Two medicines, side by side
Alprazolam vs lorazepam
Alprazolam and lorazepam are both labeled for anxiety. Drugs@FDA records approvals of alprazolam since 1981 and of lorazepam since 1977. Pharmacies paid $0.0236 per alprazolam 0.25 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.
Check it at the source: the alprazolam FDA label on DailyMed (effective January 18, 2023); the lorazepam FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 9, 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 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 (Alprazolam label of January 18, 2023, Lorazepam label of July 9, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do alprazolam and lorazepam 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 …”; Lorazepam, “The mean half-life of unconjugated lorazepam in human plasma is about 12 hours and for its major metabolite, lorazepam …”
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: alprazolam since 1993; lorazepam since 1985 (Drugs@FDA).
| Alprazolam | Lorazepam | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Anxiety | 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 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) | October 16, 1981 | September 30, 1977 |
| First generic approved | October 19, 1993 | December 10, 1985 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 30 labelers | 36 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.0236 per tablet (Alprazolam 0.25 mg tablet) | $0.0344 per tablet (Lorazepam 0.5 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -1% | -18% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | In shortage |
| Recalls recorded | 23 | 8 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 204,916 | 178,731 |
| 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.
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 alprazolam
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions