Two medicines, side by side
Aripiprazole vs lamotrigine
Aripiprazole and lamotrigine are both labeled for bipolar disorder. Drugs@FDA records approvals of aripiprazole since 2002 and of lamotrigine since 1994. Pharmacies paid $0.110 per aripiprazole 5 mg tablet and $0.0268 per lamotrigine 25 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. Lamotrigine's other strengths are brand-only: $2.86 per mL (Subvenite 10 mg/mL suspension). In FDA's classes, aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic and lamotrigine a mood stabilizer.
Check it at the source: the aripiprazole FDA label on DailyMed (effective January 29, 2025); the lamotrigine FDA label on DailyMed (effective October 10, 2025).
Highlights of the aripiprazole record
Aripiprazole (Abilify) · label of January 29, 2025
INCREASED MORTALITY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA-RELATED PSYCHOSIS and SUICIDAL THOUGHTS AND BEHAVIORS WITH ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death. ABILIFY is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ].
Used for
From the label: indicationsABILIFY (aripiprazole) Tablets are indicated for the treatment of: Schizophrenia Acute Treatment of Manic and Mixed Episodes associated with Bipolar I Disorder Adjunctive Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder Irritability Associated with Autistic Disorder Treatment of Tourette's Disorder ABILIFY is an atypical antipsychotic. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- November 15, 2002
- Generic labelers
- 47 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.110 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 25
Highlights of the lamotrigine record
Lamotrigine (Lamictal) · label of October 10, 2025
SERIOUS SKIN RASHES LAMICTAL can cause serious rashes requiring hospitalization and discontinuation of treatment. The incidence of these rashes, which have included Stevens-Johnson syndrome, is approximately 0.3% to 0.8% in pediatric patients (aged 2 to 17 years) and 0.08% to 0.3% in adults receiving LAMICTAL. One rash-related death was reported in a prospectively followed cohort of 1,983 pediatric patients (aged 2 to 16 years) with epilepsy taking LAMICTAL as adjunctive therapy.
Used for
From the label: indicationsLAMICTAL is indicated for: Epilepsy–adjunctive therapy in patients aged 2 years and older: • partial-onset seizures. • primary generalized tonic-clonic (PGTC) seizures. • generalized seizures of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 27, 1994
- Generic labelers
- 49 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0268 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- A presentation being discontinued
- Recalls
- 10
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Aripiprazole label of January 29, 2025, Lamotrigine label of October 10, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do aripiprazole and lamotrigine differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic and lamotrigine a mood stabilizer.
How each works, in its label's words: Aripiprazole, “The mechanism of action of aripiprazole in schizophrenia or bipolar mania, is unclear.”; Lamotrigine, “The precise mechanism(s) by which lamotrigine exerts its anticonvulsant action are unknown.”
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: aripiprazole since 2015; lamotrigine since 2006 (Drugs@FDA).
| Aripiprazole | Lamotrigine | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Depression, Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia | Seizures and epilepsy, Bipolar disorder |
| Pharmacologic class | Atypical Antipsychotic | Anti-epileptic Agent, Mood Stabilizer |
| How it works (label) | The mechanism of action of aripiprazole in schizophrenia or bipolar mania, is unclear. | The precise mechanism(s) by which lamotrigine exerts its anticonvulsant action are unknown. |
| Half-life (label) | For CYP2D6 poor metabolizers, the mean elimination half-life for aripiprazole is about 146 hours. | n/a |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | November 15, 2002 | December 27, 1994 |
| First generic approved | April 28, 2015 | June 21, 2006 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 47 labelers | 49 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.110 per tablet (Aripiprazole 5 mg tablet) | $0.0268 per tablet (Lamotrigine 25 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | +3% | -12% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | A presentation being discontinued |
| Recalls recorded | 25 | 10 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 121,736 | 130,994 |
| DEA schedule | none | none |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
Do their labels mention each other?
Aripiprazole label, drug interactionsAdditionally, no dosage adjustment is necessary for valproate, lithium, lamotrigine, lorazepam, or sertraline when coadministered with ABILIFY [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ].
Aripiprazole label, drug interactionsAdditionally, no dosage adjustment is necessary for valproate, lithium, lamotrigine, lorazepam, or sertraline when coadministered with ABILIFY MAINTENA. [See Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ].
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to aripiprazole
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions