CONCOMITANT USE WITH OPIOIDS; ABUSE, MISUSE, AND ADDICTION; and DEPENDENCE AND WITHDRAWAL REACTIONS Concomitant use of benzodiazepines and opioids may result in profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death. Reserve concomitant prescribing of these drugs in patients for whom alternative treatment options are inadequate. Limit dosages and durations to the minimum required.
Used for
From the label: indicationsValium is indicated for the management of anxiety disorders or for the short- term relief of the symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety or tension associated with the stress of everyday life usually does not require treatment with an anxiolytic. In acute alcohol withdrawal, Valium may be useful in the symptomatic relief of acute agitation, tremor, impending or acute delirium tremens and hallucinosis. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- November 15, 1963
- Generic labelers
- 45 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0283 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 8
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Acamprosate label of July 14, 2026, Diazepam label of August 11, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do acamprosate and diazepam differ on the record?
Only the diazepam label carries a boxed warning.
Half-life, in each label's words: Acamprosate, “Elimination After oral dosing of 2 x 333 mg of acamprosate calcium, the terminal half-life ranges from approximately 20 …”; Diazepam, “The initial distribution phase has a half-life of approximately 1 hour, although it may range up to >3 hours.”
Generics: acamprosate since 2013; diazepam since 1985 (Drugs@FDA).
DEA schedule: acamprosate none; diazepam CIV.
| Acamprosate | Diazepam | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Alcohol use disorder | Anxiety, Muscle spasms and spasticity |
| Pharmacologic class | n/a | Benzodiazepine |
| How it works (label) | The mechanism of action of acamprosate in maintenance of alcohol abstinence is not completely understood. Chronic alcohol exposure is hypothesized to alter the normal balance between neuronal excitation and inhibition. | n/a |
| Half-life (label) | Elimination After oral dosing of 2 x 333 mg of acamprosate calcium, the terminal half-life ranges from approximately 20 to 33 hours. | The initial distribution phase has a half-life of approximately 1 hour, although it may range up to >3 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | July 29, 2004 | November 15, 1963 |
| First generic approved | July 16, 2013 | September 4, 1985 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 10 labelers | 45 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.589 per tablet (Acamprosate calc DR 333 mg tablet) | $0.0283 per tablet (Diazepam 10 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -1% | -5% |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 1 | 8 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 322 | 121,010 |
| DEA schedule | none | CIV |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
Do their labels mention each other?
Acamprosate label, drug interactionsThe pharmacokinetics of acamprosate are not affected by alcohol, diazepam, or disulfiram, and clinically important interactions between naltrexone and acamprosate were not observed [ see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 ) ].
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What do the labels say about using others of their kind?
Diazepam label, drug interactionsCentrally Acting Agents If Valium is to be combined with other centrally acting agents, careful consideration should be given to the pharmacology of the agents employed particularly with compounds that may potentiate or be potentiated by the action of Valium, such as phenothiazines, antipsychotics, anxiolytics/sedatives, hypnotics, anticonvulsants, narcotic analgesics, anesthetics, sedative antihistamines …
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to acamprosate
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions