Two medicines, side by side
Clonazepam vs levetiracetam
Clonazepam and levetiracetam are both labeled for seizures and epilepsy. Drugs@FDA records approvals of clonazepam since 1975 and of levetiracetam since 1999. Pharmacies paid $0.0244 per clonazepam 1 mg tablet and $0.0736 per levetiracetam 500 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 clonazepam FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 1, 2025); the levetiracetam FDA label on DailyMed (effective January 28, 2026).
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 levetiracetam record
Levetiracetam (Keppra) · label of January 28, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsKEPPRA is indicated for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in patients 1 month of age and older ( 1.1 ) KEPPRA is indicated for adjunctive therapy for the treatment of: Myoclonic seizures in patients 12 years of age and older with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy ( 1.2 ) Primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures in patients 6 years of age and older with idiopathic generalized epilepsy ( 1.3 ) 1.1 Partial-Onset […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- November 30, 1999
- Generic labelers
- 84 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0736 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 15
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Clonazepam label of December 1, 2025, Levetiracetam label of January 28, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do clonazepam and levetiracetam differ on the record?
Only the clonazepam label carries a boxed warning.
Half-life, in each label's words: Clonazepam, “The elimination half-life of clonazepam is typically 30 to 40 hours.”; Levetiracetam, “Following oral administration of twice-daily dosing for 10 days, total body clearance decreased by 38% and the …”
Generics: clonazepam since 1996; levetiracetam since 2008 (Drugs@FDA).
DEA schedule: clonazepam CIV; levetiracetam none.
| Clonazepam | Levetiracetam | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Seizures and epilepsy, Anxiety | Seizures and epilepsy |
| Pharmacologic class | Benzodiazepine | n/a |
| How it works (label) | n/a | The precise mechanism(s) by which levetiracetam exerts its antiepileptic effect is unknown. A saturable and stereoselective neuronal binding site in rat brain tissue has been described for levetiracetam. |
| Half-life (label) | The elimination half-life of clonazepam is typically 30 to 40 hours. | Following oral administration of twice-daily dosing for 10 days, total body clearance decreased by 38% and the half-life was 2.5 hours longer in the elderly compared to healthy adults. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | June 4, 1975 | November 30, 1999 |
| First generic approved | September 10, 1996 | November 4, 2008 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 31 labelers | 84 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.0244 per tablet (Clonazepam 1 mg tablet) | $0.0736 per tablet (Levetiracetam 500 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -14% | -5% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | No |
| Shortage now | In shortage | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 7 | 15 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 159,283 | 132,823 |
| 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)
What next?
- Alternatives to clonazepam
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions