Two medicines, side by side
Buspirone vs clonazepam
Buspirone and clonazepam are both labeled for anxiety. Drugs@FDA records approvals of buspirone since 1986 and of clonazepam since 1975. Pharmacies paid $0.043 per buspirone HCl 15 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. Only the clonazepam label carries a boxed warning.
Check it at the source: the buspirone FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 22, 2023); the clonazepam FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 1, 2025).
Highlights of the buspirone record
Buspirone (Buspar) · label of December 22, 2023
Used for
From the label: indicationsBuspirone hydrochloride tablets, USP are indicated for the management of anxiety disorders or the short-term relief of the symptoms of anxiety. 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 29, 1986
- Generic labelers
- 47 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.043 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 10
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 (Buspirone label of December 22, 2023, Clonazepam label of December 1, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do buspirone and clonazepam differ on the record?
Only the clonazepam label carries a boxed warning.
Half-life, in each label's words: Buspirone, “The average elimination half-life of unchanged buspirone after single doses of 10 mg to 40 mg is about 2 to 3 hours.”; Clonazepam, “The elimination half-life of clonazepam is typically 30 to 40 hours.”
Generics: buspirone since 2001; clonazepam since 1996 (Drugs@FDA).
DEA schedule: buspirone none; clonazepam CIV.
| Buspirone | Clonazepam | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Anxiety | Seizures and epilepsy, Anxiety |
| Pharmacologic class | n/a | Benzodiazepine |
| How it works (label) | n/a | n/a |
| Half-life (label) | The average elimination half-life of unchanged buspirone after single doses of 10 mg to 40 mg is about 2 to 3 hours. | The elimination half-life of clonazepam is typically 30 to 40 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | September 29, 1986 | June 4, 1975 |
| First generic approved | March 28, 2001 | September 10, 1996 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 47 labelers | 31 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.043 per tablet (Buspirone HCl 15 mg tablet) | $0.0244 per tablet (Clonazepam 1 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -9% | -14% |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | In shortage |
| Recalls recorded | 10 | 7 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 10,970 | 159,283 |
| DEA schedule | none | 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?
Buspirone label, warningsSerotonin Syndrome The development of a potentially life-threatening serotonin syndrome has been reported with SNRIs, SSRIs, and other serotonergic drugs, including buspirone, alone but particularly with concomitant use of other serotonergic drugs (including triptans), with drugs that impair metabolism of serotonin (in particular, MAOIs, including reversible MAOIs such as linezolid and intravenous methylene blue) …
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to buspirone
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions