Two medicines, side by side
Buspirone vs lorazepam
Buspirone and lorazepam are both labeled for anxiety. Drugs@FDA records approvals of buspirone since 1986 and of lorazepam since 1977. Pharmacies paid $0.043 per buspirone HCl 15 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. Only the lorazepam label carries a boxed warning.
Check it at the source: the buspirone FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 22, 2023); the lorazepam FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 9, 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 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 (Buspirone label of December 22, 2023, Lorazepam label of July 9, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do buspirone and lorazepam differ on the record?
Only the lorazepam 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.”; Lorazepam, “The mean half-life of unconjugated lorazepam in human plasma is about 12 hours and for its major metabolite, lorazepam …”
Generics: buspirone since 2001; lorazepam since 1985 (Drugs@FDA).
DEA schedule: buspirone none; lorazepam CIV.
| Buspirone | Lorazepam | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Anxiety | 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 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) | September 29, 1986 | September 30, 1977 |
| First generic approved | March 28, 2001 | December 10, 1985 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 47 labelers | 36 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.043 per tablet (Buspirone HCl 15 mg tablet) | $0.0344 per tablet (Lorazepam 0.5 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -9% | -18% |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | In shortage |
| Recalls recorded | 10 | 8 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 10,970 | 178,731 |
| 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) …
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 buspirone
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions