Two medicines, side by side
Clonazepam vs lamotrigine
Clonazepam and lamotrigine are both labeled for seizures and epilepsy. Drugs@FDA records approvals of clonazepam since 1975 and of lamotrigine since 1994. Pharmacies paid $0.0244 per clonazepam 1 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, clonazepam is a benzodiazepine and lamotrigine a mood stabilizer.
Check it at the source: the clonazepam FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 1, 2025); the lamotrigine FDA label on DailyMed (effective October 10, 2025).
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
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 (Clonazepam label of December 1, 2025, Lamotrigine label of October 10, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do clonazepam and lamotrigine differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, clonazepam is a benzodiazepine and lamotrigine a mood stabilizer.
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: clonazepam since 1996; lamotrigine since 2006 (Drugs@FDA).
DEA schedule: clonazepam CIV; lamotrigine none.
| Clonazepam | Lamotrigine | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Seizures and epilepsy, Anxiety | Seizures and epilepsy, Bipolar disorder |
| Pharmacologic class | Benzodiazepine | Anti-epileptic Agent, Mood Stabilizer |
| How it works (label) | n/a | The precise mechanism(s) by which lamotrigine exerts its anticonvulsant action are unknown. |
| Half-life (label) | The elimination half-life of clonazepam is typically 30 to 40 hours. | n/a |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | June 4, 1975 | December 27, 1994 |
| First generic approved | September 10, 1996 | June 21, 2006 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 31 labelers | 49 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.0244 per tablet (Clonazepam 1 mg tablet) | $0.0268 per tablet (Lamotrigine 25 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -14% | -12% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | In shortage | A presentation being discontinued |
| Recalls recorded | 7 | 10 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 159,283 | 130,994 |
| DEA schedule | CIV | 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?
Clonazepam label, drug interactionsCytochrome P-450 inducers, such as phenytoin, carbamazepine, lamotrigine, and phenobarbital induce clonazepam metabolism, causing an approximately 38% decrease in plasma clonazepam levels.
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to clonazepam
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions