Two medicines, side by side

Aripiprazole vs quetiapine

Aripiprazole and quetiapine are both labeled for depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Drugs@FDA records approvals of aripiprazole since 2002 and of quetiapine since 1997. Pharmacies paid $0.110 per aripiprazole 5 mg tablet and $0.127 per quetiapine fumarate 300 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. How each works, in its label's words: Aripiprazole, “The mechanism of action of aripiprazole in schizophrenia or bipolar mania, is unclear.”; Quetiapine, “The mechanism of action of quetiapine in the listed indications is unclear.”

Check it at the source: the aripiprazole FDA label on DailyMed (effective January 29, 2025); the quetiapine FDA label on DailyMed (effective April 10, 2026).

Highlights of the aripiprazole record

Aripiprazole (Abilify) · label of January 29, 2025

Boxed warning

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: indications
ABILIFY (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 quetiapine record

Quetiapine (Seroquel) · label of April 10, 2026

Boxed warning

INCREASED MORTALITY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA-RELATED PSYCHOSIS; and SUICIDAL THOUGHTS AND BEHAVIORS Increased Mortality in Elderly Patients with Dementia-Related Psychosis Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ]. SEROQUEL is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ].

Used for

From the label: indications
SEROQUEL is an atypical antipsychotic indicated for the treatment of: • Schizophrenia ( 1.1 ) • Bipolar I disorder manic episodes (1.2) • Bipolar disorder, depressive episodes (1.2) 1.1 Schizophrenia SEROQUEL is indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia. The efficacy of SEROQUEL in schizophrenia was established in three 6-week trials in adults and one 6-week trial in adolescents (13-17 years). […]

On the market

Earliest approval on file: September 26, 1997
Generic labelers: 48 labelers
Pharmacy cost: $0.127 per tablet

Supply and safety

Shortage: No current entry
Recalls: 10

Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Aripiprazole label of January 29, 2025, Quetiapine label of April 10, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)

How do aripiprazole and quetiapine differ on the record?

How each works, in its label's words: Aripiprazole, “The mechanism of action of aripiprazole in schizophrenia or bipolar mania, is unclear.”; Quetiapine, “The mechanism of action of quetiapine in the listed indications is unclear.”

Both are in FDA's class atypical antipsychotics.

Half-life, in each label's words: Aripiprazole, “For CYP2D6 poor metabolizers, the mean elimination half-life for aripiprazole is about 146 hours.”; Quetiapine, “Elimination of quetiapine is mainly via hepatic metabolism with a mean terminal half-life of about 6 hours within the …”

Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.

Generics: aripiprazole since 2015; quetiapine since 2012 (Drugs@FDA).

	Aripiprazole	Quetiapine
Labeled for	Depression, Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia	Schizophrenia, Bipolar disorder, Depression
Pharmacologic class	Atypical Antipsychotic	Atypical Antipsychotic
How it works (label)	The mechanism of action of aripiprazole in schizophrenia or bipolar mania, is unclear.	The mechanism of action of quetiapine in the listed indications is unclear. However, the efficacy of quetiapine in these indications could be mediated through a combination of dopamine type 2 (D 2 ) and serotonin type 2 (5HT 2 ) antagonism.
Half-life (label)	For CYP2D6 poor metabolizers, the mean elimination half-life for aripiprazole is about 146 hours.	Elimination of quetiapine is mainly via hepatic metabolism with a mean terminal half-life of about 6 hours within the proposed clinical dose range.
Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA)	November 15, 2002	September 26, 1997
First generic approved	April 28, 2015	March 27, 2012
Generic labelers (NDC)	47 labelers	48 labelers
Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ)	$0.110 per tablet (Aripiprazole 5 mg tablet)	$0.127 per tablet (Quetiapine fumarate 300 mg tablet)
12-month price change	+3%	-9%
Boxed warning	Yes	Yes
Shortage now	No current entry	No current entry
Recalls recorded	25	10
FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used)	121,736	191,480
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?

Quetiapine label, warnings and precautions
Patients with Dementia-Related Psychosis In placebo-controlled trials with risperidone, aripiprazole, and olanzapine in elderly subjects with dementia, there was a higher incidence of cerebrovascular adverse reactions (cerebrovascular accidents and transient ischemic attacks) including fatalities compared to placebo-treated subjects.

What both labels say about taking them together

Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA

What next?

Aripiprazole: the full record
Quetiapine: the full record
Alternatives to aripiprazole: every medicine labeled for the same conditions