Two medicines, side by side

Albuterol vs butorphanol

Albuterol is labeled for asthma; butorphanol for pain. Their labels share no use, so they are not alternatives to each other. Drugs@FDA records approvals of albuterol since 1981 and of butorphanol since 1978. Pharmacies paid $0.288 per albuterol sulfate 2 mg tablet and $15.46 per mL (Butorphanol 10 mg/mL spray) (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. In FDA's classes, albuterol is a beta2-adrenergic agonist and butorphanol an opioid agonist/antagonist.

Check it at the source: the albuterol FDA label on DailyMed (effective April 30, 2026); the butorphanol FDA label on DailyMed (effective January 2, 2026).

Highlights of the albuterol record

Albuterol (Ventolin) · label of April 30, 2026

Used for

From the label: indications
Albuterol Inhalation Solution is indicated for the relief of bronchospasm in patients 2 to 12 years of age with asthma (reversible obstructive airway disease).

On the market

Earliest approval on file: May 1, 1981
Generic labelers: 40 labelers
Pharmacy cost: $0.288 per tablet

Supply and safety

Shortage: Resolved
Recalls: 20

Highlights of the butorphanol record

Butorphanol (Stadol) · label of January 2, 2026

Boxed warning

SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF BUTORPHANOL TARTRATE INJECTION Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse Because the use of Butorphanol Tartrate Injection exposes patients and other users to the risks of opioid addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death, assess each patient’s risk prior to prescribing and reassess all patients regularly for the development of these behaviors and conditions [see WARNINGS ].

Used for

From the label: indications
Butorphanol Tartrate Injection is indicated - as a preoperative or pre-anesthetic medication - as a supplement to balanced anesthesia - for the relief of pain during labor, and - for the management of pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic and for which alternative treatments are inadequate. […]

On the market

Earliest approval on file: August 22, 1978
Generic labelers: 4 labelers
Pharmacy cost: $15.46 per mL

Supply and safety

Shortage: No current entry
Recalls: 1

Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Albuterol label of April 30, 2026, Butorphanol label of January 2, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)

How do albuterol and butorphanol differ on the record?

In FDA's classes, albuterol is a beta2-adrenergic agonist and butorphanol an opioid agonist/antagonist.

Only the butorphanol label carries a boxed warning.

Generics: albuterol since 1989; butorphanol since 1997 (Drugs@FDA).

DEA schedule: albuterol none; butorphanol CIV.

	Albuterol	Butorphanol
Labeled for	Asthma	Pain
Pharmacologic class	beta2-Adrenergic Agonist	Opioid Agonist/Antagonist
How it works (label)	n/a	Mechanism of Action Butorphanol is a partial opioid agonist at the mu opioid receptor and a full agonist at the kappa opioid receptor. The principal therapeutic action of butorphanol is analgesia.
Half-life (label)	n/a	The elimination half-life of hydroxybutorphanol is about 18 hours and, as a consequence, considerable accumulation (~5-fold) occurs when butorphanol is dosed to steady state.
Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA)	May 1, 1981	August 22, 1978
First generic approved	January 30, 1989	January 22, 1997
Generic labelers (NDC)	40 labelers	4 labelers
Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ)	$0.288 per tablet (Albuterol sulfate 2 mg tablet)	$15.46 per mL (Butorphanol 10 mg/mL spray)
12-month price change	-38%	+2%
Boxed warning	No	Yes
Shortage now	Resolved	No current entry
Recalls recorded	20	1
FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used)	292,136	326
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?

Butorphanol label, drug interactions
Drug Interactions Benzodiazepines and Other Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants Due to additive pharmacologic effect, the concomitant use of benzodiazepines or other CNS depressants such as alcohol, sedatives/hypnotics, anxiolytics, tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, general anesthetics, antipsychotics, gabapentinoids (gabapentin or pregabalin), and other opioids, can increase the risk of respiratory depression …

Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA

What next?

Albuterol: the full record
Butorphanol: the full record
Alternatives to albuterol: every medicine labeled for the same conditions