Two medicines, side by side
Alprazolam vs clonazepam
Alprazolam and clonazepam are both labeled for anxiety. Drugs@FDA records approvals of alprazolam since 1981 and of clonazepam since 1975. Pharmacies paid $0.0236 per alprazolam 0.25 mg tablet and $0.0244 per clonazepam 1 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like.
Check it at the source: the alprazolam FDA label on DailyMed (effective January 18, 2023); the clonazepam FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 1, 2025).
Highlights of the alprazolam record
Alprazolam (Xanax) · label of January 18, 2023
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: indicationsXANAX is indicated for the: • acute treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in adults. • treatment of panic disorder (PD), with or without agoraphobia in adults. XANAX is a benzodiazepine indicated for the: • Acute treatment of generalized anxiety disorder in adults. ( 1 ) • Treatment of panic disorder with or without agoraphobia in adults.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- October 16, 1981
- Generic labelers
- 30 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0236 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 23
Highlights of the clonazepam record
Clonazepam (Klonopin) · label of December 1, 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: indicationsSeizure Disorders Klonopin is useful alone or as an adjunct in the treatment of the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (petit mal variant), akinetic, and myoclonic seizures. In patients with absence seizures (petit mal) who have failed to respond to succinimides, Klonopin may be useful. Some loss of effect may occur during the course of clonazepam treatment (see PRECAUTIONS: Loss of Effect ). […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- June 4, 1975
- Generic labelers
- 31 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0244 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- In shortage
- Recalls
- 7
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Alprazolam label of January 18, 2023, Clonazepam label of December 1, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do alprazolam and clonazepam differ on the record?
Both are in FDA's class benzodiazepines.
Half-life, in each label's words: Alprazolam, “Elimination The mean plasma elimination half-life (T 1/2 ) of alprazolam is approximately 11.2 hours (range: 6.3 to …”; Clonazepam, “The elimination half-life of clonazepam is typically 30 to 40 hours.”
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: alprazolam since 1993; clonazepam since 1996 (Drugs@FDA).
| Alprazolam | Clonazepam | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Anxiety | Seizures and epilepsy, Anxiety |
| Pharmacologic class | Benzodiazepine | Benzodiazepine |
| How it works (label) | Alprazolam is a 1,4 benzodiazepine. | n/a |
| Half-life (label) | Elimination The mean plasma elimination half-life (T 1/2 ) of alprazolam is approximately 11.2 hours (range: 6.3 to 26.9 hours) in healthy adults. | The elimination half-life of clonazepam is typically 30 to 40 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | October 16, 1981 | June 4, 1975 |
| First generic approved | October 19, 1993 | September 10, 1996 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 30 labelers | 31 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.0236 per tablet (Alprazolam 0.25 mg tablet) | $0.0244 per tablet (Clonazepam 1 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -1% | -14% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | In shortage |
| Recalls recorded | 23 | 7 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 204,916 | 159,283 |
| DEA schedule | CIV | 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?
Alprazolam label, drug interactionsCNS Depressants Clinical implication The benzodiazepines, including alprazolam, produce additive CNS depressant effects when coadministered with other CNS depressants.
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to alprazolam
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions