PlainMeds provides educational information only. This is not medical advice. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist.

aripiprazole vs dextromethorphan

Side-by-side comparison of aripiprazole and dextromethorphan. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.

minor Known Drug Interaction

In addition, no dosage adjustment is necessary for substrates of CYP2D6 (e.g., dextromethorphan, fluoxetine, paroxetine, or venlafaxine), CYP2C9 (e.g., warfarin), CYP2C19 (e.g., omeprazole, warfarin, escitalopram), or CYP3A4 (e.g., dextromethorphan) when co-administered with aripiprazole.

Recommendation: You can take these medications together without needing to change your dosage.

Drug Class
aripiprazole Atypical Antipsychotic
dextromethorphan Antitussive
Type
aripiprazole Prescription
dextromethorphan Over-the-Counter
Summary
aripiprazole

Aripiprazole (Abilify) is a medicine used to treat certain mental disorders and mood problems. It can help to improve your mood, thinking, and behavior.

dextromethorphan

Dextromethorphan is a medicine that helps to relieve coughs. It can also help with cold and flu symptoms.

What It Treats
aripiprazole

Aripiprazole is used to treat schizophrenia in adults and teens. It also treats irritability in children with autism. Additionally, it can treat Tourette's disorder.

dextromethorphan

This medicine temporarily relieves symptoms from a cold. It can help with minor aches and pains, headache, and nasal and sinus congestion. It also helps with sore throat, cough due to minor throat and bronchial irritation, and reduces fever.

How It Works
aripiprazole

Aripiprazole works by affecting the levels of certain chemicals in the brain. These chemicals, like dopamine and serotonin, can affect mood and behavior. By balancing these chemicals, aripiprazole helps to reduce symptoms of mental health conditions.

dextromethorphan

Dextromethorphan works by decreasing the activity in the part of your brain that causes you to cough. This helps to reduce your urge to cough. It does not treat the underlying cause of the cough.

Common Side Effects
aripiprazole
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Constipation
  • Headache
  • Dizziness
dextromethorphan
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Headache
  • Fatigue
FAERS Reports
aripiprazole
  • Gaining weight 7,698
  • Feeling worried or nervous 4,995
  • Feeling tired 4,188
  • Thinking about suicide 3,991
  • Feeling sad or hopeless 3,952
dextromethorphan
  • Misusing the medicine 713
  • Poisoning 678
  • Taking too much medicine 594
  • Feeling lightheaded 435
  • Accidentally taking too much medicine 403
Serious Warnings
aripiprazole

Aripiprazole may increase the risk of death in elderly patients who have psychosis related to dementia. It is not approved for this use. Antidepressants may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens, and young adults. Watch closely for worsening mood or suicidal thoughts.

dextromethorphan

Do not use in children under 12 years of age.

Pregnancy
aripiprazole

If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, talk to your doctor. Aripiprazole may cause withdrawal symptoms or other problems in newborns if taken during the third trimester. There is a pregnancy registry for women who take aripiprazole during pregnancy.

dextromethorphan

Talk to your doctor before taking this medicine if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. It is not known if this medicine will harm your unborn baby. It is also not known if this medicine passes into breast milk.

Also Compare, Nearby Drugs

How to Read This aripiprazole vs dextromethorphan Comparison

aripiprazole is classified in the Atypical Antipsychotic drug class, while dextromethorphan sits within the Antitussive class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are split between OTC and prescription status, which affects access and supervision.

Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, aripiprazole has 24,824 submissions while dextromethorphan has 2,823. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to aripiprazole does not interfere with the way your body breaks down dextromethorphan.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.

A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between aripiprazole and dextromethorphan - always consult your physician or pharmacist first.

Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.