Two medicines, side by side
Acamprosate vs lorazepam
Acamprosate is labeled for alcohol use disorder; lorazepam for anxiety. Their labels share no use, so they are not alternatives to each other. Drugs@FDA records approvals of acamprosate since 2004 and of lorazepam since 1977. Pharmacies paid $0.589 per acamprosate calc DR 333 mg tablet and $0.0344 per lorazepam 0.5 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. Only the lorazepam label carries a boxed warning.
Check it at the source: the acamprosate FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 14, 2026); the lorazepam FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 9, 2025).
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 lorazepam record
Lorazepam (Ativan) · label of July 9, 2025
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 for patients for whom alternative treatment options are inadequate. Limit dosages and durations to the minimum required.
Used for
From the label: indicationsAtivan (lorazepam) is indicated for the management of anxiety disorders or for the short-term relief of the symptoms of anxiety or anxiety associated with depressive symptoms. Anxiety or tension associated with the stress of everyday life usually does not require treatment with an anxiolytic. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- September 30, 1977
- Generic labelers
- 36 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0344 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- In shortage
- Recalls
- 8
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Acamprosate label of July 14, 2026, Lorazepam label of July 9, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do acamprosate and lorazepam differ on the record?
Only the lorazepam 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 …”; Lorazepam, “The mean half-life of unconjugated lorazepam in human plasma is about 12 hours and for its major metabolite, lorazepam …”
Generics: acamprosate since 2013; lorazepam since 1985 (Drugs@FDA).
DEA schedule: acamprosate none; lorazepam CIV.
| Acamprosate | Lorazepam | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Alcohol use disorder | Anxiety |
| 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 mean half-life of unconjugated lorazepam in human plasma is about 12 hours and for its major metabolite, lorazepam glucuronide, about 18 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | July 29, 2004 | September 30, 1977 |
| First generic approved | July 16, 2013 | December 10, 1985 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 10 labelers | 36 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.589 per tablet (Acamprosate calc DR 333 mg tablet) | $0.0344 per tablet (Lorazepam 0.5 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -1% | -18% |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | In shortage |
| Recalls recorded | 1 | 8 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 322 | 178,731 |
| 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)
What do the labels say about using others of their kind?
Lorazepam label, warningsUse of benzodiazepines, including lorazepam, both used alone and in combination with other CNS depressants, may lead to potentially fatal respiratory depression (see PRECAUTIONS:
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to acamprosate
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions